Gabby Alipe, accidental singer

Gabby Alipe’s musical journey began when he was in high school. It gained traction when he made it big as the frontman of the Cebu-based rock band Urbandub, and got a new lease on life when he released his solo EP A New Strain under MCA Music. In his time as a professional musician, he has put out chart-topping albums and singles, toured extensively in Asia and even won Vocalist of the Year honors at the NU Rock Awards in 2006 and 2010.

However, Gabby considers himself an accidental singer. “I wasn’t really a singer, so I never thought I’d end up fronting a rock band,” he admits. “I always saw myself as more of a guitar player and songwriter. I joined different bands as a guitar player. When I was in college, I began playing in bands in Cebu as a bass player. When my former band didn’t want to write original material, I decided to form a band of my own with my friend Jed Honrado.”

Gabby was forced to become their vocalist because they couldn’t find anyone else who was willing to do it. “Jed and I formed Urbandub, and that led me to become a singer — only because nobody knew who we were, so nobody was interested in becoming our vocalist.”

Urbandub’s debut album Birth, released in 2001, was considered a success — but only in Cebu. Distribution problems kept it from finding a wider audience beyond their hometown. It was only when Gabby and his bandmates released Influence two years later, in 2003, that they were finally able to hit the big time. It sold well and won them two trophies at the NU Rock Awards: Album of the Year and Song of the Year (for the single Soul Searching).

Urbandub went on to release three more albums — Embrace, Under Southern Lights and The Apparition — before announcing an “indefinite hiatus” last year.

Gabby had only one thing thing on his mind — his family. He wanted to focus on raising his son. Embarking on a solo career was the last thing he wanted to do. For a while he stuck to managing bands like Autotelic (which Kai Honasan, a finalist from Season 2 of The Voice of the Philippines, is part of) via his company Nemesis Music Group. But eventually, the call of the music scene proved to be too much for Gabby to resist, and he began putting together some songs which eventually became A New Strain.

Gabby enjoys being able to do things his way, but says it can also be a bit nerve-racking at times, especially because he no longer has three other people to back him up.

“Sixteen years after I began my journey, here I am embarking on a new challenge as a solo artist. It’s definitely a big adjustment. I’ve always been more comfortable in a band setting, where I can feed off my bandmates in terms of arrangement and songwriting. This time everything has to come from me. I called the EP A New Strain because it’s something new. It’s more organic — I employed a simpler approach on it, compared to the grander, louder stuff I did with Urbandub,” he explains.

Gabby shares that when you’re in a band, you have to make music that fits every member’s individual taste. So when he started working on the EP, he made the most of his newfound creative freedom. But it wasn’t a walk in the park from beginning to end.

“The recording process was scarier this time around,” he admits. “At first, there was a lot of confusion and uncertainty. I didn’t know if I’d be able to write songs I’d be proud of. But my producer Eric Perlas really helped me focus.”

Gabby hopes his new EP will find an audience. He’s not after fame or fortune; all he wants is to tell stories through music.

“I’m a storyteller. The new EP is basically a collection of stories I accumulated as I went through life. I want to share them with people who are willing to listen and can hopefully relate.” ­— With reports from Almed Garcia and Julian Maurico