#PINNED: Filipino spoken word artists who made us appreciate how beautiful poetry is

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For most of us, reading poetry is not so much as entertainment but more of a chore, a task or project to do in school. This is especially true for some old classics that we were even asked to perform when we were young like Pag-Ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa of Andres Bonifacio and Joyce Kilmer’s Trees. Reading poetry became a burden, a methodical task to accomplish, taking the joy or any other feeling other than dread, from it.

Enter spoken word. While this form of poetry is not necessarily new, the local spoken word artists that we have here in the Philippines have taken the craft up a notch, eliminating the bore and dread from poetry and making us… feel. For emotionally starved Millennials looking desperately for love, err, an excuse to feel stuff, this is a welcome and much-needed reprieve. Reading poetry might be a chore but listening to it, watching it, being part of it… was nothing short of sublime.

Don’t believe us? Well, why don’t we let these Filipino spoken word artists who have made it big in the field of performance poetry convince you instead?

1. Jonel Revistual

Bravely discussing social issues on his performances, Jonel is a member of Word Anonymous, a team of Filipino performance poets whose goal is to share their passion for spoken word poetry all around the country.

With his soul straining remarkable piece “Isang Magsasaka, Dalawang Panginoon,” he intensely narrated the story of the killings of our farmers, in which he included the victims’ names and the details of their life and death, leaving the audience reeling from the pitiful conditions of the people who bring food to our tables.

Our favorite quote: “Hindi ba’t nakapagtataka, kung bakit ang mga pilapil ay tila naghuhugis Krus na, sinabi nang hindi ito misa… Kalabaw lang ang tumatanda dahil tao ang pinapatay.”

Other spoken word performances: Makapili, Sampung Dahilan Kung Bakit Walang Mayayamang Aswang Ayon sa Estado, Biyaheng Malandi, etc.

2. Carlo Hornilla

Getting away from the serious type of performance but still managing to cover social issues that our country is facing, Carlo is a proud Batangueno whose talent has been discovered because of his spoken word piece “Adik.” It has been delivered in a comedic way but boldly scrutinizes the collateral damage of the War on Drugs campaign of the government.

Our favorite quote: “Kinakabahan lang talaga ako kapag gumagamit na ako… Kasi bukod sa posibilidad na sa Tatay mo pala ‘to (bato), ang talagang punto ng tula ay kung gaano kadaling mapagkalaman sa panahong ito…”

Other spoken word performances: EJK, EXODUS, Dalawang Personal ng Babalikan Kita, Yero, etc.

3. Maimai Cantillano

Compared to her sweet and charming persona, Maimai’s remarkable spoken word pieces break the hearts of her fans by tackling stories of love and heartbreaks, of the solace of being alone, and the pressure of having someone that you can call your own. Her poetry narration is captivating in the sense that it is so simple that everyone can easily connect with it.

With her spoken word piece “Sa Pagitan Ka Natagpuan,” her powerful strings of words made her performances a hit and that makes her one of the remarkable love poets today.

Our favorite quote: “Patawad kung isa ako isa sa nagbaon ng takot dyan sa loob mo na unti-unting lumaki at ngayon ay iyo nang inaani. Patawad kung mas pinili kong magtago para lang Hanapin mo kahit na alam ko na ang dapat mong hanapin ay ang sarili mo…”

Other spoken word performances: Kapag Nakita Mo Na Siya, Dating Tayo, Bungad, Lihim na Museo, etc.

4. Louise Meets

Tagged as the Sarah Kaye of the Philippines, Louise is also a part of Word Anonymous. She is an inspiring figure who advocates for mental health and LGBTQIA+ rights through her pieces that also cover love, self-love, science, and religion, among others.

As she shares the story of her spoken word piece “The Fight,” her narration aimed to give hope to the uninspired and broken and to never stop finding a reason to smile.

Our favorite quote: “For the late night souls whose only companions are the streetlights that guide them home…”

Other spoken word performances: One Night Stand, Minsan, Dayuhan, Pindrop Silence, This Is Not Science, etc.

