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 mnl.editorial@thebeat.asia or slide through our DMs on Facebook or Instagram!

“DLSU to…”

You've probably seen JetNekko on his TikTok account, going on walks around Metro Manila with his friends and dubbing themselves the "Chinito Walkers." But apart from jumpstarting those walks and starting his own “walking challenge” on the platform, JetNekko is creating a name for himself with his music.

The Beat Manila got the chance to interview the budding Original Pinoy Music (OPM) singer-songwriter and learn about his music, inspirations, and content creation.

Hi, JetNekko! Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Hi, I’m JetNekko! I’m a student at [De La Salle University] DLSU-Manila, and I write OPM songs and I also do content creation.

What’s the story behind your name, JetNekko?

Actually, it’s not too complicated. I came up with the name when I was in Grade 8, when everyone was using a different name on Instagram. It was a combination of names, “Jet” came from Jet Li, the famous martial artist and actor, and I was into that before. “Nekko” is for my love of cats, with the Japanese word for “cat” being “neko” and added an extra ‘k.'

It was initially just for my Instagram, but it grew on me and I started to use it on everything.

Can you tell us how you got into music?

It started during the pandemic. My friend was making beats on his computer, and I was writing lyrics. It started as a side hobby; I didn’t take it seriously at the time since it was the pandemic, and I was bored. All the lyrics I wrote were in English, and that was in late 2020.

What was it like writing your first few songs? Any challenges you experienced?

Writing my first song with lyrics felt new; it was the first time I did that, and I wrote in English at the time. I struggled with grammar, and that’s one thing that happens when you’re new to something; you make mistakes, and you get challenged.

I remember listening to the songs I wrote during the pandemic and thinking, “Why did the lyrics sound like that?” and listing down the mistakes I made. That would be the main challenge, but you get used to it, and it’s part of the process of learning and creating [lyrics].

Where do you get the inspiration to make music?

I was heavily inspired by artists; music is one of the things that inspired me from 2019-2020. I remember being consistently inspired by American rappers like Kid LAROI and Juice WRLD, and they got me to start music and the lyrics I wrote before.

Compared to the songs I write now, I consider it “night and day” because of how different it sounds. The biggest difference would be the language, where I used to write in English and now, I write in Tagalog.

For my lyrics then, I’d say it was just what normal 14- to 17-year-olds would think about love, and teenage angst. Now, I write in Filipino and that’s who I want to reach. My songs “Aking Mahal” and “Aking Sinta,” now focus on the happier side of love.

I say “night and day” because of the shift in language, theme, and subject.

What are your songs “Aking Mahal” and “Aking Sinta” all about?

Most of the things I write, like any artist out there, would be based on real-life experiences. I think that’s one of the best ways to create something; it’s more natural. “Aking Mahal” and “Aking Sinta” share a similar theme and were mainly inspired by the feelings I felt when I fell in love with someone. It’s as simple as that.

Where do you get the motivation to continue creating music?

Honestly, what keeps me going is my love for the art itself. It’s cool to finally realize that dream I had in high school when I always thought that I’d want to create music whether it was just beats or lyrics. It’s also fun to look back at what I wrote and reflect on how I did it.

Another would be the people who are listening to my music, my audience. When you write a song, it’s like you’re talking to someone. Seeing feedback and comments from my listeners feels good and fulfilling, especially with people enjoying what I do.

Seeing my growth as an artist is also one of my biggest motivations.

There were a lot of times when I lost motivation and wanted to give up. During the first few years, it was bad for my growth, and I didn’t feel like the music I wrote was good. In my first year in 2020, my artist’s Spotify Wrapped for the whole year had 200 streams, in 2021, it was 400, [then] in 2022, it grew to 600 streams.

Reflecting on that time, of course, I was still happy about the songs I put out. But in terms of success, I wasn’t doing good. The first significant jump I had was in 2023, when I released my first Filipino song “Hatinggabi.” That’s when I thought to myself of shifting my focus, and at the end of the year, I had a total of 7,000 streams and 2,000 listeners.

Another big jump was last year, which was crazy because from 7,000 [streams], it grew to 130,000 total streams.

Looking back at it now, I still have a long way to go, and at the same time, I’ve already come so far.

Any dream collaborations? If ever, who are your top picks?

I was honestly inspired by Zack Tabudlo, after listening to his online performance during AniMusika 2022. He was the reason why I started writing OPM music. Not even a week later after his performance, I finished writing “Hatinggabi” because I really got inspired. He’s one of my dream collaborations.

Another artist would be Maki with his song “Dilaw.” I’ve written something heavily inspired by “Dilaw” in my demos, and he’s one of the artists I look up to, and I’d want to be like him one day.

What’s next for JetNekko? Anything planned this year?

I have a lot of demos lined up for this year, and the songwriting process continues! I’m planning to release three to four songs this year. I’d also like to tell my listeners to stay tuned for what’s next, and that I’m so happy to see people loving my newest single, “Aking Sinta.”

Ever since I released “Aking Sinta,” that’s when I realized that I want to take my passion for music more seriously.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. To learn more about JetNekko, follow him on his Instagram and TikTok. Stream his most recent single “Aking Sinta” on Spotify.

Enjoyed this article? Check out our previous Up-and-Coming articles here.