My, how this kid has grown.

It’s now been almost 6 years since Rob Deniel first serenaded his listeners with his first single titled “Ulap.” And while Rob wasn’t the first young male singer-songwriter to have made a splash on his first outing, he did differentiate himself from the rest by being an all-in-one music package. “Ulap,” which went viral when it was first posted on the platforms, was an all Rob Deniel affair: written and performed, as in all the instruments and the whole production, by the then 16-year-old. And the fact that he did all of it on his phone was quite savvy. Granted, he’s not the first one to do this feat, but let’s give credit where it’s due. Some people can have all the gadgets at their disposal, but only the skilled ones know how to use the tools they have.

Thus, the music adventures of Rob commenced, and what a journey it’s been so far. Capitalizing on that one viral moment, Rob (which by then, became the de facto banner artist of the storied Vicor Music label) slowly, but surely built his musical identity through a string of songs which include (the “Ulap” B-side) “Gabi,” “Ang Rosas”, “Darling Darling,” and “Diwa” just to fire off the first few. All these tunes bore the DIY spirit that first got him noticed. That and the characteristic 60’s pop vibe that made Rob a major figure in the modern retropop wave among Gen-Z. I mean, could you be more retro with song titles like “Kundiman,” “Romcom,” and “Ang Pag-ibig”?

Along the way, Rob made good on the hype and snagged a hit or two here and there with “Miss Miss,” the fan-fave “Distansya” (duet with Janine Tenoso), and the aforementioned tracks. Just a few months ago, he even did well on a handful of 90’s covers that included “Nandito Ako,” “Wala Na Bang Pag-ibig,” and “Ikaw Sana.”

So what’s next for Pinoy pop’s wonder kid? Why a proper debut album, of course!

Titled “Wander Boy,” Rob makes it formal (that he’s now an album artist) with a full-length release with nine new tracks and some familiar singles. Rob springs right off the gate with the fabulous-sounding “Puwede Ba Tayong Lumabas?”, which is basically holding hands while walking in the sunshine, set to a melody. Meanwhile, “Star Song” is a tasty serving of modern Pinoy pop, while “Krazy” is melodic and funky.

“Wander Boy” is an even mix. If anything, Rob (and his label) managed to find the right concoction: not too pop, tasteful on the instrumentations, didn’t go overboard on the guitars (but there’s a healthy heaping of it), and all-out on the singer-songwriter stuff that Rob had already been pumping out since day one. “BAL” is swabe-sounding OPM balladry that harkens back to the ‘acoustic’ days, while “Puso” veers into Calein-territory. Other highlights include the piano-decked ballad “Araw at Buwan,” the all-English lyrics love song “You,” and the lullabye-like sweetness of “Marie.”

Rob’s songwriting continues to explore infatuation themes, from being lovestruck to being lost in the sauce of it. S’all good, Rob can be forgiven. He’s 22 years old! Also, Rob continues to grow as a songwriter and as a vocalist. Is he the top singer of his age? Maybe not, but how many out there write their own songs and do more musically on each tune they put out?

Rob just keeps pumping it out. Because this ‘wander boy’ can do it all.