Rob Deniel, idol ascending

Rob Deniel has transcended bedroom jazz. Remember three years ago? Rob was then a 17-year-old newcomer basking in the success of his debut recording, Ulap. Six million hits on YouTube upon release late in 2020. That was when he claimed that his music genre was bedroom jazz with shades of rock. Promising newcomer. But what is bedroom jazz?

I thought then that maybe bedroom jazz was music to make love to or maybe just to go to sleep with to ensure pleasant dreams. But better yet, I think it referred to the way he was creating music.

Like most kids these days, that means alone in his room, singing the song to his mobile phone and then using the Garage Band app to provide the music arrangement, where he played all the instruments himself. Easy work and the result is a hit on his first time out.

Ulap marked the beginning of a series of songs all composed and performed by Rob. As his playlist grew in number in the ensuing months, he started gaining more and more followers. Twenty-four million monthly listeners on Spotify, as of this writing.

It is no wonder then that his songs also became bigger and bigger hits with millions of views and streams. Gabi, Baby I Tried, Diwa, Ang Rosas, Darling Darling, Sinta, Kundiman, Ang Pag-ibig and RomCom.

What is most interesting about Rob’s success is that as his songwriting and arranging skills grew and as he acquired confidence as a performer, his music style was also evolving into something that is all his own.

Forget the bedroom jazz. Rob Deniel’s music today is retro-inspired romantic pop with that intriguing touch of rock, the occasional doo-wop and other old-time influences. Add, too, a flair for the old-fashioned kind of love.

Miss, Miss, Rob’s latest, which dropped only two weeks ago is, so far, the finest example. It is a love song about missing somebody so badly. It has the heartwarming innocence of romance as it seemed to be from five decades ago but also new.

Rob’s fans love it when he gets into this retro mood. And so do their parents who probably like not only the music but also the fact that Rob is not just tall and attractive with movie star looks but is a well-mannered idol with that wholesome appeal that is so rare these days. Nice.

Rob is Rob Deniel Barrinuevo in real life. He was born on Oct. 6, 2003. He finished his high school at the Malayan Colleges in Sta. Rosa Laguna. It was his father, who is also a musician who got him started in music by gifting him with a guitar on his twelfth birthday.

Rob turned out to be a natural and thanks to listening to his favorite bands such as Orange & Lemons and Eraserheads, he was able to teach himself music. With Miss, Miss now at almost four million streams and a million views in only a few days, he is on the threshold of major success.

See how far Rob has come by watching him join other young artists in the concert, ILYSM, which will be held at the Araneta Coliseum on Feb. 13.  This will be his first time to play the massive venue. It is a Valentine concert so you can be sure that he will be singing all of his love songs live.

Also in the show are hitmakers Arthur Nery of Take All the Love; Janine Tenoso of Di Na Muli; Adie of Mahika; mrld with An Art Gallery Could Never be As Unique as You; Rhodessa with Kisame and band Alamat as special guest. By the way, ILYSM stands for I Love You So Much.