MANILA, Philippines — Another LGBTQIA+ music artist to look out for, not only this year but also in the years to come, is the 21-year-old Davao City-based singer-songwriter Paul Pablo. He is the hitmaker behind Bangin, Bai and the recently-released Kalawakan under Warner Music Philippines (WMP).
In an exclusive interview with The STAR, the proud LGBTQIA+ advocate detailed the inspirations behind his viral tracks, modest beginnings, and personal endeavors.
He labeled his sound as “hugot-tronic,” a combination of hugot lyrics and electro-pop sound and anchored on issues of love, identity and social tension as key themes.
Paul and his music
The emerging artist’s debut single Bai paved the way for him to be discovered by WMP in 2020. The “conyo-anthem” Bai, which reached 21K views on YouTube, was in reference to the “conyo” language in his hometown. He used to bash Davao conyo culture but his attitude towards it changed when he transferred to Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) and met some friends there. “Sa bukid kasi ako ng part ng Davao City, so kami talaga nag-bi-Bisaya kami dito,” said he. “Pag may naririnig kami na nag-da-Davao conyo, hindi kami open about it.
“Tapos ‘nung nag-transfer ako sa AdDU, nag-dominate ‘yung Davao conyo, mixture siya ng Tagalog, Bisaya and English,” continued Paul. “Nagkaroon ako ng friends (who use that language) and the reason why ganun sila makipag-communicate kasi talagang lumaki sila sa family nila, they use English. In school, they are forced to speak Bisaya or Tagalog. They are doing their best to cope sa community para makapag-communicate sila.”
Through Bai, he “wanted to change the mindset of the people” in Davao City. “Instead of bashing people na nag-da-Davao conyo, let’s support and understand them. ‘Tsaka kasi may stigma na pag nag-Davao conyo or Manileño conyo, sosyal ka na agad or social climber. It’s not really like that,” clarified Paul.
Then came Bangin, his second single released last February, which amassed 200K streams on Spotify and over 30K views on YouTube. “It’s all about my heart-breaking experiences before. It’s not just about romantic love but also other types of love, like parental love or love for your passion,” shared he, “Bangin is basically about reconnecting with love and facing your fears when it comes to letting yourself love again.”
The song was born out of his deep hugot from his emotions due to unfortunate events that happened to him last year: He got broken-hearted because of a guy and his father passed on. With the demise of his father, he took a break from songwriting and creating memes and vlogs.
As time passed by, he started to reconnect with the things he loved to do. “I realized na these things also give me reasons to live and to be better,” said Paul. “Tsaka naisip ko rin ‘yung papa ko ‘nung buhay pa siya, palagi niyang pinapanood videos and vlogs ko dati. Pero secretly, hindi niya pinapaalam sa’kin. ‘Yung mama ko lang nagku-kwento.”
He realized that, “kung nandito yung papa ko, ayaw din niya na mag-stop ako sa mga ginagawa ko.” Then, he slowly got back on track again.
As for his song Kalawakan, he got inspired by Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach’s post about the universe conspiring to achieve your dreams. “What if the universe is waiting sa people na nangangarap? Baka baliktad. Baka kailangan tayo ‘yung mag-attract sa universe. Pero ‘di ba may tadhana, so, ibig sabihin ‘yung tadhana, hinihintay ka na gawin mo ‘yung gusto mo.”
So he changed his outlook in life after dealing with his fears and doubts early on. “Naisip ko, ‘kaya ko ba?’(to make it in the industry), enough na ba ‘yung alam ko as an artist?’,” reflected Paul. “Kasi I know na hindi pa ganun ka-grabe ‘yung opportunities sa Davao. So if I’ll get accepted in this kind of opportunity na malaki, it means na I’ll also get to represent Davao. It’s somehow a big responsibility for me to take.”
Paul also felt “secretly pressured” with the career break but used it in a good way. “Akala ko ‘yung pressure na na-fi-feel ko will bring me down, pero what if ‘yun ‘yung drive pala na mag-push sa akin. Baka nilapit ito ni Lord. Baka nakikita Niya na kaya ko ‘to at para sa’kin ‘to. Binigay sa’yo ni Lord, ‘wag mong i-question. Tanggapin mo and embrace who you are right now. Kasi baka ‘yun ‘yung fit na opportunity para sa’yo.”
