SB19's Stell channels Gatsby with star-studded 'Crazy' showcase

Stell of SB19 reflected on the imperfections of love in his "Crazy" live showcase on Friday at The Peninsula Manila in Makati City.

Channeling the American novel "The Great Gatsby," the intimate invite-only event was held at the Salon De Ning, which evoked the jazz bars of New York in the 1920s.

Like Jay Gatsby, Stell said everyone probably knows what it is like to do irrational things when we are in love.

"All of us have experienced going crazy when it comes to love," he said in Filipino. "When we love, we're ready to fo everything for that peson."

Stell delivered the much-awaited debut live performance of "Crazy," his latest single, as the final song of the evening.

The song's music video is set in New York, where Gatsby threw socialite parties in the hopes of winning the heart of his old flame, Daisy.

Stell seemingly recreated that atmosphere with the live showcase, which was attended by several celebrities: Anne Curtis, Raymond Gutierrez, Georgina Wilson, Liz Uy, BJ Manalo, Xyriel Manabat, RC Silvestre, Mhiema James, and Alamat's Tomas.

Stell opened the night with his upbeat songs "Classic" and "Room" before slowing down with "Risk It All" by Bruno Mars. In the second half of the song, he displayed his talent for languages after switching to the Spanish version and flawlessly singing the lines.

He followed it with a cover of "Lay Me Down" by Sam Smith, showing exactly why he is known as P-pop's Heavenly Voice with his effortless high notes.

Stell continued in the same vein with his Tagalog songs, "Anino" and "Di Ko Masabi." Before singing, however, he admitted to the audience that even he gets nervous performing these numbers on stage.

He also performed "Tattooed Heart" by Ariana Grande, which might be a nod to the viral TikTok edit mashing it up with his latest single, "Crazy."

His penultimate song was "Die On This Hill" by Sienna Spiro, whom he met in Chicago when SB19 performed at the Lollapalooza.

In his spiels, Stell said heartbreak is an unavoidable part of falling in love, a sentiment captured by the drop of blood emoji as the main visual of the song.

"They say that when you're ready to fall in love, you should also be ready to get hurt," Stell said.

"It's normal and falling in love shouldn't be perfect."

Stell released "Crazy" in August 21. It's his comeback song as a solo artist after the release of his "Room EP" in 2024. —JCB, GMA News