BAGUIO’S RISING BAND DILAW MUSICAL JOURNEY

March 4, 2023 Community Billboard

Baguio’s rising band Dilaw performs at The Louisian Feels (TLF) of Saint Louis University’s Supreme Student Council (SSC) Executive Committee last Valentines Day held at the university grounds.

Photo by Blanca Masadao/UB Intern

With travel borders reopened and everyday living is almost back  to  normal,  artists  are back on tour with gusto via music concerts. Last February on Valentine’s Day, saw Baguio musicians like
Dilaw, an indie-alternative band composed of the duo of vocalist and songwriter, Dilaw Obero and
guitarist and instrumentalist, Vie Dela Rosa, performed at The Louisian Feels (TLF) of Saint Louis
University’s Supreme Student Council (SSC) Executive Committee  During their latest gig, attended
by some 2k crowd, mostly SLU students  were in awe and sang along as the group perform their hit single Uhaw (Tayong lahat).

Tracing their humble beginnings, Dilaw was formed in early 2021 during the pandemic. Before writing and making music, Obero, and Dela Rosa were first seen creating comedic skits that portray the daily lives of Filipinos. From Baguio City, Obero started as a solo rapper showcasing his talent in lyrical poetry on social media platforms. The lead singer, Obero, 23, has a passion for songwriting and shares his skills in rapping since high school days . Dela Rosa, a multi-instrumentalist, joined later and helped Obero add musical spice on his written songs, forming the duo into the “Dilaw.”

Guitarist, Dela Rosa, 29 has long been sharing his love for music in the local scene. Actually, Dilaw is known for the unique melodies of their songs, interesting lyrics, and songs that tackle socio-political issues that capture the listeners’ attention. “3019” was the first song project they created together and was released on April 2022 to all digital streaming platforms. The song describes corruption and injustices in the government. The   duo,   came  up  with another single “Kaloy” – it depicts the everyday life and struggles of the people and how everyone’s role in society is relevant.

The song hit 60k  views  on  YouTube. The last verse of the song , “Magtanim ay di biro, maghapong
nakayuko…Oh kaloy, maligayang pagdating sa mundong ubod ng sakim” talks about no matter how
the people are working hard, a lot are not getting enough pay to support the daily expenses of their
family. In November (2022), “Uhaw” was released. The song differs from their previous songs mainly of its romantic ballad-type melody that indicate a desire for love. “Uhaw is a song about a
person  longing  for someone.”  said vocalist, Obero. Dela Rosa revealed that the track was created during a drinking session.

“It started with a two chord pattern, and as we were jamming, we thought of the feeling of thirst for love, and that’s it, the first word of the song ‘sabik’.” Dilaw released “Uhaw (Tayong Lahat),” a full-band version of the song, last December 2022(Warner Music Phil.). Recently, “Uhaw (Tayong Lahat)” topped the Viral Songs Philippines chart on Spotify and hit 1 million plays also on Spotify, with 235k views on YouTube.

Blanca Masadao/UB Intern