With the goal of establishing a presence for Filipino artists in the West and globally through music distribution, music rights management, and artist development, Paradise Rising has more than lived up to expectations since it was launched in July 2020.
Paradise Rising took the Philippine music industry by storm right with its well-received debut release semilucent, a compilation album that transcended genres and showcased an impressive array of emerging Philippine artists.
Now, Paradise Rising returns with a new ensemble of artists on its upcoming EP and second installment to its compilation album, semilucent.
The latest compilation, semilucent 2 – which features fresh, new artists both homegrown and diasporic — is a 5-track EP that provides genre-blending acoustics, memorable melodies and high-energy 808s.
In contrast to the dreamy and airy radiance of the songs from the debut project, semilucent 2 draws inspiration from the darker mood that comes with the ending of summer, and a longing for memories past.
Highlights include exciting new recordings by the Vancouver Canada-based duo Manila Grey; Philippine-native singer and instrumentalist Steven Peregrina; up-and-coming female R&B artist daze based out of Amsterdam; hip-hop powerhouse from New York CA Christian Alexander; seasoned rapper and songwriter Curtismith; and Filipino-American electronic producer standout Manila Killa with multi-talented global vocal artist Yuna.
For Steven Peregrina, his track “All Night” is “all about good vibes, good times, and partying.”
He adds, “I’m super excited and ecstatic to be a part of the semilucent 2 EP. I consider this song to be my “TakeOff” and y’all should be ready for me! So, Asia, here I come.”
For Manila Grey, “Island Baby (Maarte)” brings a new vibe to the compilation project.
“In this song, we show love to all the beautiful women in our lives, women who represent the vibrancy and class of our culture, both in our home city Vancouver. Maarte is slang for high maintenance in Filipino, but it actually means artsy. We just wanted to flip that narrative into something fun, while showcasing the art and the grace. All the strong women in our lives have high standards, sometimes you need that energy you know? Like go ahead, it’s all good, feel yourself,” the group noted.
According to daze, his song “Situation” is “about a relationship between two people who are in between love and friendship, or a situationship. Neither really wants to admit how much they like each other, but the tension and passion keeps building until they both can’t deny it any longer. It’s a soulful song with layers and layers of melodies that express desire, connection, and taking a leap of faith,” daze revealed.
CA Christian Alexander said he and Curtismith “are excited to be a part of the semilucent 2 EP because we have an opportunity to represent the Philippines on 88rising’s global platform and inspire the next generation of artists to continue to keep pushing Filipino music culture forward.”
Alexander shared that his collaboration with Curtismith, “Black Hearts” is “a trap RnB song about how cold relationships can be. Welcome to the dark side of Paradise.”
For “Reminisce,” Manila Killa shares that he “started the instrumental track during quarantine when I felt no pressure to create a specific type of music. It was during a time where I felt artistically free – there were no shows coming up and everything was at a standstill so I took the opportunity to try some things out I haven't before. When I found out Yuna was interested in the track I was so excited to work with her as I've been a longtime fan. She totally understood the mood I was going for with the track and turned it from this fun disco demo into something raw, emotional, and reminiscent of better times."
Yuna, who features on the track, says: “When I heard Manila Killa's instrumental track, I was at a place in my life where I had to start being creative in a new environment. I was at home with my family, it was so different from what I'm used to. But listening to ‘Reminisce’ just inspired me to write something emotional, about romanticizing the past or a memory that lives in your head forever,” Yuna says.
“After I sent over my vocals, Manila Killa took that song to a whole new level, I was blown away. I'm so lucky I got to work with such a talented musician who understood the mood and the emotions of what I was singing about."
88rising founder and CEO Sean Miyashiro took note of the "vibrancy in the way talented young artists are emerging, and such a massive audience in love with music.”
“We want to support their voices, help them be heard, and bring music from the Philippines to a global audience," Miyashiro concluded.
semilucent 2 was released on Spotify and other major streaming platforms by Paradise Rising on Oct. 4. Paradise Rising merchandise also became available on the same date.