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We Asked Locals Musicians How Music Has Helped Them Heal

With Fete dela Musique bringing their “Music Heals” advocacy back for its 30th edition, weasked this year’s festival performers on how this art form became their 

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Mariel Abanes

<div><br/></div><p>Think of a time when music is not present in our lives, and it’s almost impossible to think of one.Music is a constant companion wherever we find ourselves in, our solace and comfort whenalone. And it’s also a way to connect with people all around us, no matter who you are or whereyou’re from. Thus, <strong>Fete dela Musique</strong> came about —celebrating music’s role in bringing us alltogether for the love of music, but also highlighting diversity and talent across genres all overthe world.</p><div><br/></div><p>As Fete dela Musique turns 30 this year, the festivities are definitely much grander and colorful,kicking off the music party with recently-concluded shows —including the Fete Main Stage thatfeatured artists like <strong>Dilaw</strong> and <strong>Autotelic</strong>, and the <strong>Sunset Gathering</strong> with <strong>Lee Grane</strong>. On <strong>June 28</strong>,meanwhile, the merriment continues as <strong>Poblacion</strong> in Makati will serve as a music haven withseveral <strong>Pocket Stages</strong>, offering a myriad of music genres for every type of listener. Outside ofthe metro, Fete is also throwing exciting shows all around the country.</p><div style="text-align:center"><br/></div><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/C73240DyWDJ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:16px"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C73240DyWDJ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%" target="_blank"> <div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;align-items:center"> <div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:40px;margin-right:14px;width:40px"><br/></div> <div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center"> <div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:100px"><br/></div> <div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:60px"><br/></div></div></div><div style="padding:19% 0"><br/></div> <div style="display:block;height:50px;margin:0 auto 12px;width:50px"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 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translateY(1px);width:12.5px;flex-grow:0;margin-right:14px;margin-left:2px"><br/></div> <div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(9px) translateY(-18px)"><br/></div></div><div style="margin-left:8px"> <div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:20px;width:20px"><br/></div> <div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:2px solid transparent;border-left:6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom:2px solid transparent;transform:translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"><br/></div></div><div style="margin-left:auto"> <div style="width:0px;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(16px)"><br/></div> <div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;flex-grow:0;height:12px;width:16px;transform:translateY(-4px)"><br/></div> <div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(-4px) translateX(8px)"><br/></div></div></div> <div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center;margin-bottom:24px"> <div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:224px"><br/></div> <div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:144px"><br/></div></div></a><div style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C73240DyWDJ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A post shared by Fête De La Musique PH (@fetedelamusiqueph)</a></div></div></blockquote> </div><div><br/></div><br/><div><br/></div><p>But more than putting together great acts in one stage —or more like, several —together, Fetealso puts their cause on the spotlight as they bring back their “<strong>Music Heals</strong>” advocacy. Howmusic serves as a remedy is a different story for each of us, so we asked some of this year’sFete performers on how the art form has helped them heal. Find their answers in the gallerybelow!</p><div class="article-content" itemProp="articleBody"><div class="media-content"><div class="slider-for"><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/7fdb067a-35fd-4151-8ff8-61d9f85593cb_what%20asked%20locals%20musicians%20how%20music%20has%20helped%20them%20heal%20landscape.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/593c5fd8-9c0a-4720-acb7-e07f5053dfc6_l&amp;n.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/0c1fe4ec-bc47-4a8f-a72a-475f86badf03_tr.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/f57643eb-01a8-4bba-a312-e04042330c2b_carousel%20casualties.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/bc0364bb-3d4e-4514-8b85-c420bd2ab89e_icoy.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/5754f028-d3a8-4b4b-a369-caf7e8a01d19_lp.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/e9bd147e-f4bc-4e13-9472-598c747512b7_wai.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/9d2cc56d-8279-4cda-8ea7-2f492ef29ab8_raki.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/9a65890a-6a23-4053-b876-18687b5da4a4_lm.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/bf219812-e4ec-45aa-9624-ad2d3964a9ca_flu.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div></div><div class="media-content slider-desc"><div class="item-desc"><div></div></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Leanne &amp; Naara - “Music has been a source of healing for me in numerous ways. Whenever I feel down oranxious, I turn to music with lyrics that I can connect with on a personal level.” —Naara Acueza“Listening to music I love always brightens up my mood. Struggles will always be present in ourlives, but with music as my respite, I feel like I can always start anew.” —Leanne Mamonong<cite>@leanneandnaara</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>The Ridleys - “Listening to other people’s songs opens my mind to new ideas and makes me feel less alone.”