The Philippine music scene entering 2026 is not necessarily starting with a clean slate. Scenes are overlapping faster than institutions can keep up, with DIY circuits bleeding into pop visibility and underground acts learning how to survive the speed of releasing song after song.
What used to feel caged by genre now moves in short bursts of influence, friction, and opportunism. Rap crews trade space with art-rock bands; club nights mutate into experimental incubators; folk singers pull from internet rot and visual culture instead of pastoral aesthetics.
What unites the musicians we selected is the steady momentum of their unique vision. These are artists already doing the work, building audiences through shows, files, and word of mouth. If 2025 was about visibility, 2026 will be about who knows how to take the Filipino music scene to a whole different level.
Photographs by Ricardo Yan
fitterkarma
fitterkarma writes rock songs that twist familiar OPM structures into uneasy shapes, pulling from art rock, film, and noise. The band’s rise across different scenes suggests an audience hungry for something less predictable. After releasing the sleeper hit “Pag-Ibig Ay Kanibalismo II,” which ultimately landed no. 1 on Billboard Philippines’ Philippines Hot 100 charts, they have secured coveted spots in music festivals and events such as Maskipaps in UP Diliman, Aurora Music Festival in Pampanga, and Cozy Cove in Baguio. If 2026 belongs to anyone breaking the wall between grassroots credibility and mainstream recognition, fitterkarma is in that conversation.
Thugsta
Thugsta raps like someone who treats trust as currency and betrayal as background noise in songs like “What’s O’in,” “Value,” and “PERA LANG” alongside rappers Costa Cashman and Madman Stan, among others. Coming out of Malate and the O $IDE MAFIA orbit, his music utilizes the coded language of crews who build their own systems in the streets. His hook game lands because they come from lived experiences no one dares to replicate — most importantly, his “thugs thugs” ad-libs have become a signature in his live performances. As his collaborations widen, 2026 could be the year Thugsta translates that closed-circle intensity into records that hit beyond his immediate territory.
bird.
bird., consisting of lead guitarist Eco Del Rio, bassist Carlos Calderon, rhythm guitarist Aaron Corvera, and drummer Hannah Jabla, exists in the gaps between scenes, blending punk energy with dreamlike textures and a pop structure that doesn’t pledge allegiance to either genre. The band treats each rock release as part of a longer arc in what they call the “bird.-verse.” They’ve opened for heavier acts that complement their world building, such as American bands Movements and Soul Blind. With their crowd favorite debut album oshin under their belt, it’s safe to say how much of their songs have caused fun mosh pits in their album tour back at Cubao Expo in 2024. Their name is a permanent fixture in their scene, eventually growing into a movement that helped redefine themselves as a “surfcore” band.
Mix Fenix
Mix Fenix writes easy-going, soulful songs with a pinch of vulnerability, crafting lyrics on growth, fatigue, and self-negotiation. She has a precise understanding of pacing, letting funky melodies breathe while raising the emotional stakes vocally in “Two Feet In” and “Language,” both of which convey soulful delivery akin to singers like Olivia Dean. This, paired with her versatile guitarwork, makes Fenix ready to scale her ambitions in 2026.
kyleaux
kyleaux moves with confidence in any window of opportunity that is open for him — and for him exclusively. His work pulls from early-2000s R&B and rap, such as Usher or Pharrell, but treats them as raw material whenever he cooks something up from scratch. He bends melody and cadence with a pop intuition that’s constantly evolving at the palm of his hands and the willpower of his voice.
Jamiela
Jamiela turns folk music inward, then sideways. Her gyaru-inflected visuals and macabre lyricism reject the genre’s usual softness, replacing it with discomfort and curiosity. Songs about injury, fantasy, and self-mythology unfold like private rituals, the acoustic guitar plays alongside her shivering, almost frail vocal delivery in singles like “Bendahe,” “Sikreto,” and “Kahon.” As Filipino audiences grow more open to eclectic sonic hybrids, Jamiela’s work feels poised to resonate with a wide range of sensibilities.
BABY FREEZE
BABY FREEZE cuts through the local hip-hop landscape with a big bite. Moving through a male-dominated space without framing herself as an exception or novelty, Sammi Borromeo’s solo project has put its foot on the hip-hop door. Her tracks scream empowerment in “MOST HIGH,” trap-heavy ad-libs in “LIL ICE,” and an overall sense of humor that’s uniquely hers to call. Whether it’s in rap or in her comedic personality on Instagram Reels and TikTok, BABY FREEZE knows how to throw a punchline. In 2026, her growth feels less about proving presence and more about defining her own terms.
