Star Magic's new artist Rafi, officially launched her debut EP titled 'before me' at Tbe Frazzled Cook on Tomas Morato in Quezon City on July 19.
Rafi is a 20-year-old singer-songwriter who is currently a student at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. Her musical journey began at age five with musical theater workshops at Repertory Philippines.
“I started my vocal studies at the music school of Ryan Cayabyab at age 11. After that, I think I just did a lot of different shows in school and outside school, and it was in high school that I started to write music; I found a love for songwriting through that. It was more of something I did for myself, to process my emotions and because I love music. Music is my lifeline, basically,” Rafi shared.
Rafi's EP "Before Me" is a collaborative project created alongside her friends and schoolmates from Berklee: Toby Dorfman on bass, Jacob Singson on drums, Edward Bjorkman on guitar, and Ameer Corro, who is on keys, co-wrote and co-produced the EP.
The four-track EP features the songs 'i stay silent,' 'unpaid debt,' (the lead single), 'fine wine' and 'anything for you.' The EP is now available on all streaming platforms, such as Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, and more.
She shared her experience in making her music, “I think, as a songwriter, it is important to know that there is no correct way to go about things. There isn't one way to write a song. Sometimes, the melody will come first; sometimes, the lyrics will come first. In terms of personal experience, yes, po, I go through things, and a lot of the time, it takes a lot of time for me to process everything,”
The EP delves into Rafi's personal experiences, exploring the complexities of romantic relationships and self-discovery. She wrote these songs from her past self's perspective before finding her sense of identity, which inspired the title 'Before Me.'
“This EP is a time capsule of how I was and perceived romantic relationships. And also, more importantly, my relationship with myself before this era of finding myself and figuring out who I am,” Rafi said.
Besides her music, Rafi is a TikTok creator who shares lifestyle and relatable videos. Her engaging content has earned her a substantial following of 275,000. She also began creating YouTube vlogs before joining Star Magic.
This promising singer-composer has much more ahead as she looks forward to collaborating with the industry's finest.
“Belle Mariano is one person that I really-- I really do like her voice. And I think some other local artists I look up to are AC Bonifacio, Darren, Kyle Echarri... [With] Star Magic artists in general, I've been speaking to someone I've met through a workshop, Anji Salvacion. And I really wanna try writing different kinds of music, so maybe BINI."
Rafi has always described music as her lifeline and is dedicated to sharing this gift with her listeners. With her passion and dedication, there is much to look forward to from Rafi—she is someone to watch out for.
"I get messages from people saying I helped them through a tough time; that's so much more than I could ask for because making this music is helping me. Therapeutic is an understatement, I think. I want to make people feel less alone with my music and to know that these hardships are normal. Everybody has ups and downs, and music is one way to feel better about these hardships,” Rafi shared.