Sonata Bisaya Music Festival levels up on its 2nd year

CEBU, Philippines — After a successful inaugural show last year, the Sonata Bisaya Music Festival returned with a jam-packed lineup featuring a mix of up-and-coming and well-established homegrown talents on May 17 and 18 at Ayala Malls Central Bloc and Ayala Center Cebu.

Headliners of the Central Bloc leg on Saturday at the mall’s outdoor Garden Corte included Janine Berdin, Dom Guyot, Jolianne, Sepia Times, and Khobee.

Guyot told The FREEMAN that it felt great to perform on his home turf, saying, “Cebu really has my heart and every time I come home and see my Cebuano Dom Dolls (fans), it makes me so happy.”

Throughout his set, he performed a few of his songs, such as “Mayari” and “Body,” and brought up his friend and fellow headliner, Jolianne, to perform “Ambitions” together.

“The audience was very interactive. A lot of them went even if the weather wasn’t necessarily the best,” he added.

At the Ayala Center’s The Terraces leg the following day, Cueshé returned to Sonata with a nostalgia-filled setlist that included “Bakit?” and “Borrowed Time,” while Oh! Caraga delivered an arena-level concert with their hits such as “Ipanumpa Ko,” “Way Sukod,” and their latest single, “Bagani.”

Other headliners that day included Wonggys with their feel-good show, Lawod with rockstar energy, and The Ambassadors.

Sonata also provided a stage for fresh Cebuano talents who may have converted some of the audience into new fans under the “Fresh Faces” banner.

New acts that performed at Central Bloc included Centi, Black Snow, Nomer, Into Midnight, and Daniel Miguel, while The Tomasses, Crescent, Martin Taneo, Penuma, The Final Form, and Keith Aquitan performed at the Ayala Center show. — (FREEMAN)