Cebuano artists share the stage at Love Cebu Music Festival

MANILA, Philippines —  It’s not every day that we get to see a music festival featuring nine Bisaya artists under one roof, let alone all of them hailing from Cebu. The celebration of Cebuano music was on full display at the Love Cebu Music Festival on July 6 at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino.

Among the nine artists who performed at the Pacific Ballroom was Shoti, who remarked that the event is “one for the books.”

“It’s really amazing because I performed with Cebuano artists who are very talented. I love [my fellow] Cebuanos because they are very supportive,” the 18-year-old artist told the Cebu press after the show. He was still in awe of fellow headliner Juan Karlos Labajo who closed the festival.

“I still feel high after performing, and it might take days to recover because it was so nice and fun,” added Jacky Chang, who enjoyed Dom Guyot’s set.

Before the show, young patrons like Yaw and his girlfriend told The FREEMAN that they were looking forward to seeing Labajo perform his hits such as “ERE” and “Buwan,” while Isabelle and Jam hoped to see him perform “Kasing Kasing,” his Bisaya duet with “Senior High” co-star Kyle Echarri.

Isabelle and Jam were also excited to see mrld perform her new song “Sandali,” while Sheane Gososo, an acquaintance of the singer-songwriter, hoped to hear “Maligayang Pagkunwari.”

Cebuano indie band The Wonggoys kicked off the festival by performing “Queen,” an ode to their hometown that included an interpolation of “I Love Cebu” at the start of their set.

R&B artist Jolianne charmed the audience with her infectious energy as she performed her latest single “I’ll Be Somebody You Want” and covered “lowkey” by Indonesian artist NIKI. An audience member in the SVIP section joked that this would be her closest experience to seeing NIKI live in concert, who is slated to perform in Manila next year.

Kurt Fick mastered the art of banter with his fellow Cebuanos, performing his all-too-relatable hits such as “Hahahahasula” with gameplay footage of Subway Surfers playing in the background. This referenced the TikTok trend where clips from movies and TV shows are played on a split screen with footage from the popular mobile game.

Guyot started his set by literally showing off his face card, proving that the “gay boy from Cebu” can give it his all on stage as he performed “free” and “Deja Tu Lover” with his highly energetic backup dancers.

Continuing the main pop star energy on stage was Chang, who covered Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso”, Tyla’s “Water” as well as BINI’s “Pantropiko” and “Salamin, Salamin.” No performance from the inaugural Sinulog Idol winner is complete without singing her big hit “Pero Atik Ra,” which garnered her the title of the “maoy diva.”

Shoti gave an intimate performance, singing hits such as “feel this way” and “LDR” that made his fans scream with support. He jested, “Basta bisdak, gwapo o gwapa.”

Tawag ng Tanghalan Season 2 winner Janine Berdin shared the stage with Kyle Miguel Wong of the Wonggoys and fellow schoolmate Guyot during her set, reminiscing about hearing Cebuano music while growing up in Lapu-Lapu City.

Singing her hits such as “An Art Gallery Could Never Be As Unique As You” and “Ligaya,” penultimate performer “mrld” told the Love Cebu crowd that she was excited to perform at the festival because it was her first time talking to her audience in her mother tongue.

Labajo closed the show with a spectacular set that captivated the audience with his rockstar energy. The biggest highlight was his nearly 10-minute soulful rendition of his hit “Buwan,” where he let his band members play individual parts of the song with their instruments.

A JK show is not complete without his current hit “ERE as the audience screamed the song’s expletive lyrics with Labajo.

Summarizing the event, concertgoers Kristyn Failanga and Maica Ouano Dizon told The FREEMAN that the Love Cebu Music Festival is the best way to remind people that many of the popular artists today have roots in Cebu.

“It was so fun and nice that we have all of these Cebuano artists come together. Sometimes, we forget that they are representing the Cebuanos, so this event is a good way for people to be more aware of our Cebuano artists,” Failanga and Dizon said.