Humble beginnings
Paul’s interest in music began in childhood when he used to sing songs of artists his parents liked, such as Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Frank Sinatra and Paul Anka, in karaoke.
At the age of eight, he got obsessed with Lady Gaga’s artistry and considered her his greatest musical influence. He also idolizes P-pop band SB19 and Zild Benitez of IV of Spades.
Paul, a Bachelor of Arts in Communications student, shared he started writing songs since Grade 8. In college, he would join songwriting competitions to help build his confidence in singing and songwriting.
After graduation, he wanted to leave the country and try his luck abroad. But his passion for music prevailed. “This is what I really wanted to do,” said Paul. “Since bata ako, ‘yun na talaga ang pangarap ko sa sarili ko. I started to take it seriously talaga before I graduated. Sana mapansin ako sa music ko. So far, sinagot naman ni Lord ang prayer ko.”
Rebirth as Paul Pablo
Formerly known as Paul Ramirez, he changed his last name to Pablo, following a bad experience in the music scene. “Before kasi wala pang label na nag-handle sa akin,” recalled he. “Bilang baguhan siyempre, maraming pwede na magloko. Sabihin na babayaran, pero wala naman talagang dumating na bayad… Pagkalabas ng songs, sabi sa’kin sa account ko daw ilalabas. Pero sa account nila lumabas. Tapos hindi nila sinabi sa’kin, binago ‘yung title.”
“I’ve released two to three songs as Paul Ramirez,” added he. “Hindi naging maganda ang experience ko doon sa nangyari na ‘yun.” So he started over as Paul Pablo under WMP. Pablo was also derived from St. Paul, his favorite saint and the name is also the Filipino version for Paul.
WMP has made Paul’s musical path become clearer and opened a door for him in the music scene. Now, it’s up to Paul to make use of the opportunity that has been given to him. “Sa akin na nakasalalay ang mga mangyayari if mag-(wo)-work (hard) pa ako or talagang hindi pa ako mag-give up,” said he. “Goal ko ngayon is to find motivation and to have the courage to never give up and to really work hard.”
Paul as LGBTQIA+, regional artist
Paul shared his father had homophobic tendencies before but he accepted him later on as he witnessed how the rising music artist strived hard to do good on his studies.
“Ako daw talaga ang nagmana sa papa ko, before kasi ‘yung papa ko may pagkababaero na type,” said he. “Hindi nila alam na ‘yung mga girl pala na friends ko na palagi ko kasama ay mga sisterette ko pala. Hindi ko pala sila mga chicks (laughs).”
“Parang slowly naman natanggap ako ng papa ko,” continued Paul. “Na-prove ko naman kay papa na kahit na bakla ako, matino ako. Mag-aral ng maayos, magtatapos ako ng pag-aaral kahit hindi niya maabutan graduation ko.” The singer’s mom, on the other hand, had accepted her son’s gender identity when Paul, a Grade 8 student then, brought it up to her.
As an artist, Paul is inspired to create a different artform which combines music and visuals.
“I also want to do songs that have a universal appeal and promote the artistry of the Filipino LGBTQIA+ community,” furthered he. “This is a very bold advocacy and I am grateful that I have the full support of WMP — a strong and passionate ally of the rainbow flag. Ultimately, I aim to celebrate diversity and love through the songs that I create.” Paul speaks proudly as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, which celebrated Pride Month last June. He’s also a featured artist on Bahaghari, Philippines’ dedicated Pride playlist on Spotify..
Asked for advice to aspiring regional musicians still waiting for their break in the industry, Paul said, “It’s good to do it for yourself but don’t stick (to) that, of course, have a bigger perspective in achieving your dreams as an artist. Also, don’t pressure yourself too much. If you feel pressure, use it in a good way. Use it to work harder. Just believe in yourself. Your time to show yourself is now.”
Paul concluded by saying that artists must “not wait for something to happen, make it happen” the way he did.
(Kalawakan is now streaming on Spotify, YouTube and other digital music platforms.)