K-pop girl group NewJeans and Filipino artists Alamat, Kyle Echarri, Nik Makino, Illest Morena, and Zack Tabudlo got together for the impressive Coke Studio Ultimate Fandom Concert on Sept. 5 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. 

“Coke Studio is our platform to make a service like the collaboration between the Filipino artists with different genres, making sure that we create content that is relevant for our audience, making sure that we create that connection. If you notice our tagline in Coca-Cola, it’s real magic. Music is a big part of that magical moment that serves our connection and Coke Studio is one of our platforms to be able to do that,” Mark Jason Dee, senior director for marketing, Coca-Cola ASEAN, South Pacific and South Pacific-East Cluster, told Manila Bulletin in an interview before the show. 

Alamat, Echarri, Makino and Morena are part of Coke Studio Season 8 while Tabudlo became the first Filipino artist to be featured on the global stage of Coke Studio. 

K-pop girl group NewJeans (front) with Filipino artists Nik Makino, Alamat, Kyle Echarri and, Illest Morena (Photo from Coke Studio) 

NewJeans at the Coke Studio Ultimate Fandom Concert in the Philippines on Sept. 5 (Photo from Coke Studio)

Filipino artists Kyle Echarri, Alamat,  Illest Morena, Zack Tabudlo, Nik Makino (Photo from Coke Studio)

Filipino artists Kyle Echarri,  Alamat,  Illest Morena, Zack Tabudlo and Nik Makino with Coke officials (Photo from Coke Studio)

The Coke Studio Ultimate Fandom Concert in the Philippines at the SM Mall of Asia Arena on Sept. 5 (Photo from Coke Studio) 

NewJeans 

NewJeans, part of the Coke Studio 2024 lineup of artists, became the final performer at the show and elicited screams from the audience as they emerged on stage. 

Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin and Hyein performed “ETA,” “Bubble Gum,” “Supernatural,” and “How Sweet.” They last performed “Zero,” a 2023 song for Coca-Cola’s Zero Sugar in South Korea. 

“It is so, so lovely to be here with you all today at the Coke Studio Ultimate Fandom Concert in the Philippines. Just like when we came to the Philippines last year and even today, I can already feel the energy coming from you guys,” NewJeans greeted the audience. 

NewJeans performing at the Coke Studio Ultimate Fandom Concert (Jonathan Hicap)

Zack Tabudlo 

Zack Tabudlo was excited to perform at Coke Studio Ultimate Fandom Concert. He not only met Filipino fans but he performed at the concert with NewJeans. Tabudlo is a fan of NewJeans’ Hanni. 

“It feels really nice. I think it’s always a good time, every time I’m with Coke Studio. When I did everything like the campaign, it was a nice experience,” he said during the interview.  

He added, “Being able to perform, being a fan of NewJeans as well.” 

At the concert, Zack performed “Nangangamba,” “Pano”, “Give Me Your Forever,” “Love is Dead,” and “‘Fallin’, his Coke Studio collaboration song with South African rapper Nasty C.

Zack said he has been listening to a lot of music nowadays. 

“I've been listening to a lot of Oasis and then because they're making a comeback soon, they’re touring the world again so I'm just listening to a lot of wonderful things,” he said. 

He said dream collaboration is working with Shawn Mendes and Harry Styles. 

“Everything is mainly based on personal experience. So everything that I pretty much release says about relationships and like friendships that I went through,” he said. 

Zack Tabudlo (Jonathan Hicap)

Kyle Echarri

Singer and actor Kyle Echarri said he was excited but felt a little nervous to perform for the first time at the Coke Studio concert. 

“We’re feeling good. Pero meron pa rin pong kaba, sa totoo lang. MOA na to,” he said. 

At the concert, he performed “‘Pangako,” “Dyosa,” “Panaginip,” and “Cupid’s Aim.” He and Illest Morena later performed “Believe,” their collaboration song now available on Spotify.  

Lately, he said he’s been listening to jazz, R&B and soulful music. He’s been listening to songs by Sade including “Kiss of Life” lately. His dream collaboration would be with Gary Valenciano, Daniel Caesar and Justin Bieber. 

Echarri became a finalist on “The Voice Kids Philippines” in 2015. He was born in California and moved to Cebu City in 2014. 

He has released singles and albums, including the self-produced “New Views” in 2021. 

Kyle Echarri (Jonathan Hicap)

Kyle Echarri and Illest Morena (Jonathan Hicap)

Illest Morena

Like Echarri, Morena said she was excited to perform for the first time at the Coke Studio concert. 

“We’re really excited kasi for me it’s a first. And the collaboration we (Echarri) made is something we really enjoyed doing. It’s more on excitement more than ‘kaba.’” 

On her playlist lately, Morena said she’s been playing soulful music but more on hip-hop “because that’s more of my jam.” 

“I’m also listening to a lot of acoustics right now because I’m leaning into the singing part of my career,” she said. 

Morena performed “Slow Burn,” “Pick Up,” “Faded” and “Sabik” at the concert. 

She first gained prominence through her participation in online rap challenges. She was also featured as a Spotify RADAR artist, highlighting her as one of the emerging talents in the Philippines.

 Illest Morena (Jonathan Hicap)

Alamat 

Composed of Alas, Taneo, Mo, Jao, Tomás and R-Ji, Pinoy pop boy band Alamat showed their unique music at the concert, blending traditional Filipino culture with modern pop.  

They incorporate multiple Philippine languages and cultural elements into their music and performances.

Members of the group hail from different regions in the country. Their music often features lyrics in languages like Tagalog, Ilocano, Kapampangan, and Bicolano. 

At the concert, they performed  “Maharani,” “Dayang,” “Day & Night,” and “Noli.” They also sang  “Ngayong Gabi” together with Nik Makino. 

They joined Coke Studio for its fifth season in 2021 and collaborated with Inigo Pascual in “Tibay Yan.” They released their debut sing;e "kbye” in 2021. 

Alamat appeared in season 7 of Coke Studio” and partnered with dwata, an indie alternative rock band from Bicol, and released “Kapit.” 

 Alamat (Jonathan Hicap)

Nik Makino

Rapper Nik Makino rose to prominence through the songs “Neneng B” and “Lexi.” 

At the concert, he performed “Sipag Lang,” “Kay Ganda,” “Moon,” “Sobrang Solid,” and “We Made It.” 

Makino released his debut full-length album “Hype One’s” in 2022 that started his shift from his earlier bad boy persona. 

Nik Makino (Jonathan Hicap)

Nik Makino and Alamat (Jonathan Hicap)