LOCAL and international Warner Music Group artists have had their fair share of concerts throughout the Philippines. This year, the We Play Here series of concerts features many of these artists on school campuses.

The likes of English singer-songwriter Griff, Filipino soloist Arthur Miguel, and Baguio-based band Dilaw headlined the first show in the tour, held on Aug. 23 at the University of the Philippines (UP)-Diliman campus.

From a main stage at the College of Science Amphitheater to live performances on the Wish Bus, and fan engagement booths on the concert grounds, We Play Here’s school tour aims to give Filipino students a chance to enjoy the full live music experience.

“Coming from the success of last year’s event, this year’s We Play Here is bigger and better than ever,” said Warner Music Group in a statement. The tour runs from this year until the next.

For the first stop in UP, the main vocalist of P-pop group SB19, Stell (né Stellvester Ajero), gave a dance-heavy performance filled with songs from his solo EP called “Room.”

BAGUIO ALT-ROCK BAND DILAWDilaw made a comeback at the We Play Here stage in UP Diliman, following their first stint in 2023. The band is known for their single “Uhaw (Tayong Lahat)” (roughly translating to “we’re all thirsty”), which went viral last year.

With over three million monthly listeners on Spotify, their latest release is a track titled “Nilalang,” which they fully expect fans to enjoy in concert.

“The students and the youth: they are the zeitgeist. That’s where all the energy is,” said Dilaw’s lead guitarist Leon Altomonte at a press conference before their performance.

“It’s just really nice being on the opposite side of that now, to see kids performing, dancing, or really listening to music. I understand how important that was for me when I was a kid,” he added.

Dilaw Obero, the band’s lead vocalist, explained that even the songwriting process involves their potential listeners, who are mostly young people. He and Vie Dela Rosa, the rhythm guitarist, are the main composers.

“Nagbabatuhan lang kami. Tapos alam namin kung huwag, parang hindi click. Meron kaming parang, ‘when in doubt, get out’,” said Mr. Obero.

(We throw around ideas. Then we know not to continue if it doesn’t click. We have a saying like, ‘when in doubt, get out.’)

The members of Dilaw shared that they hope they make as much of an impact on their young audiences as musicians like original Pilipino music (OPM) band Sandwich and British act Coldplay left with them from their respective concerts.

ENGLISH SINGER-SONGWRITER GRIFFThe international headliner for the first We Play Here stop was Griff (née Sarah Faith Griffiths) in her very first concert in the Philippines. The British-born musician is known for upbeat songs like “vertigo,” “Tears for Fun,” and “Anything,” from her debut album released earlier this year.

Ms. Griffiths, of Jamaican and Chinese heritage, has mixed roots, and told local press in the same press conference about how she has long embraced her complex identity.

“Sometimes you don’t feel Asian enough to be Asian and you don’t feel black enough to be black. I definitely didn’t feel white, growing up in a very white, middle-class area, so I think it just influenced my music,” she said.

“I felt like I could maybe belong in music and create my own safe space.”

Despite the high-energy quality of Griff’s songs, they all reveal a more introspective and emotional nature. Some artists she admires that Filipinos also adore are Beyoncé and Whitney Houston.

For her, speaking different languages and being from different cultures doesn’t matter in the face of music, a “universal experience almost like its very own language, which makes it beautiful.”

“I feel that Filipino fans are really fun and really committed, so I’m excited about performing here, especially to young people,” she added.

FILIPINO SOLOIST ARTHUR MIGUELOne of the biggest draws in the UP Diliman leg of the school tour was pop musician Arthur Miguel.

Known for hits like “Lihim” and “Ang Wakas,” he said at the pre-concert press conference that his goal as an artist is to “be a voice for those who are unable to speak out.”

“Gusto ko mabigyan ng boses ang mga nakikinig sa akin, iyong mga hindi nasasabi ang nararamdaman nila (I want to give a voice to my listeners who don’t know how to say what they feel),” he explained.

At the concert grounds, he had a special interactive booth inviting concertgoers to share their what-ifs and hugot (emotional) expressions on a wall.

He added that his latest EP is a major example of expressing unsaid emotions. Titled MU, which is short for malabong ugnayan (unclear relations; also a play on the phrase “mutual understanding”), it consists of five songs about situationships.

Given the chance, Mr. Miguel hopes to do a collaboration with another Filipino soloist, Moira dela Torre.

“Imagine Moira and me doing a sad song. That would be so good,” he said. He later added, “Lahat kami ginagalingan namin, lalo na’t inaabangan kami ng mga tao (we all make an effort to perform well, especially since people wait to see us).”

Other up-and-coming artists that graced the stage were indie rock bands Kahel, Letters from June, and Sugarcane, pop soloist Paul Pablo, and Davao hiphop group PLAYERTWO.

For more details on Warner Music Group’s next stops in the school concert series, visit We Play Here’s official social media pages. — B.H. Lacsamana