5. Zuela Herrera

With her commanding narratives of love, loneliness, fear, anger, and tragedy, Zuela is an equally remarkable artist of Word Anonymous. She delivers a fair balance of topics from self-love to social injustices, making her spoken word pieces stand out as well.

Describing different battles of anxieties, she pinned those powerful words into our minds with her piece “Painkillers” that reminds us to always check on ourselves and to be wary of the norms being thrown to us by the world.

Our favorite quote: “I forgot that painkillers were not made to be a cure that you don’t need a doctor’s prescription for self-abuse and I took advantage of this. That medicine is just a pill away on becoming a poison…”

Other spoken word performances: Ako naman, Trajectory, Dulo’t Simula, Marka, Identity, etc.

6. Henri Igna

The spoken word pieces of Henri caught the heart of his audience by touching a broad range of literary theme from love to cheating to self-love and to advocating the rights of LGBTQIA+. He crossed a long road of stories uplifting people in their journey to self-discovery.

With his subtle spoken word entitled “Pasalubong,” he narrated a story of an ordinary office worker traveling back home after a whole day of work. Showing the metaphors of pasalubong as a material thing to being himself as the greatest pasalubong his family is really waiting for.

Our favorite quote: “Ang sakit, ang pait, ang tawa, ang tanong na ‘Gising pa kaya silla? Minsan ko na lang kasi sila nakakasama…”

Other spoken word performances: Masarap kang magtimpla ng kape, Constipated, Taxi, Pulang Dugo Bughaw na Mata, etc.

7. Brian Vee

Emphasizing the love of the Almighty God at all times, the spoken word pieces of Brian mainly focused on the usual difficult narratives and problems of this world and how God's power is enough to erase all the pain away in our hearts.

His spoken word entitled “Tagpuan,” which was first performed in a church, pinned the hearts of his audience and made everyone who watched it cry. Through this piece, he hoped to make people realize that this world might have all kinds of "love,"  but God's love is the only thing that we really need.

Our favorite quote: “Kaya’t ikwento mo sa akin ngayon kung paano mo natuklasan ang pag-ibig at ike-kwento ko sa iyo kung paano ko ito nilikha. Ikwento mo sa akin kung paano ka nila sinaktan at ike-kwento ko sa iyo kung paano nila ako ipinahiya, kung pano  nila ‘ko binugbog, kung paano nila ako ipinako at kung paano ako pumayag ala-alang sa pangako…”

Other spoken word performances: Tagpuan, Sana (Handa, Awit), Kung alam ko lang, Babangon si Juan, etc.

8. Juan Miguel Severo

If there is an artist who made it really big in mainstream media, Gege, as what people who are close to him called him, emerged with his wit and talent, that brought him to where he is right now.

Also a member of Word Anonymous, he managed to use all his skills and prowess in writing as he quickly rose from a stage performer, to TV and film actor, up to movie screenplay writer/creator.

Tracing back how everything has started, his trending spoken word piece about heartbreak entitled “Ang Huling Tula na Isusulat Ko Para Sa Iyo” broke the hearts of everyone, alongside his other brave socio-political literary works that are very much relevant in the current times.

Our favorite quote: “Patatawarin kita, pero patatawarin mo rin ako. Patawarin mo ako sa hindi ko pagtahan, at patatawarin kita, sa hindi mo pagluha. Patawarin mo ako sa hindi ko pananahimik, at patatawarin kita, sa hindi mo pagsasalita. Patawarin mo ako sa hindi ko pag-alis, at patatawarin kita, sa hindi mo pananatili…”

Other spoken word performances: Mga Basang Unan, Inggit, Naniniwala ako, Kapag sinabi kong mahal kita, Teorya ng Paglikha, etc.

Now, this is just the tip of a massive iceberg of talent, wit, and emotions. There are many more spoken word artists, both local and foreign, that you can follow or watch performances of online. This is just a sampler to show you how diverse and talented the local spoken word poetry scene is.

Do you know other up and coming spoken word artists whose works stirred the deepest recesses of your soul or those that made you feel stuff? Share it with us here!

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Dan Capule is a spoken word artist wannabe and currently working at a large multinational business process outsourcing company. He is also an officer of Kataga, Samahan ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas Quezon City Chapter.