Original interview by Von Belinario
Translated to English for the general public by mocha cake
Original interview upload: July 29, 2024
Felip on Being an Experimental Artist
Von: Congratulations
Felip: Thank you.
Von: Your EP, COM.PLEX was such a success and now you have your debut album. Can you tell us more about your album 7sins? What surprise did you prepare for us?
Felip: Of course it talks about the 7 sins, pride, envy, greed, lust, gluttony – all that makes up the 7 sins. Those are the tracks in the album. It talks about why people make mistakes, or at least trying to understand why people make mistakes. I think that’s the most important message.
Von: I think though that it’s not religion-centric.
Felip: Yes.
Von: What made you choose this theme for your album? Many were intrigued with the concept, as you mentioned, the 7 sins.
Felip: Yes, it’s because this theme really took my interest. I think it’s such a cool concept to work on. It helped me release a lot of emotions. My creative juices flow freely when writing songs about such topics. I don’t see it as negative or as a disadvantageous concept, instead it really inspired me to write songs.
Von: When you say “hugot” what do you mean by it? Is it from your environment? (“hugot” is a Filipino slang that means “pulled from” or “drawn from”)
Felip: Yes. From my own experiences, from my social circle, also based on my own observations.
Von: Now let’s talk about the success of your solo concert. Incredible! You sold out tickets in less than 24 hours. By the way, I found it a bit funny that during the Acer Day concert, you apologized for your merch prizes. What can you say about the tremendous support your fans are giving you?
Felip: First of all, I’m really thankful. Sometimes I can’t help but think if I really deserve all this. The support they give me is truly unbelievable so I’ll never get tired of thanking them. I’ll also try my best to prepare the best show for my fans. I’ll try to make them feel that it’s worth every penny they paid. I’m going to do my best.
Von: Now if we talk about your artistry and musicality, how do you think 7sins is different compared to your EP COM.PLEX?
Felip: I think there’s no big difference. It’s just that, for 7sins I tried to focus more on heavy music. But the album still includes gospel music, R&B and even a ballad. I’m an experimental artist, and I still want to produce more experimental music – something new.
Von: What inspires you to create experimental music?
Felip: Maybe because I’m also confident that I can create music on par with many different artists. I want to show how much of a versatile artist I am.
Von: Six years since SB19 debuted, and three years since you started your journey as a solo artist, who is Felip now?
Felip: I’m still the same as a human being, but I’d say Felip right now is really busy. There’s a lot on my plate, but I see it all as blessings. I’m really thankful despite being really busy, haha!
Von: How do you manage your busy schedule, and the fame that comes with it?
Felip: I’m able to do it all with the help of my team. They really help me manage my schedule well. I think it’s impossible to handle it all just on my own. Shoutout to my manager who is currently giggling at the side, haha! I mean to thank everyone in my team. Thank you all so much.
Von: Can you talk about the support coming from your SB19 brothers for your new album?
Felip: Actually, one of my SB19 brothers will be here later to support me. I think of all of them, he’s the only one with a free schedule today. They are very supportive. I’m speechless at the support they give me. Shoutout to them.
Von: What kind of support exactly? When I interviewed Stell, he mentioned Pablo helped in the music production of his solo. How about for 7sins? How did they help you?
Felip: Well, I’m a music producer myself and I know my own music best. I write songs as well. I think we also have different music genres that we enjoy listening to. That’s it. I produce my own music. I write my own music too, and I direct my own music videos , conceptualize my own music videos. Yeah, so no regrets whatever is the outcome because I decided on everything.
Von: Many were asking if you’ll have a tour. Will you go to Visayas or Mindanao?
Felip: So far, we haven’t decided on local tours but I’ll have a concert in Japan. I’m looking forward to going to Japan so please wait for me. Let’s all meet at my 7sins album showcase in Japan. I’m really excited .
Von: Now let’s talk about SB19’s Thanksgiving Concert. What surprise do you have in store?
Felip: So far, nothing is set yet. We haven’t really started rehearsing for the Thanksgiving Concert. But definitely as a group, you can always look forward to a great show. It goes without saying for all SB19 shows.
Closing remarks: Hello everyone, this is Felip. Listen to my new album 7sins. Please give it a listen, and I hope you like it. Enjoy!