DENȲ is one of the fresh new female faces in the Filipino RnB music scene. Repping the WAYBETTR collective, a youth movement composed of promising artists in the Philippines, DENȲ has been making waves in the local industry recently. To date, her hit song “Gusto With Ya” has amassed over 1.7 streams on Spotify! We had a quick conversation with the songbird to discuss her sound, her influences, her latest single featuring Cean Jr., and more.

Q: First and foremost, let’s have those who are meeting you for the first time get to know you more through your music. Send us three links, which can be anything from released songs, music videos, TikTok challenges, covers, etc for our readers to get a glimpse of your sound.

Q: Describe your sound in 3 words:

New, distinct, and versatile! 

Q: Who are your biggest influences as an artist?

Well, it varies over time, but one of the biggest influences I'd say would be BTS. Both as an artist and as a person! I don’t think I'd probably be into RnB and hip-hop (yes, they are RnB and hip-hop artists as well) as much as I am now and I'd probably wouldn’t grow into the artist I am today if they weren't some of my first catalysts. Kinda unexpected, am I right? I have so many more influences though, but I don't wanna go over time.

Q: Your name is very unique, what is the inspiration behind DENȲ?

To be honest, it's really not that deep! Mainly, it just came from my real name - Denise. I decided on using 'DENȲ' when some of my friends and I just finished recording my first independent single "Weakness", and we were brainstorming on stage names that we thought would fit me the most. One of us suggested "Deni, but spelt with a y!" and that sounded best, so I went with it. 

Q: WAYBETTR has been making waves locally. The sound definitely is on a global standard, shout out to all of you. How does being a member of WAYBETTR influence your sound?

They are a HUGE contributor as to why my music sounds the way it does. Quality-wise, I have no words for our work. I am working alongside some of the best producers and ears for hip-hop and RnB in the Philippines, and I couldn't be more grateful. The vision for how the output would be, comes from me, but they are the ones who elevate and materialize the ideas I give. 

Q: “Gusto With Ya” is a certified HIT! What was your inspiration and creative process like behind this song?

I made this song in the middle of the pandemic, probably around May 2020. I was getting really frustrated because we were all stuck at home, as artists not being able to create as much as we would want to. Plus I had little to no resources, so one day I just borrowed my sister's old laptop and tried to make a beat from scratch, even though I had no idea how to.

After it felt kinda satisfactory, like I could write something to it, I decided I was going to do a love song. I just thought of what I really would like to convey as a person when it comes to affection - then a sentence came to mind, which eventually became the catchphrase of the track: "I know I'm independent, but I think I need ya, kayang mag-isa pero mas gusto with ya". Lines and melodies just came and flowed when that idea struck me, so I finished writing the track in no time. 

Months later, I became a part of WAYBETTR. I let them hear my demo, and I didn't expect them to like it as much as they did! So then we elevated it into what the track is now, and the rest was history. 

Q: Now let’s move on to “Still Miss You.” How was it working with Cean Jr. and how did this collaboration come about?

I knew Cean Jr. early on in my career as a musician, so we were already mutuals for at least a year when he approached me for a collab. This track was originally his, and he called me right after he finished writing. I liked what I heard so I hopped in and wrote a verse immediately after he sent the demo. This collab really was just a constant exchange of ideas, so making the song was never hard.

Q: Speaking of collabs, who are your top 3 dream Filipino collabs?

Aside from my WAYBETTR fam, I would really love to collab with these three amazing artists: Al James, Arthur Nery, and Skusta Clee! 

Q: What’s next for DENȲ, anything we should look out for?

All I'm gonna say is look out for A LOT. I have so much in store for everyone, y'all haven't seen the best of me yet! But I'll give a little hint...an EP may come this year, so just wait a while!

Discover DENȲ's music here:

Cover Photo Courtesy of Joseph Bermudez Instagram

Los Angeles-based R&B and Pop singer and songwriter Nieman is kicking off 2022 live on stage at the Constellation Room in Santa Ana, California. So if you are local to the LA or Orange County area, now is your chance to see Neiman Live on January 14th. Neiman's last time on that stage was fresh off his Asia run promoting the "Knots" EP. His lead single "Knots" off the EP of the same name featured Moira Dela Torre and has now garnered over 11 million streams on Spotify alone.

Tickets are still on sale and can be purchased here.

Show Info:

ALL AGES

Opening DJ Set by PRVDNT

Doors open: 8 PM

The show starts: 9 PM

REGARDING COVID SAFETY:

Per guidelines issued by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), attendees of our events are required to provide proof of full COVID-19 vaccination (at least two weeks after final dose) or an Antigen test taken within 24hrs of the show date or a PCR tests taken within 48hrs of the show date will be accepted at entry. Negative Test results must be dated and time-stamped to gain entry into the venue. Proof must be a PRINTED copy of a negative test result or vaccination or the original vaccination card.