Rock band fitterkarma weren’t expecting “Pag-Ibig ay Kanibalismo II” to blow up on the internet when they released it on Valentine’s Day in 2025. But towards the end of the year, the song went viral, racking up tens of millions of streams on Spotify and landing at the top spot in Billboard Philippines’ Philippines Hot 100.
“Nirelease lang namin ‘yon kasi gustong mapakinggan ng mga tropa namin,” frontman Joao de Leon tells Rolling Stone Philippines.
The track took off amid changes to the band, including the departure of vocalist Addy Pantig, whose voice we hear on the song. But de Leon says he doesn’t mind not being front-and-center in their first hit. “Happy ako na ‘yon ‘yong song na nag-blow up kasi hindi ako ‘yong kumakanta. Ayaw ko rin ‘yong having too much spotlight, kasi mahiyain ako,” he says, ironically with ease and confidence.
Unfortunately for de Leon, the spotlight has been on fitterkarma — his brainchild — for the past few months. Three years after forming in 2023, the Benilde-born band now looks forward to playing in festivals and collaborating with other artists in an OPM landscape they believe is only getting better and more diverse.
A Fledgling Band’s Process
Still, the sudden attention hasn’t changed how fitterkarma understands themselves as a band. If anything, it reinforced instincts they had been following long before “Kanibalismo II” became a hit. De Leon says the band prefers to express songs as fully as possible, even when that means leaning into contradiction. “Parang mentality namin, gusto namin i-express ‘yong song as much as possible with our instruments, with our voice,” he says. With “Kanibalismo II,” that impulse translated into masking morbid humor with the track’s easygoing sing-along energy. “That’s why it sounded fun, even if ‘yong lyrics, ang morbid.”
The band’s fluidity is also shaped by how they came together. De Leon and bassist Sophia Miranda both studied music production at Benilde, while drummer Sanders Bayas continues his studies there, pursuing an education that influences how they think about sound as a system. Miranda describes their music as intentionally uncategorized. “Hindi siya stick to one genre,” she says. “Per song, parang may ibang feeling, but ‘pag pinagsama, cohesive pa rin.”
fitterkarma is not immune to the ills that plague the college gig scene. “It’s very tiring to do gigs na hindi nagpe-pay, and balancing [them] with our acads,” says de Leon. “Music na nga sa school, music pa sa labas. It’s very exhausting physically and mentally.”
A stint in the United States also pulled him away from the band physically, but gave him space to write. “Ginamit ko lang ‘yong isolation ko as an outlet,” he says. “Ang dami kong time.”
Miranda’s own detour into working as a session musician offered a different education. Playing with other artists forced her to sharpen her sense of responsibility, time management, and collaboration – skills she brought back once she returned to fitterkarma full-time. For Bayas, the pressure came from growing up in a family of musicians. “Gusto ko lang mapakita na kaya ko rin, and still have fun,” says Bayas.
Outside of music, storytelling remains a shared obsession. The band has scored films before and hopes to do so again, drawing inspiration from cinema, games, and books as much as albums. De Leon cites everything from The Blair Witch Project and Makoto Shinkai films to Final Fantasy and The Lord of the Rings. Songs, he says, work the same way. “Music can have stories,” he says, pointing to the Eraserheads’ catalog as proof. “Personal experience is the biggest influence. Nothing can top that.”
Beyond the Breakout
As they look toward 2026, fitterkarma’s ambitions are expansive but grounded. They talk about festivals and playing shows outside the country. “‘Yong matagal na [naming] gusto is Wanderland,” says Bayas, who adds that the band hails from Metro Manila’s south.
Collaboration with other rock musicians is high on the list, too. “Kami pa lang, within the circle, ang saya na,” de Leon says. “What more if you venture out?”
“Musicians outside of the country, as well, have the same mindset to collaborate with artists beyond their borders. We’ve been seeing that a lot, especially with the P-Pop groups we have.” He adds, “The only way is up.”
Heading into 2026, fitterkarma is poised to prove itself beyond the band’s breakout status, and what we will see is a music career built on range and an ability to move audiences on any sort of stage.
Rolling Stone Philippines November 2025 Issue, Now Available at SariSari Shopping
