MANILA KILLA STRESSES THE IMPORTANCE OF STAYING TRUE TO YOURSELF
INTERVIEW BY IRVIN RIVERA EDITED BY CLARA SEELY-KATZ
Manilla Killa has a unique artistic style, but not by accident. He understands the full importance of being true to one’s own creative voice despite the impulse to just do what everyone else is doing. Balancing love and admiration for another artist with loving and admiring one’s own voice can be hard, it is hard to measure art in any scenario, even harder when you admire those you are trying to measure yourself up against.
There are so many people now connecting and sharing their music and art, that it is easy to get swept up in someone else's creative vision and lost forever. Better to just find your compass, your own voice, and block out the noise, according to Manilla Killa, who has worked hard to do just that.
In Manilla Killa's conversation with A Book Of, he talks about the two years he spent working on his new album, advice he'd give his fans, and creating music rooted in emotions.
What are you most excited about regarding the album?
I'm most excited about seeing how people react to it because it's a new style. I've been working on it for two years now and I took a new direction. It's more driven toward house music but it still has the same kind of emotional tone that I have in a lot of my old music. I'm excited to be finished with it and I'm excited for everyone to hear it finally.
I already heard it and I have to say it's really great. Are you always drawing on your emotions whenever you create music?
Yes, absolutely. That’s first and foremost the most important thing that I think my songs should have—a deeply emotional aspect. I'm an emotional person. When I listen to songs that really resonate with me, I feel for the artists and feel real emotion. I want to give people that same feeling and get them in touch with their emotions.
Do you have any favorite tracks?
Yes, actually, I have two favorites. There's a song called Best Part About You, featuring Evan Giia that I love. I think that's definitely one of the most emotional songs I've ever created. What I think really sets that song apart from everything else I've ever done is that there's no drums or anything, there's no groove, it's mainly just a focus on the singer and her voice and the instruments that I play under. I love it so much because it's totally different from anything I've ever done but it still has that emotional aspect. And then there's another song called Liminal Spaces which was really interesting to make because it's also so different from everything else I've done up to this point. It's really instrumental-driven. This one has barely any vocals in it. The vocals that are in it play a supporting role.
Over the two years it took you to create this album, what were the main challenges that you faced?
The most challenging part was creating a group of songs that sounded cohesive together. At the beginning of the creation process, I was making so many different things, it was hard to keep up with it all. Then, another challenge was narrowing down all the songs. I had maybe fifty songs that could’ve potentially been on the album. The process of narrowing down really feels like picking your favorite children—who's going to make the cut? That was a big challenge, too. I had to always keep in mind that every song has to play a part in the album, and every song has to have a purpose.
So how did you make the final decisions about which songs made it to the album?
The way I tackled the project had to do with the title of the album, which was Dusk. I wanted to create a feeling of going from day to night. And so the track order was very specific, I chose songs at the beginning of the album that sound like the daytime, and then as you go throughout the album, towards the end, it gets darker and darker and darker. That's what I meant by every song having a purpose behind it. Every song has a time and place in the album.
Nice—so there are layers of meaning to it.
Exactly.
Is the fact that people can finally hear your new album scary or exciting?
It's a mix of everything, really. It's almost more than exciting. It's feeling relieved that it's finally out because, if you're working for something for two years, you kind of get numb to it. And for it to finally be out, it's like, okay, now I can move on to the next thing. But at the same time, as I mentioned before, I'm really excited because people get to hear a different side of me. I would consider the album, the most mature work I've ever done. It really resonates with my roots and where I stand now in terms of how I make music. That’s the exciting part.
In terms of your musical growth and journey, how would you describe your evolution as an artist?
For the first couple of years, I truly had no direction. I was just throwing stuff at a wall, seeing what would stick, just making whatever came to mind. Now that I'm older, I'm more reflective of what I want out of life. So, I would consider the music that I'm making now to be the most mature music I've ever made.
What would you say are the highs of your career so far?
One of the most exciting moments in my career was when I was asked to open for one of my favorite artists ever, Odesza, back in 2018. They were playing a New Year's show in LA. I felt in that moment that this is what I was working towards, to be associated with some of my favorite artists that have made me feel like... I don't know, like…
Excited and happy?
Made me feel excited and happy, yes, and inspired. It was so crazy to me that an artist so important to me reached out to work with them for a show. That was definitely a high. And I think another high point in my career was when I performed in Manilla for the first time. That was back in 2016 and my dad got to see me perform. He's always been in the Philippines, and I've been in the States. So, he hasn't really fully understood what I've been doing, because he can't see it for himself. When I was able to perform and have him come to the show, that was when it really clicked for him. That's when he realized that all the years of me fighting to make music full time, it was worth it.
He saw the crowd; he saw you performing. That's a moment, right?
Yes, exactly. Yes.
You mentioned earlier, that you've been inspired by the artists that you look up to. Now that you're the one inspiring people, what does that feel like?
I'm taking it as an opportunity to share what I've learned. I really love it when people come up to me and say that they're inspired by me and ask me for advice. At this point in my career, I feel like I do have some advice to give, especially to younger Asian artists who are trying to find their footing, or went through the same deal I did where their parents don't really approve, or they're afraid to get out there as an Asian artist because there aren't many others. So, I am happy to help out in any way I can. And I'm always happy to connect with my fans.
Speaking of advice, what advice would you give to people who look up to you and who want to be artists?
I think the most important thing is to stay true to yourself, as cliche as that sounds. There's no one else like you doing what you're doing. And people love originality, and people love when you are true to who you are as a person because people can tell when you're trying to be something else. And that's something I struggled with throughout my career, being completely myself. I would see other artists do something and be successful, so I’d try to chase that, but then it wouldn’t really be me. Staying true to yourself is really important.
When did that click for you? When did you find your own unique voice?
I think it was right at the beginning of the pandemic. I had a ton of shows lined up for the rest of the year, and they were all canceled. So, I had some time at home to just really think, reflect and consider my intentions and what I wanted to do with my music. That was a time I was able to take a step back and I realized that whatever I do next, it has to come from my heart, it has to come from who I am as a person. I did feel alone during the lockdowns. Not getting out there, not connecting with other people during the shows, I had a lot of time to myself. So, I thought about that. And then I was just like, whatever I do next needs to be me.
And the final question: if you were a book, what book would you be and why? This is an open question. It could be a genre and an existing book, a made-up one?
I mean, I guess it would be a book where the story is about, not necessarily a hero, but somebody who spends most of their life trying to chase things that aren't really resonating with who they are as a person. Then something detrimental happens to them, which makes them realize that at the end of the day, the only person that they have is themselves. They have to stay true to that.
