Young talents, old soul
I was YouTube surfing one afternoon when a scene from the 2003 film, “The School of Rock,” popped up on the screen. In the clip, guitarist Dewey Finn (played by Jack Black, co-founder of the rock band Tenacious D), impersonating a substitute teacher at a prep school, successfully convinces Principal Roz Mullins (played by Joan Cusack) to allow his students to go on a fake field trip — with a little help from the principal’s idol, Stevie Nicks. As Edge of Seventeen played in the background, it was a matter of making his request while they sang along to the music.
Music’s power is not to be trifled with. Within seconds, I had hungrily searched for the song so I could enjoy the real thing. But instead of Stevie, or even Lindsay Lohan, who covered it in 2005, I was directed to the version by Missioned Souls of Cebu. Huh?
Curiosity got the better of me. Though the thumbnail wasn’t exactly clickbait, I clicked on it anyway, and just like that, off I slid down the MS rabbit hole, doing so headfirst because this merry band of Filipino kids (plus their parents) simply nailed that sampler.
Missioned Souls describes itself as “a family commissioned to propagate the importance of family unity by showing love and respect to each family member and (to) one another. We put into action our God-given gifts to bring joy and fun into other people’s lives thru music.”
Family, God, musical gifts. How can they go wrong?
I find it hard to say that the band, which only started in 2022, is led by the grown-ups — Secan and Sheena Alipio — because their kids are exceptionally talented. Sixteen-year-old Naces plays the keyboards and fills in for her dad on bass. Her younger sister Neisha, 15, handles the lead guitar like an old pro. On vocals and rhythm guitar is 13-year-old Stacey, whose pipes could rival her mom’s. And little Isaiah, who’s adopted the cooler tag “Ice,” could give many seasoned drummers a run for their money. He’s only 11.
The band has been making waves on social media with energetic, spot-on covers of rock, pop, blues and oldies. Their playlist spans hits from The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Bon Jovi and Journey, to ABBA, Paramore, Jason Mraz, Kelly Clarkson, and some Filipino artists like the Eraserheads, Kitchie Nadal, Imago and Put3ska. They also sing Gospel and Christmas songs.
What sets them apart from other bands is how they capture the spirit of every song while expressing their joy and sense of family unity. Missioned Souls? More like Old Souls to me.
In their videos, they look nothing like the bands they’re covering. They’re either in pambahay or simple outdoor clothes, nothing flashy or staged. But wait until you hear these Magnificent Siblings (MS, right?). They sound amazing, and dad Secan’s sound engineering is top-tier. Every performance feels like a work of love. You can tell they’re having fun, and that energy is contagious. Such talent, such professionalism. Credit, of course, to the parents for nurturing, not stifling, that passion.
They somewhat remind me of Claire Crosby, who, in 2016, at just three years old, stole the hearts of Americans (and everyone else around the globe) with her rendition of “The Little Mermaid”’s Part of Your World. So far, the video has been viewed 26 million times on YouTube. She and her family, who cover Disney and Christian music, have their own channel called The Crosbys, where they claim to be “just a family that loves to sing and make music.” Sounds familiar?
Another singing sensation of around the same age as Claire is Sophie Fatu. At five years old, she auditioned for “America’s Got Talent” Season 13 in 2018 with Frank Sinatra’s My Way. Simon Cowell remarked, “You’re like an old soul trapped in a five-year-old body.” At 12, she remains an Internet sensation, which is not surprising considering that her “momager” Victoria is an influencer.
More recently, a group of young musicians (their ages range between 11 and 12) has been making noise in the San Francisco Bay Area since 2023. The Graystones was “founded” by drummer Grayson and bassist Max. When they realized they required more members, Hope and Izzy were recruited to provide the vocals, Harin to play the keyboards, Kyle and Ishaan to harmonize on guitars, and Philip and Evan to contribute some horns.
The band has been earning praise (and social media followers) for their dynamic live performances and soulful covers. Blending rock, pop and blues, they breathe new life into classics by Toto, Adele, Foreigner, Sade, Supertramp and Radiohead. After watching many of their videos, I silently wished they’d cover Steely Dan or Traffic, even Janis Joplin.
Videos of them playing at local venues like San Jose’s upscale Santana Row have exploded online, with some covers reaching millions of views. Their following — like Missioned Souls’ — is growing, which says something about how far talent and genuine love for music can go.
Sadly, despite all that and the love from viewers, Missioned Souls and The Graystones haven’t exactly exploded into the mainstream. Some YouTubers reacting to their music have far more followers. Perhaps they should start making their own songs.
Despite being oceans apart, both Missioned Stones and The Graystones capture the same spirit — young musicians reviving favorites that bridge generations, in the process, revealing their old souls, like Sophie Fatu before them.
As the legendary Ray Charles once said, “I was born with music inside me.”
Young talents, old souls. Both bands are proving that in this world of AI — where the likes of Suno AI, Udio, Neume or AIVA can create full songs, complete with lyrics and vocals from simple text descriptions — something is still very real: music resides in all of us, and creating good music, digging deep into our souls, is one of the last remaining hallmarks of human ingenuity.
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