—Benny Manaligod“Music quiets down my thoughts when my mind goes into overdrive mode with thoughts.”—Bryant Ayes“I love instrumentals. Just like songs with lyrics, it&#x27;s able to pull out the suppressed negativeemotions or feelings within me (intentional or not) making me feel calm and relaxed.” —Jan deVera“Music was and is an escape in this cloudy world. Listening to music sets a mood for everychallenge life throws at you.” —Joric Canlas<cite>@theridleysmusic</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Carousel Casualties - “Music, to me, is one of the purest forms of communication only next to speech and action. Ittranscends emotions and can sometimes be the only way to express someone’s feelings. I’mnot the most articulate person when I talk to people. That is why it’s sometimes easier tocommunicate through art and music. And during times of heartbreak and melancholia, wordsalone cannot bridge me over. That’s why making and listening to music heals me by allowingme to express myself in ways which other forms of expression cannot fulfill.” —Emmie Villegas,Carousel Casualties<cite>@carouselcasualties  </cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Lions &amp; Acrobats - “I’m not sure if music healed me because I don&#x27;t remember a time in my life that music wasn’tpresent. There really was no healing to be made, but I do think its absence would absolutelydestroy me.” —Icoy Rapadas, Lions &amp; Acrobats<cite>@lionsacrobats</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Lucas Pison - “Throughout my life, I’ve always seen music as a form of escape, and ever since I startedwriting songs, it’s become a form of closure for me after dealing with big experiences I need toprocess emotionally. More often than not, I think the best way for me to tell that I’ve gotten oversomething bad or sad is if I’ve written a song about it. It’s kind of like taking somethingoverwhelming and compressing it into a 3- to 5-minute song that’s easier to process andunderstand. I think it also really shows in the way that I write – I like to put a lot of life lessonsand cryptic anecdotes that only I will understand into my songs, which really make them more ofa healing process for me.” —Lucas Pison<cite>@lucas_pison_</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>we are imaginary - “Music is that imaginary friend that gets us through the mundaneness and the extremes of life. Ican proudly speak on behalf of my band that music has defined our identity for most of our livesand we wouldn&#x27;t have it any other way. More than a healing element, it is our breathingapparatus.” —Ahmad Tanji, we are imaginary<cite>we are imaginary</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>RAKI - “I think music has healed me by serving as an outlet. I started playing music as a youngteenager for the sake of a new hobby; a solution to boredom. As time went on and I grew older,it eventually became much more than that. What started out as an outlet of creativity fromboredom became an outlet of any emotion I feel in the moment of creation. Whether it’smemories I’m not fond of or anxious feelings of the uncertain future life holds ahead, thesefeelings end up feeling like they’re just song topics instead of a boulder on my back.” —RAKI<cite>@rakinatividad</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Lucas Miguel - “I wouldn&#x27;t say I&#x27;m healed by music; a better word is &#x27;cope.&#x27; Music helps me cope with whateverit is I can&#x27;t seem to heal from. And I&#x27;ve written a lot of songs, more than you can imagine. I&#x27;llnever let go of music. Music to me is like that bad ex you keep getting back with; there&#x27;s justsomething about it that&#x27;s so irresistible. So, short answer: no, music doesn&#x27;t help me heal; ithelps me cope with my pain, but it doesn&#x27;t take it away. And if you plan to create art throughpain, do it. Don&#x27;t think about the result; the most addicting part is the process. Whatever type ofart it may be, do it. Cry if you must, but know that you are creating something out of pureemotion. Be proud of it.&quot; —Lucas Miguel<cite>@justlucasmiguel</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Flu - “There was this one time I had a fever during a gig. Then after playing the show, I started to feelbetter. Before the show I was sad and sick. At least after playing music, I wasn&#x27;t sad anymore,just sick.” —Dits Bautista, Flu<cite>Flu</cite></p></div></div></div></div><div><br/></div><p>Lead photos courtesy of <strong>we are imaginary</strong></p><div><strong>Related Story: </strong><a href="/culture/art-theatre/dominik-haring-fragments-in-time-exhibit/38391" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">See This Php3.2 Million Bear Sculpture at the Dominik Haring Exhibit</a></div><div><strong>Related Story: </strong><a href="/culture/events/eraserheads-huling-el-bimbo-world-tour-2024/38406" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">It’s A ‘Fine Time’ for the Eraserheads’ Huling El Bimbo World Tour 2024</a></div><div><strong>Related Story: </strong><a href="/culture/music/why-you-shouldnt-miss-fete-de-la-musique-2024/38301" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">7 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Miss Fête De La Musique’s 30th Anniversary in the Philippines</a></div><div><strong>Related Story: </strong><a href="/culture/film-tv/mallari-no-1-movie-on-netlix-philippines/38414" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">&#x27;Mallari&#x27; Is Currently the No. 1 Movie on Netflix PH</a></div><div><strong>Related Story: </strong><a href="/culture/spotlight/disney-inside-out-2-mood-swings-installation-moa/38304" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">What to Do at the &#x27;Inside Out 2&#x27; Mood Swings Installation</a></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>

With Fete dela Musique bringing their “Music Heals” advocacy back for its 30th edition, weasked this year’s festival performers on how this art form became their remedy.