BEN&BEN PROUD TO BE PART OF ED SHEERAN’S CONCERT
The members of OPM hitmaker Ben&Ben shared their thoughts following the announcement of their guest performance in British pop star Ed Sheeran’s concert at the SMDC Festival Grounds in Parañaque on March 9.
In an exclusive interview with The Philippine STAR during the #RisingOnTikTok event on Wednesday, they expressed excitement over sharing the stage with the international singer-songwriter behind the hits Thinking Out Loud, Shape of You, Photograph, Perfect and many others.
“Ever since, isa rin siya sa mga influences ng band (He has also been one of the influences of the band). Isa sa mga earliest na ginawa namin is a cover of Perfect na pinost namin sa YouTube, even before kami maglabas ng songs namin (One of the earliest things we did is a cover of Perfect that we posted on YouTube, even before we released our own songs). This is a really, really huge, huge thing for us,” said the band’s twin musicians Paolo Benjamin and Miguel Benjamin.
“We’ll do our best to really bring out the heart of our music and represent Liwanag and especially, Filipinos also and Filipino music,” they added.
Other band members, Pat Lasaten and Agnes Reoma, also noted that they are certified Sheerios, as Sheeran’s fanbase is called.
“Medyo wild kasi since bata pa talaga ako, nakikinig ako kay Ed Sheeran. Ta-try mo ‘yung mga guitar-guitar. Si Pat may video ‘yan!” Agnes noted.
“Meron akong cover noong You Need Me, I Don’t Need You, pruweba na I’m a fan,” said Pat.
“Magpa-practice po kami every day, 24/7,” the band assured the fans.
In an Instagram post, the nine-piece Filipino indie folk-pop band shared a clip of their own cover of Sheeran’s Perfect.
“Ma, special guest na kami ni Ed Sheeran sa concert niya. Parang dati lang, nagko-cover lang kami ng Perfect sa YouTube. Never in our wildest dreams did we think this could happen. Surreal. SLIDE FOR A THROWBACK! Ibang-iba pa itsura namin nun. Andami na pala nating pinagdaanan, Liwanag,” the caption read.
Sheeran will be bringing his “+ – = ÷ x” tour to the Philippines next week. Alongside Ben&Ben, English singer and songwriter Calum Scott will also have a special performance at the concert.
Meanwhile, concert promoter Ovation Productions revealed to The STAR in a statement why Ben&Ben was chosen to appear during Sheeran’s concert.
“In all cities where Ed Sheeran performs, he wants the promoters to provide him with the best local artists to appear in his show. It’s the concept of his tour,” said Renen De Guia, president of Ovation Productions.
“We naturally had to mention Ben&Ben because they’re presently the hottest local act in the country with two billion streams on Spotify. Plus, the fact that we have a special relationship with the band having produced their very first big solo concert that drew 65,000 people over a year ago at the same venue — the SMDC Festival Grounds.
“(I) can’t comment any further, other than it’s going to be a great show and people should come early because of the traffic,” added De Guia.
Ben&Ben is composed of twin brothers Miguel Benjamin and Paolo Benjamin on acoustic guitars and vocals, Poch Barretto on electric guitar, Keifer Cabugao on violin, Andrew De Pano and Toni Munoz on percussion, Pat Lasaten on keyboards, Agnes Reoma on bass, and Jam Villanueva on drums.
They are known for their songs Leaves, Make It With You, Panindigan Kita, Maybe The Night, and Pagtingin. The band has received numerous awards, including an Asia Artist Award, an Aliw Award, an NME Award, two Myx Music Awards, and 16 Awit Awards. In 2020, they placed 29th on the Billboard Social Top 50 Chart. Spotify likewise recognized the group as the moststreamed Filipino artist of all time for having more than two billion streams.
In response to popular demand, Ovation Productions announced that new seats have been added as well as a new General Admission (Cat 8) Section. More tickets are now available via ovationtickets.com and smtickets.com.
Physical tickets can now be purchased at any SM tickets outlet for P20,500 (CAT1 Reserved Seating), P18,500 (CAT 2 Reserved Seating), P16,500 (CAT 3 Reserved Seating), P14,500 (CAT 4 Reserved Seating), P11,500 (CAT 5 Reserved Seating), P6,500 (CAT 6 Standing), P3,000 (CAT 7 Standing), and new section added at {1,500 (CAT 8 Standing), plus ticketing charges. This event is presented by AEG Presents, Ovation Productions, and Smart.