Featured Article Summary #127

Ben&Ben are a Filipino indie folk-pop band from Manila, formed in 2016 by twin brothers Paolo and Miguel Benjamin Guico. They started as “The Benjamins,” then grew into a larger group in the following year, with additional members who helped shape their current sound. Their music is known for being catchy and emotional, with lyrics about loss, heartbreak, relationships, and learning self-love. They released their first EP in 2016, which included singles that brought them early attention, and later achieved major success with studio albums like Limasawa Street (2019) and Pebble House (2021). Over the years, they’ve won many awards, reached high chart rankings, and gained huge streaming numbers, making them the most-streamed Filipino artist on Spotify. They also support important causes such as mental health, environmental awareness, and digital well-being. Paolo and Miguel Benjamin Guico played music from a young age, formed a high school cover band, and later studied engineering at De La Salle University. After a setback in college auditions, they paused music to focus on school, but Elements Music Camp helped them rebuild their confidence as songwriters. They formed Benjamins in 2016 (later named Ben&Ben), released their first EP, grew into a nine-member live band, and quickly gained attention through Spotify success, awards, and major releases like “Kathang Isip,” followed by soundtrack work in 2018. In 2019, Ben&Ben signed a record deal with Sony Music Philippines and released their debut studio album Limasawa Street, produced with Steve Lillywhite. The album received critical acclaim, went 4× platinum, and won major awards, while singles like “Pagtingin” and “Araw-Araw” earned further recognition and “Araw-Araw” became a movie theme song. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the band created their second album, Pebble House, Vol. 1: Kuwaderno, experimenting with new storytelling as they lived together, and it was praised as a bold reinvention. They then expanded their success through livestreams, multiple awards, international touring, major festival appearances, and major collaborations—eventually announcing their third studio album, The Traveller Across Dimensions, for release in late 2024. Ben&Ben say their biggest influences include British rock band Coldplay, whom they admire for experimenting with many musical styles and themes. They also grew up listening to a mix of folk, rock, and jazz, and were mentored by Filipino songwriters like Ebe Dancel and Noel Cabangon, with other members drawing inspiration from artists such as Paramore, Nirvana, Radiohead, the Foo Fighters, Queen, and the Beatles. For their albums, they also look to producers and fellow musicians—for example, Steve Lillywhite’s production work and his distinctive audio mixing. On Pebble House, Vol. 1: Kuwaderno, they took influence from band members and artists who contributed to the record, including Chito Miranda, Zild Benitez, and Juan Karlos Labajo. Ben&Ben’s music blends styles such as indie folk, folk-pop, folk rock, pop rock, and Pinoy pop, starting with experiments that mix kundiman with folk-pop and evolving through EPs and albums like Limasawa Street and Pebble House. Their sound has an anthemic, emotional feel, with songs exploring love, heartbreak, loss, and self-love, while later work adds themes like mental health, feminism, escapism, and social issues. They say their songwriting comes mostly from listening (10% writing, 90% listening) and is collaborative—often beginning with a simple idea that the whole group then helps arrange.