I Met My Fave Filipino Band In the Flesh!

Hi there, wholesome reader!

As you all know me, I am a very big fan of music. I don't usually focus on one music genre. And if I were to make a playlist of songs I listen to, it would include a mix of a lot of genres from pop, indie, folk, alternative, blues, soft rock, etc. I also learned to love and appreciate the music made by my fellow Filipinos or what we call as OPM.

OPM stands for Original Pinoy Music. In my teen angst years, I really wasn't a fan of this kind of music, also because of the environment I was in. What's mainstream during those years were foreign emo bands (i.e. Mayday Parade, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, FM Static) and so, the music they play is what I always get to hear from my classmates.

I started to listen to OPM songs when I got the chance to watch Ben&Ben perform live in 2019. You can read my previous post about them here. I instantly fell in love and that opened a door for me to discover more OPM bands and artists.

On the other hand, my younger sister, who is also a music fan, has really influenced my music choices (and, actually, almost everything I do or like in life). She listens to a wider set of genres than I do, and that includes OPM. My love for this OPM band called munimuni – well, I was deeply influenced by her.

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About the band, munimuni

Munimuni is a Tagalog word which, when translated to English, means "to reflect" or "to ponder more". True to their band name, munimuni’s music generally tells about the realities of life and encourages its listeners to never lose hope for the future.

The band consists of five members: Adj Jiao (guitar and vocals), Josh Tumaliuan (drums and vocals), Owen Castro (flute and vocals), Jolo Ferrer (bass), and Ben Ayes (guitar). Their genres are indie folk and makata pop. In English, makata means poet, as their song lyrics are of poems, accompanied with melodies.

As of writing, their discography includes one released album, titled Kulayan Natin, which was released on 2019; and more than ten singles, with the most recent one, titled Dito Muna.

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What Captured My Heart

I would like to believe that munimuni was an acquired taste. Honestly, I was not hooked that much on my first listen of the band. Most of their songs have very slow beats, which can literally make you fall asleep in no time. But, as I listened to them more frequently, I slowly began to fall in love with their pieces.

What I love so much about their music are the lyrics. Yes, the lyrics! For me, their trademark is their poetic way of weaving words into songs. Their song lyrics also speak of the realities in life, which always makes me feel connected with the truth. There is also something about their music that quickly puts me in ease once I hear them. Another unique component of their music, for me, is the flute. I am always amazed by how much life the flute gives to each song.

Now, let me share my top three songs from the band:

Tahanan. (in English, home) This song is my number 1 comfort song. This is my go-to song whenever I feel so hopeless about all the mishaps in my life. This song always reassures me that the bad days are not here to stay and it always makes me feel like there is someone out there who cares for me. I just love this song so much!

Solomon. I love how the title digs a deeper meaning for the song. Let me explain why. Solomon is a book in the Bible that contains a love song between two lovers. Similarly, the song by munimuni also speaks of love and has its equivalent male and female parts as lovers. And the lyrics? Ugh! It’s gotta be my favorite Tagalog love poem/song!

Kalachuchi. This song also conveys a very beautiful message. As munimuni unfolded in one of their interviews, “Kalachuchi is a flower that blooms even in the most uncomfortable environment.” This song is a reminder that amidst the difficult moments in life, there is an opportunity for us to grow and bloom beautifully. Plus, the song’s intro makes me imagine of the flowers gracefully opening their petals towards the sky.

These are just three of their amazing and heartfelt songs. The rest of their music are, indeed, underrated masterpieces.

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Who would have thought I’d get to meet them in this lifetime? 🤩

Here comes the most exciting part of this post!

This happened during the feast in the neighboring city of our town here in Cebu. Since my father works in the local government unit of this city, I and my sister already knew that munimuni is going to perform that night.

We also got the chance to meet them before they performed that night. We waited at the hotel lobby where they were in-housed and waited nervously for them to go down. I and my sister had very big smiles while we wait, as the music being played in the lobby is that of the band's.

About fifteen minutes later, they already went down and our hearts were racing! This is it! We're finally meeting the whole band in person.

When we saw them, we shyly asked them to sign our copy of their album Kulayan Natin. They were stunned that we brought an album with us, as they did not expect to stumble upon people, who will be bringing a copy of their album. They admitted that they are aware that they are still not that popular and the thought that someone knows and appreciates their music this much made them very happy.

We were also given the chance to take a picture with the whole band. And after that, we went to the grounds where the mini concert was held.

During the gig, they performed at least five songs. These songs, in no particular order, were Simula, Marilag, Bakunawa, Dito Muna, Tahanan, Pagsibol, and Matimtiman.

This was definitely one for the books! For sure, I will never forget about this night.

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Thank you for reading my post up to this point. I hope you have a great time ahead!

I'll take delight in writing for you again soon.

Love,
Sam ♡