Gab Cabangon is learning to love music again. A decade after his last release with his previous band KE, Cabangon is set to release his debut solo EPEPShort for extended play, a release longer than a single but shorter than a full album, usually three to six songs. EPs let emerging artists introduce their sound without aGo to EP Glossary, Learning to Love Again. The title reflects his journey as a solo musician, from playing alongside his father, folk musician Noel Cabangon, to deciding to put the guitar down and quit music, at least for the time being.
Rediscovering music wasn’t easy. Cabangon had to battle doubts about whether it was worth all the hard work. He mentions how becoming a regular at Conspiracy Garden, a now-defunct music venue, made him fall in love with folkFolkA genre rooted in storytelling and tradition, often built on acoustic instruments and honest, plainspoken lyrics. In the Philippines, folk and its protest-song legacy have long carried social commentary, andGo to Folk Glossary music. But creeping doubts pushed him to have honest conversations with himself.
“Sometimes I ask myself na ‘Binigay ko na ba ang lahat para sa industry na ito? Binigay ko na ba ang lahat para sa music journey ko?’ And I realized na di ko pa pala nabibigay,” Cabangon tells Rolling Stone Philippines. “Was I even good enough? I was making tons of excuses and why I shouldn’t or I shouldn’t do it.”
According to Cabangon, the EP doesn’t house your typical love songs. One track, “ngayon at kailanman,” follows the formula of a love song, but Cabangon chose to bring the theme of literally loving again after a massive creative burnout to the forefront in his latest project.
“Sometimes [‘Learning to Love Again’] means stepping away, you know. I’m not gonna do anything music-related because I just needed the space to miss music. I just needed to rediscover why I was doing music.”
Gab Cabangon on Supporting Filipino Talent and Resisting AI in OPM
As executive director of Organisasyon ng Pilipinong Mang-aawit (OPM), Cabangon accepted the Music Foundation of the Year Award at the Filipino Music Awards on October 6 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. In his speech, he said there is “a lot of work that needs to be done” after receiving the award, and he expanded on that point.
“There’s an oversupply of talent in the Philippines, but we never seem to be able to take advantage of all the opportunities available,” he says. “You realize now we don’t need the validation of foreign countries to know that we’re good. We are good.”
Cabangon has also noticed AI spreading through the creative industries, music included, and how it could affect solo artists like him who are trying to make music as authentically as possible.
“Artists should have the integrity to do music from their own hard work and passion and love for music, and not take shortcuts, like, let’s say, using artificial intelligenceArtificial IntelligenceComputer systems that generate or analyze text, images, and music, now reshaping how art is made and how media and work operate. In the Philippines, it raises live questions aboutGo to Artificial Intelligence Glossary,” he says. “Because once you start creating, you start prompting music, and you lose the value of why you’re creating art in the first place. [Artists should] retain that integrity and that desire to embrace the struggle of creating art and continue creating and learning.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Gab Cabangon is a Filipino musician and the executive director of Organisasyon ng Pilipinong Mang-aawit (OPM).
Gab Cabangon’s solo EP is Learning to Love Again. It includes the track “ngayon at kailanman.”
Gab Cabangon was part of the band KE. The EP arrives a decade after his last release with them.
Gab Cabangon’s father is folk musician Noel Cabangon, whom Gab played alongside early in his music journey.
As executive director of OPM, Gab Cabangon accepted the Music Foundation of the Year Award at the Filipino Music Awards on October 6 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Recommended Video
