Ebe Dancel performing in the IISA: 3D concert last June 9. Image: InqPOP/Jester Burgos
Singer-songwriter Ebe Dancel recently revealed that he would be taking a hiatus from the music scene. The revelation was made known in fellow artist Migz Haleco’s online show “Wander Jam with Migz” for OneMusicPH, which was shared on YouTube on Thursdy, Aug. 16
The video saw Haleco journeying to Los Baños, Laguna, where the former Sugarfree frontman resides. In the beginning of the video, Haleco asked Dancel why he chose to live in Los Baños.
Dancel, who went to high school in Los Baños and eventually to the University of the Philippines Diliman for college, shared that despite becoming a professional musician, he has always felt like “I never really fit in.”
“The lights were too bright, buildings were too tall, and it just was really crowded wherever I went,” Dancel said. On the other hand, “It’s [Los Baños] the perfect place to run, to bike, we have hills, life is just generally slower here, no raging buses dito sa Los Baños.”
The place, too, served as a sanctuary to Dancel, who was diagnosed a few years ago with depression and anxiety disorder.
“I guess someone like me di bagay sa masyadong crowded na places. How I get through shows is, I don’t know how I do it, but this place talaga brings so much peace, so much calmness.”
Dancel, too, shared that he suffered from a panic attack in the middle of his set in a concert just a few weeks ago. It was a moment that, as per Dancel, caused him to stop breathing and suffocate.
“When I got off stage I had the biggest smile on my face because that was the point I knew it’s over, I can’t play anymore.”
Despite this revelation, however, Dancel said that he felt no frustration or anger. “There’s only a sense of realization that this is something I can’t do anymore for now. I’ve decided to stop doing public performances unless I really, really feel like it. And right now, I really, really don’t feel like it.”
He told Haleco, too, that he doesn’t want to just be a musician. “At the end of the day, I don’t wanna say na I’m just a musician. What if there’s something else out there for me? I have to find out, I guess.”
Recently, Dancel shared to his fans that he would be opening up a spot at The Fat Yard, Los Baños’ first ever food park. His latest venture, “Jacob’s Mongolian Bowl,” pushed Dancel to go out of his comfort zone and experiment with new things outside of music and into the food industry.
“Will I come back to music? Probably, probably not,” Dancel said at one point in the video. “I don’t wanna think about it, I don’t wanna be very dramatic about it. It’s just I’m tired.”
For now, Dancel wants to rest and focus more on his family, not wanting to miss any more birthdays of his nephews and niece.
“Stay home for often,” Dancel said when asked by Haleco what his plans are for now. “Spend more time with my dog, train harder. I’m doing my first marathon next year.”
He added, “See the world, not miss anymore birthday parties of my nephews and my niece, see my parents more often.”
The video of Haleco and Dancel may be viewed below. /ra
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