FELIP, one-fifth of the Filipino pop group SB19, recently performed his sophomore solo single ‘Bulan’ on the latest episode of the Grammys’ ‘Global Spin series’.
The performance arrived on YouTube on July 6, and showcases FELIP and a group of back-up dancers performing a flurry of intense dance movements. The track pays tribute to the Bicolano moon deity, Bulan.
“FELIP uses Bulan’s story as a metaphor for crab mentality. When one gets ahead of other people in whatever aspect of life they deem important, some react negatively”, the video’s description notes, explaining the track’s musings.
Check out the fervid performance below.
FELIP released ‘Bulan’ on streaming platforms on May 29, but dropped the music video for it a day earlier. The music video depicts an epic battle between good and evil, with a slew of visual effects splaying throughout.
The track was originally scheduled to release a week earlier (May 15) to coincide with the rare blood moon occurrence. In a statement on May 10, however, FELIP revealed that he delayed its release due to the Philippines being at the “forefront of an important, historic event that will shape our future” – alluding to the country’s general election results, in which ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. won a landslide victory.
Following its release, the ‘Bulan’ music video was criticised for allegedly plagiarising Lay Zhang’s single ‘Lit’, both of which carry notable similarities.
FELIP responded to the comments, declaring that “as the creation of art is often borne out of inspiration, it is inevitable for any of my (or any artist for that matter) songs to have some similarities in style with other artists as I often harness my musical references when creating.”
He also expressed that “‘Bulan’ was heavily and responsibly researched that details in the MV had its cultural basis, executed with some variations so as not to offend any cultures/indigenous populations.”
Prior to releasing ‘Bulan’, FELIP released his debut solo single ‘Palayo’ in September of last year, becoming the first member of SB19 to release music solo. PABLO, another member from the boyband followed suit in January, dropping his debut solo single ‘La Luna’.