How KathNiel film led Fil-Aussie singer grentperez to an OPM cover

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Grant Perez’s memories of visiting the Philippines 10 years ago was of meeting family members and mall hopping. He was just 11 years old then. Little did that Filipino-Australian boy imagine that he would one day return to tour as a professional singer-songwriter.“This is my first time here in 10 years. Coming back as a musician is really interesting. To be honest, I think I have only scratched the surface level but it feels surreal. To have a career and perform in the Philippines is nuts,” he told the Inquirer.

Grant, who goes by the stage name Grentperez (stylized as grentperez), recently played an intimate outdoor show at the Eastwood Central Plaza, his first live performance in Asia. “I love it. I just love performing live and having fun. That’s really one of my main goals. And I love when the crowd gets involved,” he said.

“Just listening to the audience sing along with me is crazy to me. And it’s very heartwarming,” the 21-year-old artist added. “I always get surprised when the fans suggest what songs I should sing next. I was like, ‘Wow, you actually like that song?’”Born in Australia, grentperez grew up in a music-loving Filipino home where The Beatles, Eagles, Queen and Apo Hiking Society were in constant rotation. Upon getting his first nylon-string acoustic, he taught himself how to pluck chords and eventually play songs like Jeremy Passion’s “Lemonade.”

In 2013, he put up a YouTube channel where he posted covers and, eventually, original songs. His “Sing U to Sleep” series, where he performs a series of acoustic numbers was a big hit during the pandemic, especially among anxious souls with frayed nerves.Melding influences of pop, indie folk, soul, bossa nova and a touch of R&B, grentperez scored his first big hit in 2021 with the flirtatious, sultry dance tune “Cherry Wine.” The song swept Spotify charts across the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore. In just two years, his continually growing discography has already amassed 200 million streams.

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Childhood nostalgia

He recently dropped his first EP (extended play), “When We Were Younger,” a seven-track collection fueled by nostalgia and the carefree creativity of childhood. Born out of his desire to keep cynicism at bay, the EP is a cocktail of seemingly disparate genres that surprisingly mesh beautifully—Philadelphia-soul, old-Hollywood strings, bossa nova and pop elements inspired by romantic comedy flicks.

“Connecting with what I remember as a lovely childhood grounds me in the real world,” grentperez said. “It keeps me thinking of important friends and family in my life. It keeps me from getting ahead of myself.”

Tell us about your new EP, “When We Were Younger.” The intro track sounds inspired by spaghetti Western flicks. I loved watching films growing up. And you know how, when you put on old video tapes, you hear that VHS (video home system) intro, the Dolby Digital and THX sounds and logs? I was thinking of replicating that feeling. But the EP itself is all about nostalgia, memories, friendships, heartbreak and love.

You’re still very young. What made you write nostalgic songs or reminisce about your younger days? That’s actually the very funny part about it. Yeah, I am definitely very young at 21; there’s still a lot of life ahead of me. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, I realized the changes were bound to happen with the career choices I have been making. [But] the feelings or memories I associate with my childhood kept me grounded. They helped me establish my home base before I branch out into other things.

I have noticed that you use your head voice for your upbeat songs and your chest voice on gentler ballads. It’s a stylistic choice, for sure. I think I understand the limitations of my voice and where it sits nicely. When I’m in my chest voice, I sound very relaxed, somewhat soothing. But I should write more upbeat music using my chest voice, because sometimes, singing live using head voice can get tiring.

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And you sometimes incorporate those trumpet sounds, which you apparently make with your own voice. Yeah, that was my mouth [making] those noises. I picked it up when I was 10 or 11. I used to watch lots of beatboxing videos and tutorials. But the only thing I could replicate was the trumpet sound. But when I did it, my kuya and ate said it was convincing, so I kept it around.

When I was writing “Cherry Wine,” I was like, “It would be cool if we could add trumpet sounds here and there. Then someone suggested, “Why don’t you just do the mouth trumpet thing?” So I did.

Did you have any formal vocal training? I kind of just learned from my siblings and through videos on YouTube. I had a bit of training later on in. But yeah, my family sings quite a bit. My parents are very good at karaoke!

So there was always music at home. My ate and I would be drawing and singing a song. I would start singing while doing the laundry and wouldn’t even realize it. But yeah, we were surrounded by music. My father used to play a lot of James Taylor, Eagles, Bread and the Beatles. And of course, he also listened to Filipino artists like Apo Hiking Society, MYMP, Gary V and other OGs.

Do you think it’s important for you to be connected to Filipino music? For sure. And that’s definitely a big part of who I am. I want to understand OPM (Original Pinoy Music) better and be more connected to it. So I put in the effort to get to know more Filipino artists. Eventually, I discovered the newer generation of artists, like Juan Karlos and Zack Tabudlo.

I have heard you sing “Hanggang Kailan” by Orange and Lemons. Did you discover that song yourself? I discovered that song through the film “The Hows of Us” with KathNiel (Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla). After watching it, I was like, “Oh, that’s a nice song.” I watch Filipino films every now and then when my sister forces me to. My mom would join in, and I would be like, ‘Whatever.’ But then I got into it, too. We also liked Toni Gonzaga’s movies, like “Intro My Amnesia Girl,” which was a childhood classic for us.

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And some of your songs do sound like they could pass off as rom-com soundtracks. Thank you; that’s a big compliment. I would love for my songs to be in movies. But I will see how it goes. Maybe I need to write something about “My Amnesia Girl!”

Filipino fans can’t help but feel proud when they see international artists of Filipino descent. Do you feel like that comes with pressure? They’re very passionate and I think it’s fun. But it’s also important to remember that you’re human. You have feelings, too. But for the most part, the pressure is fine. Every time I say a Tagalog word on my Instagram stories, my fans would go, “Yes, kuya!”

Did you feel like the pandemic affected your momentum? I actually feel like I have leveraged off of the pandemic because that’s when I started doing my YouTube stuff. Everyone was in front of their screens and some needed help to get to sleep. That was when my “Sing U to Sleep” series became popular. Yes, I couldn’t see my friends, but at least I got to focus on my craft.

Did you ever think that you would be able to make a career out of music? I didn’t really think it was possible. But somehow, I found a way. I have always had a hunch that I could sing. People would tell me that I have the voice to become a singer. But the main surprise for me was the songwriting. I didn’t know I could write stuff that other people can enjoy.

What made you decide to drop out of college? I was turning 19 when I made that decision. It was a combination of a lot of things. But when COVID-19 happened and we had to do online lessons, I was like, “I’m not paying how much I was paying to be in front of the computer.”

What was your parents’ reaction? I think when they saw that I was making money from YouTube, they were like, “OK, it’s real.” But then they’re like, “But are you sure you don’t want to be a nurse?” And I told them, If my music doesn’t take me anywhere, I will be a nurse for you! But yeah, they have been very supportive. INQ