HYPE AND HIP-HOP ON COKE STUDIO SEASON 3’S FIRST EPISODE

“The song was done in one day, natural, not forced, batuhan lang kami ng ideas,” says rapper Ron Henley of his Coke Studio Season 3 collaboration with singer-actor Inigo Pascual.  

Inigo Pascual

Ron Henley

For his part, Inigo admits, “I was also surprised with how fast it went!  Imagine, we were able to write our song all in one day…that doesn’t always happen.” 

Perhaps it helped that the collaborators wanted to pay it forward, letting young people experience how music and #feels enriched their own lives.

“There’s always space to grow, always more to overcome, even if I was feeling nervous, I asked myself, ‘Am I really going to rap?!’  But Kuya Ron was so supportive and I really wanted to challenge myself musically.”

Inigo Pascual

 What Ron did to help Inigo, he also wants to do for the youth in general with their collab song. He shares, “When I was younger, music became a kind of therapy for me. ‘yung mga teens ngayon, takot sila ma-judge, ma-reject…I hope this song will boost their confidence.”  

Inigo adds, “When I found out that the theme was ‘Kaya Ko ’to,’ I didn’t want the song to be self-serving, dapat uplifting.  For me, music was really something I always wanted to do. I hype myself through music so I wanted to do it for others. Something like an anthem. That’s what I had in mind.”

Clever wordplay and double meanings are what come to mind when listening to a Henley original.  “I used to think that you had to be direct with what you say but as I grew more, I realized that it’s better to say something without saying it.”  

Ron Henley

That was their mindset on writing their original song, “Bata, Kaya Mo!,” an anthem about payong kaibigan—giving advice to one’s friends and encouraging them to face challenges head-on. Inigo confesses, “I can’t wait to perform it, I’m really excited for people to hear it!”

Watch Inigo Pascual and Ron Henley’s explosive collaboration on the first episode of Coke Studio Season 3. Catch it on September 14, Saturday at 10 a.m. on ABS-CBN. It’s also available online on www.youtube.com/CokeStudioPH.