BTS composer collaborates with Sam Concepcion, Inigo Pascual for new single 'Rise'

MANILA, Philippines — ABS-CBN’s Tarsier Records brought together artists from different countries to produce a cross-cultural single titled “Rise.”

US-based songwriter Vince Nantes, who also composed BTS’ “Black Swan,” collaborated with Filipino pop stars Sam Concepcion and Inigo Pascual, Grammy Award-winning R&B artist Eric Bellinger, Manila-based producer Moophs and Malaysian singer-songwriter Zee Avi for the inspiring track.

For Nantes, life is “the main story” that inspired the writing of the song.

“From the pandemic to protests, to political differences, to unfair treatment to one another as human beings, it’s a lot for all of us to digest, and I wanted to give people something they can enjoy, emotionally connect to, and believe in,” he said.

Meanwhile, Moophs shared that “Rise” is the biggest release Tarsier Records has undertaken so far to “give listeners a multi-cultural example of coming together to rise above adversity.”

“This song is my answer to 2020. If we look past borders, politics, and skin color and resolve not to be divided, we can overcome anything this year throws at us,” the producer said.

Concepcion also revealed his excitement on collaborating with other artists from the Asia Pacific.

“Doing a project this big and this important is definitely a dream come true for me. I think with the artists that we have from different parts of the world, and the unifying message it has, this song could be heard everywhere across the globe,” he said.  

Two music videos for “Rise” will be released: an animated video straight out of a comic book where the artists will be superheroes battling "the 2020 monster," and inspiring stories of humanity and messages of hope from influencers worldwide. 

The track is set for worldwide release on Friday.