Wondering about the inspiration and musical influences behind Felip’s latest masterpiece? Whether you’ve nodded to his rhythm for years or have just stumbled upon his music, the story behind “Fake Faces” is bound to catch your interest.
Born from the collaborative creative process between Felip and international producer Hyuk Shin, “Fake Faces,” is an exciting new addition to the pop-punk genre, and a step forward in Felip’s bid to become more involved in the global music scene.
‘Fake Faces’ Behind the Scenes – Bringing the concept to life
Collaborative Work and Production
After several virtual meetings and preparatory work, Felip and his team traveled to Malaysia, where they spent two days working on the track with international multi-platinum producer Hyuk Shin of 153/Joombas APL, Grammy-nominated producer Seann Bowe and award-winning, multi-genre Malaysian producer Cuurley . In a “Tell Us” video posted on his official YouTube account, Felip expressed that working with high-caliber producers was the most memorable part of the experience.
Of course, just as the producers crafted the song with care, the music video and photo shoot teams took great lengths to put together the matching visuals.
According to Warner Music Philippines, Felip, as the music video Creative Director, envisioned the idea of an empty street to symbolize the lyrics about not knowing where to go. Unfortunately, finding the ideal location in the Philippines wasn’t easy. They opted instead for one of the jump-off points to the Mt. Pinatubo Crater Lake in San Vicente, Bamban, Tarlac. The location, often referred to as a “beautiful disaster,” became the perfect match for the theme of “Fake Faces.”
For the photo shoot, Art Director and Graphic Artist Louis proposed incorporating plastic into the shots, as it is often associated with insincerity.
The Inspiration Behind ‘Fake Faces’
One other tidbit shared by Warner Music in an email blast is how the song echoes teenage rebellion, and is really a prelude to Felip’s dark COM.PLEX era. The path eventually pushes towards a positive outcome in Kanako, his redemption song.
In his YouTube channel, Felip went on to share that “Fake Faces” was inspired by his personal experiences and emotions. When asked about the message he hoped to convey, he expressed, “I personally thought that being alone was okay. However, I later realized that this wasn’t the case at all. We all need support and guidance from the people around us.” He also emphasized that your number of friends is not as significant as the authenticity of those relationships.
In essence, the song digs into the challenges of human relationships and the different faces people put up to hide their realities, addressing the concepts of being real, being exposed, and longing for true relationships.
Audience Reception
For some listeners, the charm that “Fake Faces” holds is in its nostalgic flavor, a trip back to the pop-punk era of their youth.
The excitement over Felip’s latest release was evident, as the song soon charted #1 in iTunes in multiple locations including the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, UAE, Italy, Australia, Hong Kong and Cyprus. It has also found a spot in iTunes charts in Cambodia, Austria, Taiwan, Ireland, Qatar, Canada, the UK, Japan, Thailand, the US and the worldwide chart.
In addition, the music video has been trending on YouTube, hitting a peak at #12 from April 9-14 and is still trending as of April 23.
More to Come?
Felip has been teasing us lately with some seriously cool stuff coming up, including possibly an album release and some hot Superior Son merch. Don’t miss a beat. Go follow his socials!