Filipino band Bleu Rascals drops original song 'Doble Kara' on Spotlight Music Sessions
Filipino band Bleu Rascals recently dropped their original song 'Doble Kara,' a song about a woman with a specific persona during the day, and a different one during the night, and the challenges it entails to anyone who knows her.
While the blues is one of the non-mainstream genres of music, Paul Marney Leobrera, the band's vocalist and lead guitarist, said that the blues actually chose him when he was 15, instead of him choosing what music to play.
He recalled that at the time, he was ready to go into college with no idea what he wanted to do. He was actually thinking of following in the footsteps of his parents when he experienced a “divine intervention.”
It happened while he was inside a music store.
“The manager is playing a concert, a blues concert, and there's this artist that I really admired that changed my life,” he said.
“I was watching him play, he's just so passionate with what's he's doing, sweat going all over his face, he's just passionate playing the guitar. And I saw myself while I was watching and thinking to myself, 'How am I going to be like that?' because he's just so expressive, sobrang passionate niya,” he added.
Paul said that the concert and the blues resonated with him enough that he wanted it to be a part of his life.
“Blues is about being able to express truly, not really fake anything at all, and that's the reason why it's not well-known not only in the Philippines, actually worldwide naman talaga.”
He added, “It's not a mainstream kind of music, because for you to be able to listen and appreciate and play the blues, there's just no mask. You can't fake it, it's all about feeling, emotions. Whatever you're going through, blues is a lifestyle, I don't see it as a genre.”
He then started putting up his band with bassist Spencer Reymonte, and a different drummer they had at the time. However, when their drummer chose school over the band, they were introduced to John Jayson Garcia, their current drummer.
For their band name, Paul said that what influenced them was their genre, the blues, and his and Spencer's favorite film, Little Rascals. From there, their first band name, Blues Rascal, was born.
After making waves and their name became well-known in competitions and gigs here and abroad, the band found out that another band had the same name as theirs.
“And we didn't want to lose the name because we already made waves and we just thought of playing around with the spelling of the 'blues,'” Paul said.
“So instead of 'Blues,' naging 'Bleu' kaya naging Bleu Rasals pero 'yung spelling niya, French. So 'yun 'yung naging ending. That's the origin of Bleu Rascals,” he added.
With their name already known here and abroad, they're already “living the dream.”
“Really, honestly, I'm actually living my dream just to be able to perform, just to be able to express while performing, I'm living my dream and anything beyond that is just a bonus,” Paul said.
Spencer chimed in, “Ako kasi ano ako e, live one day at a time. Ayokong isipin masyado kung anong mangyayari sa future. Ito na 'yung dream ko e.”
“Ito na 'yung dream na noon, iniisip ko nung bata ako, ito 'yung dream ko nung bata ako na sana makatugtog ako o makapag perform ako sa harap ng maraming tao. Ngayon, ginagawa ko na siya e so I'm living the dream,” he added.
John has a slightly different idea about his "dream life":
“Bibili lang ako ng maliit na lupa sa probinsya, tapos kubo lang, andun 'yung big bike ko, tapos may studio ako dun sa loob, talagang isolated pero artist,” he said.
MEANWHILE, TAKE A LOOK AT THE SINGERS WHO STARTED OUT IN KAPUSO SINGING COMPETITIONS IN THIS GALLERY: