The Beat Manila’s Up-And-Coming: Singer-Songwriter Amiel Sol
The Beat Manila’s Up and Coming is a series where we feature rising talented artists from the Philippines, giving them a platform to share what they’re passionate about and to promote the music they (and us too!) would love for the world to hear. Do you want or know someone who wants to be featured? Email us at [email protected] or slide through our DMs on Facebook or Instagram!
Although it’s always fantastic to see our favorite artists on the music charts, we have to admit seeing a new name pop up now and then makes us lean over in our seats, eager to hit that play button and listen to something new. Our Up-and-Coming series is all about shining the spotlight on talented young artists who are changing the game, bringing in new sound and concepts, and are set to become the next big thing. And in our latest exclusive, we sat down with an indie singer-songwriter currently dominating the Philippine music charts.
Introducing Amiel Sol, fresh blood on the roster of Filipino hitmakers caught out attention when his latest single, “Sa Bawat Sandali,” peaked at #1 on Spotify’s Viral 50 Philippines list. Amiel is known for his alt-pop love songs, having released several singles like “Di Na Akin” and “Ikaw Lang Patutunguhan,” which have racked up an impressive number of streams — 13 million to be exact for the latter track, just on Spotify alone. The talented singer easily became Ivory Music’s top act and is gearing up to release more music that will undoubtedly make him a household name among the OPM (Original Pinoy Music) hit lists soon enough!
Read on to get to know Amiel and his burgeoning music career, the inspiration behind his latest single, and the dreams he hopes to fulfill this 2025.
Amiel’s Musical Journey
A Mathematics graduate from the University of the Philippines, Amiel is a passionate musician who blends romantic lyricism with ambient folk sound. He told The Beat Asia how his relationship with music began early in his life — in elementary school when he learned to play guitar from his neighbor.
“I was eight then,” he said, “And when I got into high school, my friends and I joined Battle of The Bands. It became a yearly tradition for us until we graduated. I still wanted to continue music then, even just as a hobby, but since we ended up in different schools for college, I decided to do it on my own.”
The singer expressed how he never thought about pursuing music as a career and that it was just something he genuinely enjoyed doing, which was why he continued to play, performing song covers at food parks and open mics in 2018. However, it wasn’t until the following year when the global pandemic hit that Amiel was able to explore a new side of his musical talent.
“I remember it was the first week of the pandemic, and classes were suspended. So when it happened for three days, I just tried to write, and I bought a budget-friendly mic to be able to record songs at home.”
With no classes during lockdowns, Amiel focused on songwriting and began composing music and releasing them online. He was independent for a couple of years, apart from a short partnership with music distributor Ditto Music, where he signed on for a three-song contract. It wasn’t until 2022 that he officially became part of the Viva Records family. From there, Amiel performed in a series of gigs while juggling employment on the side.
When asked if he intends to do it full-time, Amiel answered, “When I graduated college in mid-2023, it became a deciding factor for me whether to focus on music or get a job. At the moment, I still have a day job, but I am hoping to pursue music full-time very soon.”
On Composing and Musicality
Like most singers, Amiel is an avid music consumer, which has influenced the current sound he’s developing through his songwriting. He also shared that his musical influences when it comes to his songwriting are Filipino musicians Johnoy Danao and Ebe Dancel, while he takes inspiration from Bruno Major and Lizzie McAlpine in terms of musicality.
“I really like indie folk music. That’s where I gravitate towards and the sound I aim for with my music,” he said. “I like ambient sounds, strings, cello, a little trumpets, while also heavy on acoustic guitars with folk-style drums.”
The singer explained that this was the sound he liked when recording songs in the studio, but he would gravitate towards a more pop sound when performing them live with a band.
“I think that’s what also clicks when you perform live, and I really like it as well,” he added, pertaining to how he started with this kind of sound back in his school days, performing pop-rock covers from popular bands like All Time Low and Eraserheads. The singer-songwriter also admitted to being a multi-instrumentalist but still considers the guitar as the instrument he’s most confident to play.
“I don’t have a specific process,” he told The Beat Asia when asked about his songwriting process. “For example, with ‘Sa Bawat Sandali,’ I first got the chord progression, which was inspired from the chorus of ‘Scott Street’ by Phoebe Bridgers, then I just transposed it. The second thing I got was the main hook of the song: ‘Kapag magulo na ang mundo, ikaw ang payapang hinahanap-hanap ko (Whenever the world is chaotic, you are the peace I keep searching for),' which just popped up in my head while I was playing the chord progression.”
As for the lyrics, Amiel shared that he already had a theme in mind from the start and wanted to express the type of love that comes after the “kilig” stage, when a couple feels settled in a relationship and is each other’s peace of mind. “A constant type of love,” the singer beautifully described.
We also got to discuss the anatomy of his songs as we noticed many of his tracks are over five minutes long, which is longer than a regular mainstream track. Amiel explained that he goes by feeling and instinct when composing, and as most of his songs have a slower progression, the track time always extends longer than intended, which he believed still fits his vision for the songs he’s writing.
With a chart-topping hit on his belt, Amiel is a rising OPM artist who’s on everyone’s radar. But the singer shared that for him, it’s not about success or recognition, but more about the experience and the journey.
“Actually, sobrang nakakagulat siya (it’s really surprising). In the six or seven years that I’ve been doing this, I admit that it’s also my dream to have a chart-topping song, but it’s not something I expected. I always want my mindset to be as long as I’m doing what I love; that’s enough. While writing, I never thought of a song as this is it, this is the hit. It just so happened that many people resonated with the song. And that’s what I like the most about it, not because it became a hit but because many people liked it. I suppose that’s the better part of it.”
Amiel has also been receiving offers for his songs to feature on other forms of media, like how “Sa Bawat Sandali” was included in the soundtrack of the popular VIVA miniseries, “Mutya ng Section E.” He also opened for popular alt-pop act Cup of Joe at their concerts.
“They’re one of my favorite bands! So it’s a very full-circle moment for me. They often get me as an opening act, so I’m so grateful to them for always giving me the opportunity to be seen and heard more.”
As for his music plans this year, Amiel hopes to do as many gigs as possible and to be able to do a solo concert where he could showcase his discography and invite some of his artist friends to collaborate with him. The singer-songwriter shared that his dream collab is with Johnoy Danao and Ebe Dancel, as well as with some of his artist friends whose music he admires, such as Earl Augustin, Keanna Mag, and Janine.
But if there’s one thing we can expect from him this year…
“Consistency,” he stated. “I really want to release more songs. I have a lot of songs that I want to share. I also want to play more gigs. Sana magtuloy-tuloy lang siya para makatugtog din ako sa iba’t-ibang lugar at marinig din ako ng iba’t-ibang mga tao (Hopefully the music events keep coming so I can play at different places and have more people hear my songs)."
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Catch Amiel at his upcoming events by staying tuned on his Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok pages. You can also stream his latest track here.
Enjoyed this article? Check out our previous Up-and-Coming articles here.
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