Project Yazz
Spearheaded by founders Faye Yupano and Bergan Nuñez, Project Yazz bears a jazz philosophy that doesn’t treat music like a competitive sport. While avoiding the one-upsmanship, their performances thrive on playful rivalry, sudden pivots, and the kind of onstage communication that only comes from deep listening. Lineups consisting of key players and sessionists such as keyboardist Lui Tan, trumpet player Gabriel Lazaro, and guitar player Kenneth Castillo, the band’s diverse playing styles and background blend together, but the core energy remains rooted in organic exchange. As jazz continues to find new audiences outside formal spaces in the 2020s, Project Yazz feels tailor-made for that transition.
SexyJay
Jay Villarosa, also known as SexyJay, operates with the instincts of someone who learned performance before music theory. His post-punk is minimal, skeletal, and confrontational, stylistically repetitive, using cheap music gear that cuts through the fluff. Having written songs in a bathroom for its reverb effect, which he half-jokingly calls “Toilet Records,” he leans into claustrophobia as an aesthetic choice for his cold genre of post-punk, such as the spooky “Zombie” and the romantic “Halimuyak.” In 2026, SexyJay is positioned to sharpen that rawness into something more volatile that doesn’t sand down its grime.
Novocrane
Kai Sevillano treats music like a mosh pit to crash into and climb out of without apology. Over the past two years, her brainchild, Novocrane, has evolved from a solo project into a full-fledged band consisting of Sevillano, Ram Alonzo, Luke April, and Zon Lee. Together, they knows how to blow things up, moving from indie rock to electronic-adjacent release valves with visceral energy. They have the nerve to be genre-fluid with one emotional register after another. Songs can turn feral or suddenly tender, sometimes mid-track. Novocrane is an group testing how far they can push before the floor gives way.
IIICCCYYY
IIICCCYYY sings like Cebu is already a global capital, and she is reporting live from the center. Her brand of club pop music performances has usually taken space in DIY venues. There is pride here, and it runs through her melodies like voltage. She makes big emotions sound homemade with production assistance from the likes of Karl Lucente and D Waviee, who are both from the VisMin region, and lets the bubblegum pop earworms show in her songwriting. IIICCCYYY does not translate Cebu for pop outsiders; she lets the city speak at full volume.
La Mave
North Caloocan rapper La Mave handles heartbreak like an ongoing series rather than a finished story. He slides confidently between rapping and singing, letting emotions decide the form. Synths drift, beats blur, and his voice keeps finding new ways to trip over itself in pursuit of honesty, whereas he names tracks after places in Manila, such as the viral hit “Dominga” and “Lerma.” He sounds most convincing when he lets the song wobble instead of locking it down.
Daspan En Walis
Songs by Daspan En Walis lurch forward with Manila street swagger, drawing from old Pinoy rock muscle memory in tracks like “143 (Will You Memorize)” and “Compute to Commute” without turning into cosplay: Rap cadences slip into shouted hooks while slamming the blues genre into punk velocity. The band never stops daring the crowd to keep up, and every set feels like it could collapse or explode. The band has notably opened for local staples like The Sleepyheads, (e)motion engine, Yaelokre, and many more.
Kristina Dawn
Kristina Dawn steps out from the hip-hop collective Downtown Q’ orbit with a silky delivery that refuses to stay in the background. She moves through melody with control and bite, weaving an intimacy that still hits hard, including tracks like “Makasariling Lambing” alongside Hev Abi, “gin+c2,” and “Get Lost.” Sharing space with local melodic rappers such as Gins&Melodies and Unotheone within her circle only sharpens her presence. Dawn resembles someone who knows exactly when to lean in and when to pull focus.
Junoy Manalo
DJ and producer Junoy Manalo moves with the momentum and patience of someone who understands weather patterns. As a staple in Manila’s nightlife circuit, his dubby and groovy sets feel conversational. Having released 14 singles in 2025, which is many for a single producer by the country’s standards, Manalo is poised to be a defining figure in Filipino house music. Standout tracks like “Train to Izu” and “Cruisin Attitude” develop an atmosphere where the dance floor does not resist to shuffle from one transition after another.
Horseboyy
Horseboyy pulls from rave energy without freezing it in amber. His early tracks nod to ‘90s happy hardcore while folding in the restless pacing of modern trance and techno. For example, in Pette Shabu’s debut album SPRAK, where he produced many tracks, he builds grooves that feel engineered for fast movement. His first EP Horsepowah, released in 2025, sees the producer explore the deeper and brighter sound of tech house. Whichever side he pulls, the fun is loud, with a craft underneath that has the potential to take over regional, or even global, dancefloors.
