Navigating individual and collective authenticity

The past year has been quite a treat for Original Pinoy Music (OPM) fans, with various artists, groups, and bands gaining success. While there are too many to mention for this article's space, my three favorite acts from the past year are the reunion of Rivermaya's classic line-up, Lola Amour, and Bini.

When Rivermaya's classic line-up performed Elesi, I cheered when I heard Bamboo Mañalac and Rico Blanco's iconic harmony. Nostalgia hit hard, yet I cannot help but appreciate the much-improved musicality of the band, each member showcasing their own taste, compared to the recorded versions from Spotify.

Lola Amour's Raining in Manila has been my most replayed song of 2023 because it captured everything I wanted in music today: city pop-inspired beats with just the right amount of jazz, a catchy melody, the right amount of syncopated beats, and well-thought-out lyrics.

Bini went viral with Pantropiko, but what hooked me is their performance of Karera at Wish 107.5. Not only could these girls dance, but they can indeed sing, with matching harmonies, great lyrics, and a catchy J-Pop and K-Pop-inspired instrumentation. They are proof that Filipinos can learn from foreign influences and make it our own. Indeed, they are the Nation's Girl Group!

What I like about these acts is how they seem to navigate their individual roles in a way that benefits the collective while still maintaining a level of individuality. For Rivermaya, each member's individual experience away from each other has actually contributed to a sense of taste and maturity that refreshed the band to be better than what they previously recorded. Lola Amour has this sense of space and timing, knowing when to let a particular instrument shine, yet playfully perform in a way that sounds refreshing. Bini follows the pop group norm where each member has roles to play and their members each have their own following (e.g., the "bias" culture in pop groups).

This made me ponder: how can we navigate the tensions between individual authenticity and collective authenticity?

This seems challenging from the standpoint of maintaining a group's identity while also preserving one's sense of individuality. Perhaps the key lies in adapting and synthesizing what Filipino scholars F. Landa Jocano and Leonardo Mercado define as “loob” (roughly, a sort of holistic "inner" world of the individual) and what Sikolohiyang Pilipino explains as “kapwa” (roughly, seeking a “shared identity”).

In the context of musical groups, nurturing the "loob" of each member means creating a space where they can express their unique perspectives, emotions, and experiences. It's about recognizing and valuing the inner world of each individual and allowing it to inform and enrich the collective.

At the same time, cultivating "kapwa" means fostering a sense of shared identity and purpose among the members. It's about creating a group dynamic where members feel a deep sense of connection and unity, where they see themselves not just as individuals but as part of a greater whole.

The interplay between "loob" and "kapwa" is key to navigating the tension between individual and collective authenticity. By nurturing both, musical groups can create a culture where the authentic expression of each individual's "loob" is not seen as a threat to the collective, but rather as a contribution to a richer, more vibrant shared identity or "kapwa."

This requires a delicate balance. If the focus is too much on individual "loob," the group may struggle to maintain a coherent identity and direction. If the focus is too much on "kapwa," individuals may feel their uniqueness is being stifled. The sweet spot is where the expression of individual "loob" is celebrated and channeled in service of the collective "kapwa."

By embracing this interplay of "loob" and "kapwa," groups can offer a model for authenticity that transcends the individual-collective dichotomy. They can show us how the authentic expression of each person's inner world can enhance, rather than diminish, the authenticity of the groups and communities to which they belong.

This is a powerful lesson not just for musical acts, but for all kinds of organizations and societies. In a world that often pits the individual against the collective, the success of these groups reminds us that true authenticity emerges when we honor both the unique "loob" of each person and the shared "kapwa" that binds us together. It's a Filipino-rooted approach to authenticity that can resonate and inspire far beyond the world of music.