The wonder boy behind viral Ulap

Following his viral track Ulap, the 17-year-old Filipino pop singer Rob Deniel tries to make a name in the music industry under Viva Records.

His debut single Ulap, which was recorded using a cellphone, reached a whopping 55 million (estimated) hits from his Spotify and YouTube streams.

Ulap was made out of boredom. “Ulap was made out of boredom in my room. I was pretty chill and had nothing in my head (and) I was just writing words that I wanted to say. You could say that the whole song was made subconsciously.”

“Sinulat ko lang siya, parang random. Lalabas na lang sa utak ko, from my emotions. Nakakabuo ako ng song (out of that connection),” he told The STAR in a virtual media conference.

Ulap is best described as “indie music with a tinge of 60’s pop. Dream-pop sung in yearning falsetto.”

Rob’s original is the soundtrack of the Vivamax series Parang Kayo Pero Hindi. “Sobrang saya. Nakakatuwa yung song na nagawa ko sa phone soundtrack na ng isang movie.”

When asked about the reaction of his parents to his achievement, he replied, “Sobrang shocked sila. Nagulat sila. Before kasi hindi nila alam ginagawa ko. Hindi nila inakala na magbubunga sa ganito.”

It was his dad who discovered his talent at a very young age. “I started when I was around 12 or 13 years old. My dad bought me my first guitar and it was a black guitar and it is still here, I use it sometimes here at our house,” Rob said.

The wonder kid also hopes to do a collaboration with his dad sometime in the future.

He started to take music seriously two years ago when he learned “the stuff that was useful to him for making his own songs.” It was this time where he was “inspired to look at music as having a bigger part in my life.”

Rob previously labeled his music as bedroom jazz but eventually it evolved as he acquired multiple resources for making his unique sound.  “Maybe alternative-pop, or rock ‘n roll sweetheart. I think it’s almost the perfect way to describe my sound.”

Aside from singing, he also plays the guitar, drums and keyboards and of course, writing his own songs.

Viva Records is giving Rob leeway to create his own music. “We’ll just let Rob write his songs and not get in his way. That, and to make sure that as many people as possible hear about Rob Deniel and his songs.”

Rob listens to Eraserheads, Rivermaya and other Filipino rock bands while growing up. “Yan yung mga madalas pinapatugtog ng mga tito ko pag nag-ja-jam sila. Dun ako lumaki sa ganyang sounds kaya na-play ko siya ngayon.”

His dream collaboration for music would be with Filipino rock star and former Rivermaya frontman Rico Blanco and Baguio-based band Cup of Joe. He hopes to release a full album someday and perform gigs in various locations.

The 5’9 tall musician is currently single and mentioned fellow singers Janine Teñoso and Janine Berdin as his crushes.

Other songs that he composed and launched were Sunshine, Gabi, Baby I Tried and Ang Rosas.

He is set to release his new single Darling, Darling on June 18. The song was inspired by music from the ’60s and ’70s.

“The song is sort of like an advice for myself and about the experiences I’ve had so far. I hope people will like it,” he said.

“Abangan niyo yung next song. Magiging masaya yun, sana ma-enjoy niyo.”