The singer behind the song ‘Ulap’

Rob Deniel

Rob Deniel’s debut single, “Ulap,” has already been streamed more than 55 million times on Spotify and YouTube. His name, however, has yet to fully catch up with his music’s fast growing popularity.

But that’s OK, the 17-year-old singer-songwriter said. He actually enjoys being amused by all the reactions he gets from surprised listeners, acquaintances and even friends who had no idea that they were listening to his song.

“Since I came out of nowhere, a lot of people don’t know my name or what I look like. But many of them have been discovering my songs. People message me, ‘‘Di ko alam na kanta mo pala ‘to.’ Even some of my school mates and friends weren’t aware that it was me who released that song,” he told the Inquirer in a recent virtual press conference.

But as he continues to come up with retro, ’60s-inflected pop compositions, he hopes that the public eventually remembers his name. “It’s nice being low-key. But if ever I score another hit, I hope people get to know me, too,” he said.

Rob got into music when he was 13 years old, after his father—who introduced him to different types of genres—bought him a guitar. However he didn’t start taking it seriously until 2019, when he realized that he wanted music to become a “bigger part part of his life.”

One of the first songs

The dreamy pop song “Ulap” was one of the first songs Rob wrote, along with the doo-wop-sounding “Baby I Tried,” and the harana-esque ballad “Gabi.” “‘Ulap’ was born out of boredom in my bedroom … It was super random. It’s not about someone in particular. The melodies, the emotion and words just flowed as I strummed my guitar,” he said.

Perhaps what’s more impressive was Rob’s resourcefulness—the fact that he recorded and produced those songs using only his phone. “That was my only way to record that time. My personal computer wasn’t up to the task, so I thought, why not use my phone. I used my headset as my microphone. I don’t have any equipment to record high quality audio,” he related. Last year, he posted the songs on Tiktok and Soundcloud, where it quickly gained traction. “I posted it on TikTok because lots of people use the app nowadays. I was like, ‘Bahala na,’ and put the songs out there. The following day, I looked at the post and it had a lot of comments. And then YouTube followed,” he said.

But now that he’s signed with Viva Records, Rob has access to a proper studio and equipment. “I would say that the recording process is more professional now,” he jested.

Rob now has a new single out called “Darling,” which talks about his mental health. “It’s like a song meant to give advice to me. A reminder on how I should think and handle what’s happening around me,” he said, adding that the love he has been getting from fans has helped him tremendously.

“It has helped me a lot, because now I feel like someone’s listening to me and supporting me. Back then, it was just my family who knew about my music. Now people are listening,” he said. INQ