This Year’s Wanderland Puts the Spotlight on Filipino Talent From All Over the World
Jeff Bernat had us swooning to his cover of "When I Met You."
(SPOT.ph) Wanderland Music and Arts Festival might be known for bringing international acts to the Philippines, but its ninth edition proves Filipino talent will always have a place on its stage.
If you're ever been to Wanderland, you'll know that the event reserves the early sets for local acts, a practice meant to showcase homegrown talent alongside bigger names. This time though, Wanderland made sure to welcome a lot more international artists with Filipino flair in 2024.
Day 1 and 2 headliners Jack Johnson and Thundercat were great, no doubt, but what caught our eyes, ears, and hearts has to be the way Filipino talent from all over the world got their time on stage—there's Jeff Bernat from the United States, Grentperez from Australia, and Ena Mori from Japan. From the Philippines, we have Lola Amour, Paolo Sandejas, Jose Miguel, Party Pace, Gabba, dwta, and bird.
Here are some of the standout artists that impressed us from Wanderland.
The best Filipino talent in Wanderland Music and Arts Festival
Jeff Bernat
Jeff Bernat is a Filipino-American R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer based in the US who gained considerable popularity in South Korea after one of his album tracks “Call You Mine” was featured in the Korean drama "You Are My Destiny" in 2014.
Jeff Bernat is one proud Filipino—he couldn’t stop expressing how special the performance was for him, with his entire family from Pampanga coming over to see him on the Wanderland stage. In fact, his parents even flew in from the U.S. to watch his performance. It's his first time to perform in the Philippines, but he promises a return with a solo concert in 2025.
Paying homage to the OPM he grew up and fell in love with, he gave a short performance of “Forevermore” by Side A and “When I Met You” by Apo Hiking Society. Suddenly those who have never even heard of Jeff Bernat found themselves singing to his soulful rendition of the classic songs.
Grentperez
Grentperez, or Grant Perez as he’s known offstage, is a Filipino-Australian singer and songwriter making waves in the indie pop scene at just 21. Initially, grentperez found his audience on YouTube, where he shared guitar covers that would eventually give rise to original hits like “Cherry Wine” and “Clementine.” He might have been born and raised in Sydney, but he draws inspiration from the music played at family karaoke parties.
What’s great about Wanderland is discovering artists who they are beyond a Spotify screen. Without a doubt Grentperez had one of the best stage presences of the two-day event. He had everyone beaming from ear to ear with his cute antics on stage. You can tell by the way he performs that he’s a genuine guy—he’s too busy jumping around and having fun on stage to be pretentious. He’s not trying to be relatable to the Gen-Z audience; he just is.
Also read: Everything You Need to Know About Wanderland Music Festival 2024
Ena Mori
Ena Mori possesses a unique blend of Filipino and Japanese heritage, one that allows her to take on a new meaning of pop. She was born in Japan but moved to the Philippines in 2018 to pursue a musical career. This move set the stage for her debut album in 2020. If anything, her vibrant personality is the perfect mix to her rich cultural background.
Her energy was unmatched during the set—and it seemed as though the strong winds were conspiring in her favor, adding a majestic touch to her performances of “King of the Night” and “SOS.” Serious themes with catchy melodies are what Ena Mori excels best in. Heck, she was able to make a song about anxiety sound so good.
Lola Amour
Lola Amour needs no formal introduction. Few local bands can match the following it has, even with only a few songs to its name. Lola Amour skyrocketed to fame in 2023 with “Raining in Manila,” which has gotten almost 120,000 million streams on Spotify. It’s taken by storm not just Manila either. The track also hit #1 in UAE, #6 in Singapore, #7 in New Zealand, and #9 in Canada for Spotify’s “Viral Songs” charts in less than a month of its release.
It was a full-circle moment for Lola Amour to return as a performer in Wanderland. In 2017, the band made their big break as the winners of annual competition Wanderband, which earned them the pportunity to perform as part of Wanderland's official lineup. It’s clear that Lola Amour has the ability to create music that resonates on a personal level, while also being profoundly entertaining to the people who watch them. No other local act was able to gather a crowd as big as theirs.
Paolo Sandejas
Paolo Sandejas has carved a niche for himself in the music industry with his heartfelt tracks. You might recall he captured widespread attention when BTS’ V was seen enjoying his song “Sorry” in a vlog, catapulting Sanjedas into the international spotlight. Even then, his music continues to be deeply rooted in his personal experiences and emotions.
Filipinos are a sucker for authenticity, so it’s no surprise that Paolo Sandejas managed to pull a crowd bigger than some of the bigger international acts that came after him. With a bucket hat in tow, Paolo Sandejas’ music set the scene for a perfect music festival with hits like “Sway,” “Different Shade of Blue,” and “My Girl” as the sun went down Sunday afternoon.
Also read: LIST: All the International Acts Coming to the Philippines in 2024