MANILA, Philippines — Viva Records’ up-and-coming artist Kyle Raphael is setting his sights on the national music scene, hoping to become another source of pride for Davao City.
The 27-year-old Davaoeño signed with Viva Records after winning Himig Handog in 2018 for his track Sa Mga Bituin Na Lang Ibubulong, interpreted by JM de Guzman and Jason Dy. He went on to release several singles, including Libu-Libong Buwan (Uuwian), which peaked at No. 5 on Spotify’s Viral Charts, as well as Kung Para Sa’yo and other tracks. He has also written songs for other artists, such as Pasuyo for Atasha Muhlach, Di Ka Na Maalis for Sam Shoaf and Ang Pag-ibig Na Ito for Ashley Diaz.
He also served as a front act during the “RAAA Concert” of Rob Deniel, Adie, Amiel Sol and Arthur Nery last December and is looking forward to his first solo gig on Feb. 7 at the Viva Café.
“It’s very humbling to be here, especially since from Davao lang ako and my whole life, I was known to be shy and quiet in school. Parang umabot na si Kyle pa mismo yung nasa stage ngayon,” he said during a presscon.
The singer-songwriter graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. His penchant for music started at the tender age of two, influenced by listening to artists such as Paul Anka, Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley, and later on by Original Pilipino Music (OPM) bands like Hale and Orange and Lemons.
His musical style has evolved from ballads and jazz to a more mellow acoustic sound, particularly after the release of Libu-Libong Buwan (Uuwian).
Kyle told The STAR that his Davaoeño roots have also shaped his creative process and music.
“I believe so since I like to consider myself as parang outcast or parang my whole life I felt that ang hirap pala mailabas yung pangalan mo kung from my place na malayo ka sa gitna ng Pilipinas,” he reflected. “So it feels like there’s a chip on our shoulder to create good songs, probably because I want to prove to myself that I can do it, and I also want to serve as an inspiration to my fellow Davaoeño artists.”
“Hopefully soon, I can be a pride of Davao, though many artists came before me. The goal is to join the greats of Davao and eventually become one of the greats in the whole country.”
With that said, Kyle is grateful to Viva Records for placing its trust in him. “They are the ones who trusted me and took a chance on someone from Davao. Since 2019, they have supported me and believed in my talent, which helped me gain confidence.”
“To my management, Viva Music Group, you were the first one to trust me when I was just starting out, and thank you for allowing me to make music for years now. You always remind me that my time will come and my songs will blow up. I’m starting to believe that will happen, so thank you,” he added.
Viva Records has produced many regional musicians over the years, including Cup of Joe from Baguio, Arthur Nery from Cagayan de Oro City and P-pop group Alamant whose members all hail from outside Metro Manila.