What do you get when you put together the talents of the original guitarist of South Border, Butch Victoriano, the bass sessionist of Arnel Pineda, Ian Maniquiz, the drummer of the late great Francis Magalona, Boyet Aquino, and New York based singer-songwriter Ilustrado? "Hudas" — a catchy, edgy, and funky tune about betrayal.

“I started writing it more than a decade ago in the hopes that it was going to be the first single of my college band back at the University of Asia and the Pacific," says Ilustrado, also known as Rogelio Penaverde Jr. Though the plan never took off and the group eventually disbanded after graduation, he continued his musical pursuits. He ended up in New York where he became a professional singer of classical, theater, and sacred music with much critical acclaim.

Everything came to an unexpected halt when the pandemic of 2020 hit. “I remember opening my e-calendar and deleting all my scheduled engagements for the year. It was unreal and terrifying. I thought that this was where the music stopped for sure," Penaverde recalled. In search of a creative outlet, he turned to songwriting and rediscovered his passion and gift for it. He said, “oddly enough, my first venture back into songwriting was with an electronic dance music called 'Ecstasy.' I completed it weeks before the eerily quiet new year of 2021. After that, I decided to revisit an old song, 'Hudas,' and to finally finish it after so many years.”

To complete 'Hudas,' Penaverde sought a guitarist, bassist, and drummer to collaborate with. “No one was going out, so I knew I had to do everything online. I tried reaching out to musicians here in New York, but to no avail. Then I spoke to my brother-in-law, Chuck, who was in touch with a lot of the great guitarists from the Philippines. He asked me if I wanted to try reaching out to the original guitarist of South Border. I excitedly said yes. Butch was so accommodating and grounded for someone who has been blessed with extraordinary musical gifts. He was the one who referred me to Ian. As for Boyet, I got connected with him through a schoolmate from Colegio San Agustin. We all did our parts individually and Boyet put them together for mixing and mastering. You can say we all breathed 'Hudas' to life," Penaverde quipped. “In band music, you can only be as good as your collaborators allow you, which is why I’m deeply thankful to the guys. They are exceptional talents and people, and it was a blessing to have worked with them."

At a time when the world stopped, Penaverde found his renewed calling as Ilustrado and has begun making waves in both the New York and Manila pop scene. Now that Asian music artists are generating a global following, we pray that the tides will favor him as we follow and support his journey. "Hudas," along with "Ecstasy," is now available over Spotify and other major streaming platforms.