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Manila Bulletin devider Entertainment devider Music and Concerts devider ALL FIRED UP: Miguel Escueta takes on all comers in comeback album 'Stand in the Fire'

ALL FIRED UP: Miguel Escueta takes on all comers in comeback album 'Stand in the Fire'

Published May 31, 2026 02:57 pm

He thought he was done with music seven years ago.

Really done.

Miguel Escueta was content building his coffee business, raising his daughter and enjoying life away from the spotlight.

Then the itch returned.

This time, he's aiming to make the most of it.

His new album, "Stand in the Fire," is testament to that.

It finds Escueta raging against everything from flood control funding anomalies to the fuel crisis, as with lost love, anxieties, among others.
And it rocks.
The title track alone is arguably the "rockingest," most guitar-oriented song we've heard in recent memory from a local act.
Loud, urgent and unapologetically fiery, "Stand in the Fire" is a call to arms of sorts, urging listeners to make a stand against greed, corruption.
It's a far cry from the Escueta of several years ago who, as far as we could remember, was seemingly trying to channel Dashboard Confessional. 
Now, it seems like he is trying to be more like Bono.
When told about this, Miguel smiled.

"I'm not saying I'm becoming all political but I think it's important for an artist to make a stand," he explained. So, let's just say that, I think, now, having my own family and having my daughter, changed my perspective on life."

"Stand in the Fire" also finds Miguel experimenting sonically, reimagining classic OPM hits like "Honey My Love" and "Bakit Ba Ganyan?"

It also features comeback single "Summer Dream," the mental health advocacy track "Pangako ng Bukas," and the 2008-penned "Handa." 

Once signed to a major label, Escueta is doing everything independently nowadays.

"Being an independent artist fits my current situation," he explained. "I have a business and I have a family. I can't go full-time doing music. Being independent allows me freedom."

And he's no longer taking any of it for granted.

"When you're younger, sometimes you just go through the motions. But now everything I do is so intentional.  It all has meaning, purpose. And we're meticulous when it comes to the details." 

After seven years away, Escueta isn't chasing the past.

He's embracing the present.

And that's what makes "Stand in the Fire" such a meaningful comeback.

Related Tags

Miguel Escueta Stand in the Fire OPM comeback independent artist Champ Lui Pio Hale Pangako ng Bukas Summer Dream
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