bp valenzuela
BEFORE MAKING A NAME for herself and a n n ra on a ross he o n r Valenzuela was an idealistic rookie who wasn’t sure of the things she would eventually encounter as art of the inde endent usic industry n the years she’s een active has oined and eventually left music collective Logiclub; spoken out about various issues revolving around politics the L movement and intersectional feminism; and called out other artists online, the most prominent instance being her feud with and the group’s infamous Pulp magazine cover portraying a male gaze for a lesbian couple “I got very emotional about it, mostly because,
’yun nga, the hilippines is a very atholic country that also sees women like that I got frustrated and it led me to let go lot of people’s toes got stepped [on] because of what I was saying [online] ut then other people started to talk about it and I’m not sorry about that I’m not sorry because people need to talk about it
Internet feuds, especially with celebrities involved, cause people to take sides and put certain personalities up on a pedestal, which is what many did with against other “less woke artists nce, she found herself in an unwanted comparison with rapper Curtismith (who’s gained infamy for his public friendship and support of andro arcos, grandson of the dictator in a tweet that gained viral status “ ith the political climate of today, everyone’s a little riled up, a little angrier so they look for saviors I don’t like being put on a pedestal, as a musician, as a person, as a human being, but I feel like it’s necessary for people to [have role models] I mean if you have a platform, why would you use that just for self-preservation? I’m also not careful as I should be I can be very impulsive I used to be very cautious and mild-mannered ut as I grew older, with the circumstances of what I did, I had to question myself, my goals, my beliefs, and what was necessary for me to just be an artist in the hilippines right now I just wanted to be the kind of person I would look up to when I was young
In 2013, I was about to enter the latter half of my third year of college, working under my school’s of cial publication and media outlet, when my senior gave me a set of videos she wanted me to edit teneo de anila niversity’s
The Guidon had just started a new web series online called Pub Room Sessions, where the staff would invite a campus musician to perform inside the org’s space (named the “pub room, hence the series’ title , and then put out the acoustic concert’s video on ou ube y rst editing assignment for this particular ub oom ession was an episode about a university freshman called Valenzuela
Video editing is tedious work, but editing made it less so er quiet vocals held an allure that’s hard to resist he tinkered around with foreign-looking pedals and knobs while playing guitar at the same time he smiled and shook her head to herself whenever she made mistakes on camera, but determinedly continued with her covers of
and Instantly, I knew this girl was going to make it big, announcing to my friends outside school that they just had to listen to her taff members who were watching the day it was recorded could sense her potential
ack then, wore her hair short and sported glasses and loose clothing, with a pair of headphones perpetually around her neck he made music at home solely for herself ince then, she’s released an , grown her hair to waist length, put out a critically acclaimed album, performed countless gigs around the country, experimented with makeup and style, scored major motion pictures, became a social media icon and digital in uencer, and cut her hair short yet again t the time of this writing, she is preparing for her much-anticipated sophomore record
It’s p m when rushes into the studio late, right after shooting with two other
magazines the entire day er expression is wildly remorseful and she profusely apologizes to the team as soon as she shows up he shoot goes well as gamely poses, following all the unconventional directions our artist gives her e laugh with her when her eyes tear up from all the makeup and when we wrap her in cling wrap
still enjoys giggling at all her awkwardness (she does this a lot during the shoot itself but holds herself more con dently, staring at the camera lens with a boldness I hadn’t witnessed in the girl I saw in 2013 his artist has grown up his Valenzuela has gone and will continue to go places
er sophomore L “Crydancer, due out on her 22nd birthday this uly , sonically shuf es a bit further from her previous album, “The eon our hile her highly successful debut focuses on a more xed pop sound, “Crydancer is spaced out and far more experimental, with regarding her music for this album as a shared experience with her listeners rather than an outlet for herself
“It’s my form of therapy, so I made music with that mindset f course, when I started out, I didn’t know the amount of shows I would be playing I didn’t know the amount of attention I would get I didn’t know how many people would be listening, she says “This time, I don’t want any llers I want [an album] that people will enjoy because I really enjoyed [making it] lot of the music I wrote before was just for myself and whomever it was directed to, just so I could
“As I grew older, with the circumstances of what I did, I had to question myself, my goals, my beliefs, and what was necessary for me to just be an artist in the Philippines right now. I just wanted to be the kind of person I would look up to when I was young.”
manage my emotions ow it’s different because I know what it feels like to connect with an audience I know what it feels like to play music, to listen to music, and to just really feel it I want to share it, and for people to feel the same way when they listen to my songs
has been teasing the album over the months leading up to its July release, putting out bbgirl and Cards as its rst two singles both of which have music videos portraying and representing the L T community, which is a proud member of oth songs have gained praise from netizens identifying with the movement, earning the young musician role model status online “I didn’t have stuff like that growing up, she says “[The videos] weren’t made with representation in mind, but that’s really who I am The kind of thing that makes people happy would be that kind of thing where they can see themselves I’ve never felt that before, but now that I see it—it’s always going to be important to me
Considering everything she’s been through, has her views on the indie scene changed? All it takes is some compromise, self-awareness, and empathy, in her opinion “At the end of the day, everyone puts up with shit veryone has a bad day e work with people we don’t want to work with and it’s in any industry It just so happens that this industry is on a platform and people are listening, elaborates “ veryone wants to get along, of course obody wants con ict ut con ict is necessary and discussion is necessary, and the people who push back against you it’s like, why? Ayoko yung parang, ‘ Ano, tayo-tayo
na nga lang ’ I mean, yeah, tayo-tayo na nga lang but that doesn’t give you the excuse to do whatever the fuck you want and expect that people won’t question you
Many media outlets have called her a wunderkind and one of the most prominent female artists of this generation, all before she’s even reached her mid-twenties ut as a woman in local music, has battled misogyny, having gone through scrutiny on her image and sexual orientation and even learning production on her own after not being taken seriously by a recording engineer In the age of social media and digital music, she is one beacon of light for female artists, unafraid of ghting for her beliefs and ipping a big, fat middle nger to anyone discriminating against what she decides to represent
ut amid all the craziness within the past few years, is still very much a regular girl who simply enjoys immersing herself in different hobbies outside music he’s recently taught herself how to skate and has also started getting into -pop he still plays video games and likes taking videos of her three pets (one dog, one cat, and one bird often seen perched on her shoulder at home er dreams as of now are humble—to put out “Crydancer, and just keep touring and playing shows, possibly outside the country
Regardless of all the change and the things that come and go, what really remains constant is her love and passion for music hat used to be her safe haven turned into a communal experience that she’s more than willing to share with anyone who wishes to listen, and surely, there are many who do This is what keeps going
“ hen you put something out there, it’s not yours anymore It’s everyone else’s hen I play at shows and then I hear people singing along or spot a couple holding hands, it’s like, shit hoa It’s incredible that [my music] could even be synthesized into something else The fact that it could help someone go through hardships is so important to me To watch people commit and appreciate and connect and relate to it iba na
’yun That’s some good shit I love that