Kjwan set to make Middle East debut
Filipino rock band Kjwan is coming to the Middle East for the first time ever. The band is set to play their brand of heavy hitting music live in Dubai at Club Epic on April 6. Setting the music scene ablaze in the early 2000s with their explosive debut album that included the hit single Daliri, long time friends and collaborators Marc Abaya, Inky De Dios, Kelley Mangahas, Boogie Romero and Eo Marcos have kept the fire going all these years.
Despite each of them pursuing their own thing (frontman Marc Abaya is also known for being an actor and former VJ on MTV Asia), while the others also got involved in other bands, Kjwan has remained constantly active. With three albums under their belt, the band is looking to release their 4th album this year.
“As a band, we continuously try to evolve. The older we get, the more influences we absorb and our tastes just change. Rock will always be our foundation, however we are always open to different musical elements that we can incorporate into our music. When we make music, it’s the five of us working together on different beds and pegs that we want to achieve in a song. We’re excited to get this new album off the ground,” shares bassist Kelly Mangahas.
Having built a steady reputation in both local and Asian rock communities, winning the IKON Asean competition in Malaysia back in 2007, Kjwan has remained relevant and supportive of new artists.
“On our last album, we did a collaboration with MIKI Hahn, an amazing young singer here in the Philippines, on a song called Helix. In fact, there are a lot of new bands cropping up in the Philippines, we just performed on the finals of Muziklaban and we’re looking forward to playing this year’s Pulp Summer Slam when we get back from Dubai, so the scene is alive and kicking,” adds Mangahas.
Dubai will be Kjwan’s first international show since 2010, when they toured Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Macau. “All our fans in Dubai have been asking us to come over and we’re excited that it finally happened. Expect a rock & roll show that showcases all our hits and a lot of surprises that we wouldn’t normally do for our regular shows. This will definitely be a special night!”