The Beat Manila’s Up-and-Coming: Cavite-Born Band 'Letters from June'
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!
Heads up, young ones coming through!
Avid OPM followers are probably familiar with bands like Lola Amour, Cup of Joe, December Avenue, and others who have been making big waves in the music scene with their heartfelt songs, spectacular instrumentals, and live performances. Well, there’s a new kid in town who aims to follow in their footsteps, making Filipino band music more vibrant than ever.
Meet Letters from June, a six-piece co-ed band hailing from Cavite. Composed of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Renzo Compuesto, keyboardist and backup vocalist Michelle Fajkovic, lead guitarists Arvy Perez and Sean Villa, bassist Deign Porol, and drummer Ken Lunas, the band made their debut earlier this year with the single “Bituin” under music label KDR Music House. Since then, they have been playing at several music festivals, including Warner Music’s “We Play Here” school tour in UP Diliman, alongside other Filipino artists like Dilaw, SB19’s Stell, and Arthur Miguel, among others.
"Letters from June" is a culmination of the members’ ideas after nights of brainstorming. “Letters,” the band explains, tell how they always put a personal touch to their songs, while “June” denotes the season of change — put together to signify a certain moment in a person’s life.
Fresh off the release of their second single, “Nasan Ka Na?” The Beat Manila spoke with the members to get to know them further and discover what made them such talented musicians at a young age. Find out more about them and why they’re the ones to watch out for!
The Making of Letters from June
Like many great friendships, Letters from June’s members met in college, particularly through a theater group. Five of them – Renzo, Michelle, Arvy, Sean, and Deign – were in the troupe’s music department, where they honed their skills in songwriting by making music for their theater plays. Here, they discovered their chemistry as a group.
But a good band is incomplete without a drummer – and so the band brought in Ken, Sean’s friend, to complete Letters from June.
But even before this, each member has always had an inkling for the craft, coming from families who love music as well. Arvy, for example, began learning the guitar at the age of seven, while Michelle started exploring classical music as early as seven years old. Meanwhile, Deign started off playing the guitar when she was nine, then moved on to bass at 14. Similarly, Sean got into music after learning the guitar and sharpened his skills better when he got into high school.
Last May, the six signed with KDR Music House under the name Letters from June and released “Bituin” as their debut single.
A Bond Beyond Music
“It’s a really, really long collaborative process,” said Arvy on working with the members. Despite hardships, however, it’s that family-like bond that they have with each other that helps them maintain good chemistry.
“Actually, hindi pa kami nagkakaroon ng away (we have never had any argument),” Renzo revealed. This is because, according to them, their families treat each other as their own, supporting each other and hanging out as one big family.
They also unveiled how each of the members views each other as professionals and is willing to take criticism to be able to improve.
“Sobrang okay ng dynamics ng band namin (the dynamics of our band are very good), as of now. We all know how to listen. We all want the same thing e. Malaking factor na pare-parehas kami ng goal (it’s a big factor that we all have the same goal),” said Sean.
On Live Performances and the Success of ‘Bituin’
About three months after its release, “Bituin” has already amassed over 500,000 streams on Spotify alone, a feat that’s not easy to do for any up-and-coming band. Listening to the song, it was not a surprise how this beautifully arranged, plot twist-infused track has gained such an achievement.
To this big win, Renzo shared, “It still doesn’t feel real that it’s getting the recognition that it has, but I think it's getting the recognition that it deserves, at least.”
Arvy added, “It feels nice. We get validation as songwriters. Personally, I feel like it’s an accomplishment, ‘pag may nagsasabi na ‘Napaiyak ako ng song na ‘to.’ (when someone says that they cried because of our song) or ‘After I listened to the song, I broke down.’ It just means that we are effective in conveying our message through our songs."
The band also shared the story behind this hit, which, according to Renzo, was “supposed to be for a special someone.”
“I’ve had it for the longest time. It was supposed to be a love song. The first verse, up until the first chorus, it’s all about admiration, if you can tell. The only sign that it’s a sad song is the phrase, ‘Ngunit paano ako (but what about me)?’ And that comes at the end of the chorus. From the second verse up until the end, it became what it is now — a song that basically [talks] about a person that only gives and gives but never receives anything in return.”
Following “Bituin,” Letters from June has been working harder by playing at live gigs. On what they enjoy about this, Michelle said, “What we all definitely enjoy about these shows is the different locations and the crowd interactions we get to have with so many different audiences. It’s just very exciting.”
All smiles, Arvy said, “Watching other artists’ soundcheck. It’s really fun watching them in their element, and seeing their professionalism. It helps us develop more as artists.”
“’Yung rush talaga no’ng (the rush of the) actual performance, walang makakatalo doon (nothing beats that). It’s something I always look forward to every time na malalaman ko na may gig kami (I find out that we have gigs). The excitement, the adrenaline rush. Performing in front of people and doing music,” Sean added.
What’s Next for Letters from June?
Building from the hit that is “Bituin,” the band has made a comeback with another heartfelt track, “Nasan Ka Na?” The track speaks of falling out and longing for someone, a perfect follow-up to the band’s heartfelt debut song.
“We can’t wait for people to fall in love with the instrumentals and the vocals. We added so many new things that we didn’t expect, initially, and when it all came together, it sounded so nice,” said Michelle.
Talking about their future plans, Letters from June hopes to be able to still make music in the next few years.
“We always say [that we would still make music] if everything goes well and if we reach, at least, somewhere near our goal and our purpose for doing this. It doesn’t matter if we get famous or that much recognition. All that matters is that at the end of the day, five years from now, [if we’re] still in love with what [we’re] doing, then it wouldn’t matter. [What matters] is you’re having fun doing what you love,” Renzo shared.
Having released two singles so far, Letters from June is just at the beginning of their journey and is slowly etching their name in the music industry — and we can’t wait to see how they will grow in the coming years.
“I feel like it’s just the beginning, really. There’s a lot more in store for us, and we’re still starting. We’re really looking forward to what’s to come.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. To learn more about Letters from June and their upcoming shows, follow them on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, or stream their music on Spotify or YouTube.
Get the latest curated content with The Beat Asia's newsletters. Sign up now for a weekly dose of the best stories, events, and deals delivered straight to your inbox. Don't miss out! Click here to subscribe.