August Wahh
August Wahh has long been a touchstone in Filipino R&B for more than half a decade, and she keeps expanding her lane. Her voice curls and glides with ease, carrying soul from the get-go in tracks like “Seasons” and “Sahara.” She was included in the SXSW Sydney 2025 roster, where she was one of the few Filipino artists who represented the Philippines. She knows how to sell a melody and how to twist it when the moment demands more attitude. There is play here, but also authority. August Wahh owns every version of herself.
aunt robert
aunt robert writes dream pop the way some people write journals: messy, impulsive, and impossible to sanitize. Drawing similarities to the dream pop songwriting of indie rock bands Soccer Mommy and Slow Pulp, aunt robert emerges as her own. Guitars blur into emotion without losing shape, and the songs create worlds of her own in “Mad” and “Frount Robert.” Quirk and ache sit side-by-side, creating music that chase feeling first and trusting structure to follow. The result, for aunt robert, almost always lands closer to your heart.
Pette Shabu
Pette Shabu’s debut album SPRAK, released in November 2024, opens like a dare, pulling listeners into a world constructed by revolution and fire. Her bars hit with a relentless ferocity one 16-bar verse after another in tracks like “POKPOK” and “the future is trans” which are, more often than not, shaped by lived experience than abstract rebellion. Her collaboration with Sydney-based artist mel.wav marked a pivotal moment for more trans and Filipino diasporic representation in hip-hop. Shabu deals with the genre as a tool for confrontational anger, allowing her to speak right from the center.
D Waviee
D Waviee manufactures tracks that feel charged with her fond memories in the dance music scene. Her productions stretch across genres, whether it’s her hyperpop-inflected debut HYPOMANIA from 2023, or the collision of trance and techno instincts in her sophomore album Epitome, released in 2025. She understands how repetition can turn euphoric when handled with care. On a good club sound system, her music will have you saving that moment in a time capsule.
Jikamarie
Jikamarie’s impression of R&B plays with tone, color, and storytelling like someone testing how much joy the art form can hold. Her songs, such as “Lutang,” “Tayo,” “Kislap,” plus her more frequent collaborations with rapper Skusta Clee like “Para Pilitin Ka” and “Bumalik Ka Sa’kin” move between playful and sincere without tipping into novelty. There is curiosity driving every choice, and Jikamarie is an artist discovering how far her imagination can stretch.
KRNA
KRNA, who are not only an alternative band, but also indie gig organizers operating out of Cagayan de Oro, have devised their own take on dream pop of hypnotic songwriting and drifting melodies. There is a sense of place baked into their sound without leaning on regional shorthand, making distance feel intimate. Their debut EP The River Gold released in 2018 have been impactful beyond their hometown. The band even had the chance to three-day tour of Tokyo in April 2025, joining an expanding roster of VisMin acts playing across Asia.
DJ Love, DJ Ericnem, DJ Danz
Budots would not be where it is without DJ Love, DJ Ericnem, and DJ Danz moving together from the start. Long before virality, they shaped the Filipino genre from grassroots communities that knew how to turn dance into pure joy and fun. What they built from the ground up did not come from trends, but from trust in their community. With their recent signing with London-based electronic music label Eastern Margins and their joint album Budots World: 3-Hit Combo!, released in December 2025, The “Budots Three” are set to reach an even wider audience in 2026, setting new milestones for Filipino dance and electronic music globally.
Allison Shore
The way Alisson Shore bends R&B is nothing but extraordinary. In 2016, he combined future bass and trap in his debut 2016 release “Internet @ Night,” later transforming into a style that stopped behaving like a genre and instead moved confidently haze, tension, and soul. His songwriting dares to confuse expectations, but also feels elastic, snapping back stronger after every detour. Shore sounds like a blueprint still unfolding and with his sophomore concept album MEMENTO MORI, 2026 is an opportunity for him to take his worldbuilding to the next level.
Bita and the Botflies
Quezon City’s Bita and the Botflies turn blues into a vehicle for social unease and dark storytelling. Their songs dig into rot and consequence without softening the blow. Morbid themes land in songs like “Peklat Cream” and “Sisikat Ka Iha” because they feel oddly specific to the Filipino psyche. The band’s cult following grows because the discomfort rings true. They play as if they are witnesses to something no one should dare to see or hear, further strengthening the sound and feel of the blues in the 2020s.
Stef Aranas
Quezon city artist Stef Aranas moves through R&B with shape-shifting confidence, pulling influence from everywhere without losing herself in the process. Her pop vision hits harder, sharper, and more fearless than ever before. She sings with command in songs like “Cvnty” and “Butter,” and her presence reflects a scene that has only begun to grow within the LGBTQIA+ community — most notably in her 2025 collaboration with artist Sassa Gurl on “QC Gurlz Remix.” There is momentum behind her that hopefully pushes more Filipino trans and non-binary artists to create R&B music in 2026.
Shot and edited by Joaquin Puyat
VFX by Goran Fernando
Assisted by Gonzalo Hocson and Ricardo Yan
