masters are finally complete for my next album, GROWN. been holding these songs close to the chest for a while. been working on the videos as well. excited to keep shooting more visuals over the next couple months. I love that i’ve taken my time with this project. one of the best things about detaching from SM has been less external influences to distract me from the point of it all. my position and responsibility as an artist informs all of my choices more than ever. when playing by the game of capitalism isn’t in the backseat, creating something out of nothing is magical again. Being in rhythm with life is a practice in growing my awareness. gotta stay listening to the signs that guide me everyday. sometimes it feels like we’re in our own lil worlds, but we’re all in this together.

b-role from “Cold Blooded” MV

feel the weight of harm you can create by owning a cellphone and a laptop. it’s a heavy reality to sit with, one that hits different when felt in ur body, not just ur mind. our ability to imagine and dream of another world, the ways in which we move toward it is a form of resistance that i’ll continue to nurture until the day I die.

I hadn’t realized how colonized my relationship to releasing music was. my heart breaking open has made space for more truth - more truth to dispel the illusions of the world. the darkest realization i’ve had is that it’s always been this bad, we just never knew about it because we couldn’t see it. some people use art and music to create an escape, maybe to pacify the part of us that supposes this whole fabrication is doomed. the reality is that music has always been a spiritual thing, no matter how perverse the industry has made it. i’ve found that the most spiritual music i’ve experienced is rarely branded as spiritual. that’s neither here nor there.. babylon continues to morph and counter-mimic wuts real. it is what it is!

I’m just so grateful to be where I am now. the weight and pressure i once felt looming over my process has alchemized into a grounding force that inspires me to act. i can’t help but bring this back to Palestine… it’s impossible to unsee how everything connects. to be able to create art is a huge privilege. even tho this record in particular doesn’t speak directly to the genocide, it is a resting place of beauty and reclamation; being able to share my story in a way many of my ancestors never could esp bc much of the Filipino history pre-colonization is unknown. what a blessing to contribute.

i used to overthink releasing music bc of my experiences with press, roll outs, content, etc. - doing things ‘independently’ isn’t much different when it’s just a microcosm of the larger industry system. I now believe that the art of releasing music is a creative process and i’m looking fwd to putting all of these feelings and viewpoints into practice as I share this upcoming album.

until then, stay attuned.

in perpetual bloom

daily cultivation