Fil-Am rapper MBNel shows what it’s like to be a popstar in new music

MANILA, Philippines — Fil-Am rapper MBNel showed what it’s like to be a popstar in his latest single Popstar, the music video of which was filmed around Manila.

“I was just in the studio. I was just having fun with it. And as far as the video, I just wanted to show a little bit of this turned-up lifestyle just to switch up the mood and the vibes of the music. The song was just a vibe, what happened to be the mood in the studio. And when I made that, I just wanted to switch it up from the last couple drops that I had,” he told The STAR in a virtual chat.

For MBNel, being a popstar and a rap star is almost the same thing, the only difference is the genre of music. “As far as the lifestyle and, you know, just living life and turning up and living spontaneous. You know what I’m saying? It’s just how I see it. But to each his own though, everyone has a different opinion. That’s just mine,” he explained.

Interestingly, MBNel didn’t even sit down to write the freestyle track. “I just went in there and freestyled on the mic. Probably like 20 minutes or something like that. And that’s just how I was feeling that day when I made it,” he offered.

He made the music video along the streets of Makati and Mandaluyong, the same day that he shot Ashtray, which featured the Pinoy rap trio O Side Mafia.

“That same day I was shooting the Ashtray that I did with O Side Mafia. So, after I got done shooting that, we were like, just change your outfit and just shoot some more. And we can just go around somewhere and shoot some more,” he recalled.

“So, I just wanted to knock out multiple stuff at once. So, I just shot. I ended up shooting Popstar right after that. And then just the vibe of the beat and everything kind of gave me like this Southeast Asian vibe. So, I was like, that was the reason why I wanted to do that song. I didn’t do the song. I didn’t record the song in the Philippines, but I felt like it matched it just because the vibe of the instruments and everything.”

He had fun filming and described the experience as “doped.” “Pretty much the video was super spontaneous. We just started shooting and I guess we were exploring the P. Burgos Street, just walking around the street. And I just told the cameraman, just follow us and I’ll just do a scene on the street as I’m walking. So, that was doped because a lot of people were just like, ‘Oh, look at them.’ And it was fun.”

MBNel is currently working on album which will feature some songs that he churned out in the Philippines.

Just this year, he performed in Cebu’s Sinulog Festival, in Manila, and in his dad’s hometown in Siquijor.

He will soon drop an EP or mixtape featuring Filipino artists. “I got more music on the way. I’m definitely going to do more that’s in the lines with the culture and collaborating with more artists from out there,” he said.

MBNel’s previous singles include Ghost 2 and Just Like Me which were also filmed in Manila.

Popstar by MBNel is out now on digital streaming platforms.