Original interview by VJ Ai Dela Cruz
Translated to English for the general public by mocha cake
Original interview upload: February 1, 2023 by Very Wang
Felip Talks About the Songs in COM.PLEX
VJ Ai: Everyone, let’s all clap for Felip
Felip: Thank you so much.
VJ Ai: I’ll move here so you can be in the center.
Felip: Yes
VJ Ai: The first four songs you performed are really impressive, really outstanding. Among the audience, who here already watched the teasers? There were 10 second teasers posted for each song, right? But it’s still incomparable to when we experienced the live performance of the full songs. Felip, can you tell us something about the songs you performed? Let’s start with the first one, ROCKSTA. Tell us something about it. What is it about?
Felip: It talks about confidence. There are times we’ll feel down as artists, that’s inevitable. But I keep reminding myself to not let go of the mic. That’s my passion, I don’t want to lose it. The next song was SUPERIORITY. It talks about being superior to your weaknesses.
VJ Ai: Being superior to your weaknesses.
Felip: Yes.
VJ Ai: Wow.
Felip: And the third one was MICTEST. I wanted to try something new, hence its creation. It’s a Jersey club song which is currently well received in the US. I tried incorporating Bisayan language to it too.
VJ Ai: That is really incredible. Out of all the songs you performed, I think that’s the one I vibed with the most.
Felip: The last song I performed was DRINKSMOKE. Some are quick to judge people with drinking or smoking vices. Many don’t realize that it’s a coping mechanism for some people going through some dark days. It’s a quick escape from reality. That thought is what inspired me to write it.
VJ Ai: That’s amazing. You wrote the whole EP right?
Felip: Yes I did. I produced it too.
VJ Ai: Let’s give him a round of applause. That’s remarkable growth.
Felip: Thank you so much.
VJ Ai: Even in interviews, you were really shy before. I remember in the past group interviews it was challenging to engage with you, because you speak very little. But now, you have a two-hour podcast!
Felip: Thank you , thank you.
VJ Ai: Guys, you should all watch it.
Felip: That’s my man right there, Dougbrock.
VJ Ai: Oh he’s here?
Felip: Yes, there he is.
VJ Ai: Dougbrock, your interview with Felip was really well done. We discovered a lot about Felip, great work! Please watch the podcast to know more about Felip and his music. Alright, you already gave us background for the first four tracks you performed. Now before you perform the last two songs, can you also tell us about them?
Felip: Sure. The next track is entitled CRIMINAL. It’s a sequel to DRINKSMOKE. As a person and as a human being we all have negative thoughts. The message I want to convey in this song is that we should be strong enough to fight these negative thoughts. That’s it.
VJ Ai: Oh, how about the last one? STRAYDOGS.
Felip: Yes, the last one is STRAYDOGS. Actually, like what I said earlier, I know not all people will like my work. It’s better to ignore whatever they’ll throw to protect your mental peace. Just be you!
VJ Ai: Okay, last question Felip. You were repeatedly saying earlier that “hey you may not like it” or “people may not receive it well.”
Maverick: We like it!!!
VJ Ai: Oh, we like it, Mav, haha! But, how important is this to you? To release your music regardless of how the people will accept it?
Felip: What was that again?
VJ Ai: How important is this to you? From how you thought before, people may not like what you will release, to now here we are and you are releasing everything and showing the real you.
Felip: I think what really pushed me to finally release it are the people who supported me along the way. What seemed impossible at first became possible because of them. And of course the fans, they are always there to support. They are the real reason. This is a gift for them. This should’ve been released last January 12, but was pushed back.
VJ Ai: Oh, your birthday.
Felip: Yes, that’s my birthday. This was supposedly my birthday gift to them.
VJ Ai: But I’m sure you prepared this really meticulously, hence the pushed back date to Feb 3.
Felip: Yes.
VJ Ai: Oh, it’s really close, to be released on Friday. Alright let me just remind everyone that we are watching him perform unreleased songs so please limit your recordings to 30 seconds per song. That way we can also enjoy the whole performance, and the same goes to the audience who are not here with us tonight, so these won’t be spoiled before their release on Friday. Before we move on to the last two songs’ performance, let me ask the media if you have any more questions, or maybe even non-media audience who have some questions. Who would like to ask Felip more questions before we proceed to the last two songs? Anyone? It looks like everyone is already satisfied with the questions we asked earlier. Oh, we have a question there. Hi, can you please come over here. We do have a mic I believe.
Audience: Hello Felip. I’m Kara from We The Public and we’d like to ask you – Among all the songs you recorded, can you share with us which one is your favorite and why?
Felip: Just one?
Audience 1: Okay, just tell us your most favorite.
Felip: Then I think it’s MICTEST (crowd cheering). Of all the tracks, this one is the most different. It’s not entirely new to the music scene, but I really like how I created it. I injected it with Bisayan language, and I’m a proud Bisaya.
Audience 1: Thank you very much
Felip: Thank you
VJ Ai: Thank you Kara from We The Public. Anyone else would like to ask questions for Felip? Are there any more? Oh there, yes please feel free to approach the mic. Introduce yourself before asking the question. Thank you.
Audience 2: Hi I’m Ken from Beyond The Hype. You have a very unique sound to you. We are curious to know who are the artists who inspired your sound.
Felip: Lately I’ve been listening a lot to western artists like Li Uzi Vert, Travis Scott, Post Malone, metal bands too, Slipknot , Metallica, that’s why it’s a mixed influence. As you can see earlier there are electric guitar sounds mixed with hip-hop. I try to mix them to create a new sound.
Audience 2: Thank you, thank you.
Felip: And you too.
VJ Ai: Thank you. So you said your name is Ken?
Audience 2: Ken, yes Ken.
Felip: Wow (proceeded to fist bump Ken).
VJ Ai: Oh yes, it’s actually true, you really mixed different sounds. In one track there is even a koto sound, a Japanese instrument. There really are a lot of influences in the COM.PLEX EP. Anyone else have a question? Oh yes, please proceed over here. Let’s make way for the gentleman over there. Hi, thanks for joining us.
Audience 3: Oh, we’re so thankful that we’re here. We’re really vibing with all the new sounds. By the way, I’m Carlo from Beyond The Hype. I just like to ask you as an artist who writes their own songs – What prevents you from having writer’s block, or do you even get one? What keeps you inspired to write?
Felip: I don’t know, haha. I just really write whatever comes to mind. I mean, as artists we usually filter what we say or how we act in front of the cameras. I think this EP is my way to express my true self, my real feelings. I think that’s it, what I truly feel. That’s my inspiration in writing. Thank you so much.
VJ Ai: Thank you Carlo from Beyond the Hype.