Summer at home was made even hotter with Monster RX93.1’s virtual concert: Monster Summer Fest 2021! Hundreds of fans and music lovers went online last May 3 to catch the online event featuring some of today’s best local artists.
Jolianne
Summer Fest kicked off with an enchanting performance by Jolianne, the newest singer-songwriter under Careless Music who got her start on The Voice Kids at age 11. The Cebuana treated viewers to a melodic set, performing the songs "Halfway There," "Dance Like Nobody’s Watching" (a Yuna cover), and her current single "Sublime." There’s something almost ethereal about Jolianne, the way her sound and her look blend perfectly to soothe the senses.
While her performance showed us how her artistry has matured since The Voice days, her interview with Rico brought out her bubbly side. “My most memorable summer was summer of 2015, ‘cause that was when i joined The Voice Kids,” she told Rico. “That was a great experience. I joined for fun… I joined because I had a crush on a kid from the season before me!”
Now that she’s grown up and signed under a label that’s determined to help her grow, Jolianne is ready to make music that’s truly her own. “I just feel especially connected when I sing songs that I’ve written, cause these are my stories.” (Plus, she gets to work with huge names like James Reid and Nadine Lustre — who wouldn’t want that?) Jolianne says she’ll be spending her summer studying and sleeping, but we just know that more great music lies in this young artist’s future!
Zelijah
Zelijah is no stranger to the Monster, already having performed his dope bars on the Concert Series. But we can’t miss out on this talented rapper bringing those fire tracks that are perfect for the Monster Summer Fest!
This rising artist is not just a rapper but also a killer producer and DJ, using his skills to produce his own music. We recently discovered that he’s also been dabbling with 3D animation and will be intertwining his newfound talent with his music. He is known as notorious for his unparalleled visuals, and we can see why!
Zelijah started his set off with an anthem to his youth in freestyle flowing “17” and a heavy hip-hop track “All Night Long,” both tracks featuring Ellis G. Then he showcased his 3D skills in his jaw-dropping animation video for his new single “HellHound” with Ellis G and Malli. He also featured a detailed 3D-style Monster Summer Fest stage on his animation video, which we’re in awe of! Zelijah is a rockstar in the world of OPM trap and hip-hop music and there’s definitely more to come from this all-around artist.
We Got
Summer is not complete without having some tropical island vibes, and reggae band We Got brought those vibes to Monster Summer Fest 2021!
This 8-piece band dives in the world of catchy grooves and smooth instrumentals ranging from 80s to 90s Cali roots and reggae. Saxophone, percussion, trombone and trumpet sounds add flair to their tunes, combined with the usual guitar, bass and drums. The band started with two of their members, Thoper and Nam, as Soupstar Music’s technical crew (Thoper being Sandwich’s drum tech and Nam as Moonstar88’s guitar tech). When Thoper and Nam aren’t doing tech work, they jam with the rest of the boys and do gigs continuously as We Got.
It was a fresh summer start for We Got as they performed on the Monster for the first time singing their hit songs “LDR,” “Cindy,” and “Nais” and they immediately wow-ed the crowd with their chill songs performed and shot on a rooftop (that specific rooftop also being a staple hangout spot for the band!). We Got delivers something new into the world of OPM and we’re hoping they’re here to stay for more of those laidback tunes that makes us relax, unwind and think we’re by the beach in the midst of the buzzing energy of city life.
Bea Lorenzo
Live for the first time on the Monster, we welcomed our 2020 New OPM Artist of the Year: Bea Lorenzo! Bea’s performance was just the epitome of power and soul — and it was clear in her face the joy that music brings her. She sang “Imaginary Love,” “Ili,” and the heart wrenching “Kapalaran.”
“Kapalaran is another part of myself I wanted to put out there,” Bea said. “I feel like it showed another side of myself.” She wrote the track with Ben&Ben’s Paolo Guico, and she’s extremely grateful for the support it’s gotten since its release.
We can expect an EP from the singer-songwriter in the near future, as she’s been spending her summer writing new music. There’s no timeline for the project yet, but she’s looking forward to getting into the studio and recording! Will we be hearing more heartbreaking songs like “Kapalaran”? “It’s more of diary entries from like a hopeless romantic. Or someone who just doesn’t give up on making love work for her,” she revealed. “But also having so many apprehensions and reasons to fear the idea of finding romance.”
Ben&Ben
Ben&Ben has been a staple in Filipino music with their folk-pop chart-topping music that will surely have every listener in their feels. The band is known for songs about love in different ways, whether it’s heartbreak, hope, or anything in between. Of course, Ben&Ben made our summer more heartfelt with soundtracks for the middle of this bleak situation, and delivered them on the Monster Summer Fest.
Usually, summertime is busy for Ben&Ben as they would mostly perform in different summer festivals pre-pandemic. But even with the current situation, the band has their hands busy as they just revealed they are working on an upcoming album and just released their new single titled “Upuan”! Something to look forward to, especially for Liwanags!
Ben&Ben made the Monster Summer Fest more memorable in more ways than one by performing their current hit songs “Inevitable,” “Di Ka Sayang,” and “Sa Susunod Na Habang Buhay.”
Over October
Over October closed Monster Summer Fest with some mellow good vibes that the audience loved! They played songs perfect for the summer: “Paradise,” “Mr. Sun,” and “Moments.”
Celebrating 7 years as a band, Over October fondly recalled past summers together. Their most memorable summer experience? Lead singer Josh Buizon said, “Probably the summers that we went to La Union and played gigs there. Best time as a band and as a group of friends!”
This summer, they’ve been working on new music (they closed the show with their newest release, “Moments”) and will hopefully get to release an EP within the year. It’s been challenging to record because of quarantine, but it’s great to know that fans have something to look forward to. We’ll be waiting on that Tagalog song, guys!
It couldn’t get any hotter than this! Big thanks to all the artists and their management for helping us make Monster Summer Fest 2021 a huge success!
Check out Monster Summer Fest Highlights here:
Watch the full show here: