Tag: Lyn Lapid

Celebrate Filipino Heritage Month With Our First-Ever ‘Jasmine Presents’ Artist Showcase

October 6, 2023

Artists of Asian descent are not just thriving globally, they’re making a massive impact on the overall musical landscape. So in 2017, we launched Jasmine, a genreless flagship playlist that highlights Asian and Pacific Islander music communities around the world. Fans turn to Jasmine to discover artists from the United States, East Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia like Raveena, keshi, Higher Brothers, Anik Khan, Saweetie, and CHUNG HA. 

This Filipino Heritage Month, we’re leveraging Jasmine in a whole new way to celebrate the cultural heritage of artists and listeners emerging from the Philippines by hosting Jasmine Presents: Filipino Heritage Month, presented by Spotify Stages. This is our first-ever Jasmine artist showcase, and October 20-27, eight artists of Filipino descent—Mndsgn with No_4mat; Ez Mil with MBNel; Lyn Lapid with Ashley Mehta; RINI; and P-Lo—will be headlining shows at the legendary New York City venue SOB’s. The showcase is open to the public, and fans who want to attend can purchase tickets for each individual show by following the links below.

Jasmine Presents:

Filipino Heritage Month

October 20: RINI

October 23: Ez Mil w/ MBNel

October 24: Lyn Lapid w/ Ashley Mehta

October 26: P-Lo

October 27: Mndsgn w/ No_4mat 

“We are thrilled to celebrate Filipino Heritage Month this year through the first Jasmine showcase,” said Ronny Ho, Spotify Head of Dance and Electronic Development. “October is a special month to celebrate one of the first groups of Asian immigrants to immigrate to the United States. The vibrant and diverse Filipino community is highlighted in the breadth of our playlist and this year’s showcase, with talents in hip-hop, pop, electronic, and more.”

Ahead of the showcase, For the Record spoke with some of the featured artists to learn more about what makes Filipino culture unique and how their heritage has shaped them as artists and people.

How is your Filipino heritage reflected in your music?

EZ MIL: I can say that I’m very proud of my Filipino heritage and it’s evident with my songs I sing in the languages of the Philippines, like “Panalo.” I also try to incorporate Filipino sounds and tribal instruments in my music.

No_4mat: I try to make my music as organically as possible, so inevitably my life experiences as a Filipino have shaped my taste and creative inspiration. I have a few tracks, like “Manilla” and “Sisig,” that more directly reference trips back home and feelings I get from eating my favorite foods, like sisig. But beyond those, I think a lot of the sounds and melodies I’m drawn to are pulled from my childhood and Filipino culture. 

Ashley Mehta: Growing up in a Filipino household, I was always surrounded by music. Karaoke was always nonstop at family parties, and the love we all have for singing would always shine through. When I write music today I try to capture that same energy that feels very community. I like creating feel-good music that you can use as a sense of release!

Can you share some of your biggest Filipino influences growing up?

Lyn Lapid: Filipino singers such as Jessica Sanchez and 4TH IMPACT were huge inspirations for me. I’d watch them audition on international talent shows with my mom, and that inspired me to start singing for fun. Alex Wassabi and Roi from Wassabi Productions inspired me to start making my own videos and posting them online even if I thought nobody would be watching.  

Mndsgn: Growing up, I remember my parents renting a lot of Filipino movies from a nearby family-owned Filipino bakery. I wish I could remember some of the titles, but a lot of those films were really dark and dramatic, and some of them kind of freaked me out. In retrospect, I feel like watching those movies immediately brought me close to a deeper sense of the unknown. And ironically, the unknown is now something that I constantly search for in music.

Ashley Mehta: My biggest Filipino influences music-wise definitely include P-Lo, Jeremy Passion, and H.E.R. They all have an incredible energy that I take influence from! Aside from music, I would say Manny Pacquiao. Growing up we’d always watch Pacquiao fights and come together rooting for our culture. The representation really showed me how important it is to embrace who we are. 

Are there any Filipino artists that you’re excited about right now?

MBNel: Ez Mil, ParisPlayedYou, JoeMari, and Yatta Bandz, just to name a few.

Mndsgn: Nathan Bajar is a singer-songwriter based in Brooklyn that I’ve been a fan of for quite some time now. His songwriting is always so fresh and tasteful. There’s something in his music that really retains an honesty to his roots. The LA band Xinxin has also been resonating with me lately. The lead vocalist, Janize Ablaza, is Pinay, and the way she floats on each song is effortless. No skips on their records!

If there was one aspect of Filipino culture you could share with the entire world, what would it be?

Mndsgn: One of the most essential aspects in Filipino culture is the communion through food.  We love eating and we know everyone else does too. It’s such a centerpiece in our heritage and it’s probably our favorite way to gather and connect.

MBNel: Having respect for elders and taking family serious. I didn’t really realize or appreciate the value of that until I got older.

Ez Mil: I would say hospitality, and specifically, our ability to make people feel welcome or feel “at home” regardless of their background or nationality. I believe the world could benefit from fostering a culture of inclusivity and warmth. It promotes the idea of being interconnected and it celebrates diversity.

Lyn Lapid: If there’s one aspect of Filipino culture I’d share with the world, it’d be the incredible music that so many Filipino artists make. When I visited the Philippines earlier this year, I was blessed to meet the insanely talented dia maté and Elise Huang, a couple of local Filipino artists who make music on a whole other level.

No_4mat: If there was one aspect I’d share, it would be the hospitality via food and our open-arms mentality. We want everyone to eat and have a seat at the same table, which is the attitude I try to bring to my own life.

Don’t forget to grab your tickets for the Jasmine Presents showcase here. And to get hyped for the showcase, you can discover the diverse sounds of the Asian diaspora on Jasmine. 

Spotify Encourages Everyone To ‘Take A Beat’ on World Mental Health Day and Every Day

October 7, 2021

In recent years, more and more people have been raising the volume on the need to have open, honest discussions around mental health. Artists, athletes, and creators of all types are coming forward with their stories in an effort to encourage others to do the same and to get the help they need. And while there is still a long way to go in destigmatizing the topic, Spotify is proud to use our platform to be a part of the conversation. 

In 2018, we started our Heart & Soul mental health initiative that aims to raise awareness, build knowledge, enable self-care and professional support, and normalize the conversation to reduce stigma. During these last years, we’ve educated our employees on what mental health and mental illness are and provided different resources, since mental health is unique to all of us. With our mental health strategy, we aim to create a stigma-free environment where we look after ourselves and each other and where it’s ok to not be ok. We have worked to make mental health conversations and resources available to our employees, as well as to all who come to Spotify looking for the moments of calm, inspiration, and healing that music and podcasts can provide. 

So as we gear up for World Mental Health Day this Sunday, we’re encouraging both our listeners and our employees to “take a beat”, and “tune in to yourself” in an effort to address mental health—not just today, but every day. 

Tools for our listeners

This World Mental Health Day, we’re bringing back our curated Wellness hub, and it’s better than ever. With this updated hub, listeners can better access mental health resources, connect with themselves, and prioritize their well-being. Starting today, the hub will pop up when users open the mobile app and encourage them to “take a beat” and listen to themselves with a selection of uplifting, insightful, and calming podcasts and playlists.

Listeners will also find special playlists and video content from mental health advocates like Chelsea Cutler and Lyn Lapid. Plus, tune in for WE THE URBAN’s Fall Healing Season and MD Motivator’s Heal & Nourish. Both playlists are filled with the tracks that help creators ground and center themselves and their mental well-being.  Additionally, we have an array of Spotify Creators who are involved in our World Mental Health Day campaign who are sharing original videos on how they are taking a beat and turning inwards. Creators include Cole Cuchna from Dissect, Mark Hugo from Teenager Therapy, Sarah Turney from Disappearances, Kevin O’Connor from The Mismatch, Yasi Salek from Bandsplain, Nia Sioux from Adulting with Teala & Nia, and Garrett Clayton and Blake Knight from A Gay in the Life.

Resources for our employees

This World Mental Health Day we are also encouraging our employees to refocus their attention on themselves, support and be supported by colleagues, and take a much-needed deep breath. During this day we direct our everyday attention to mental health. Every day, we strive to create a safe environment where employees can speak openly about their mental health and foster a culture where we take care of ourselves and each other. We aim to make Spotify a place where employees can be themselves and where they feel they belong no matter what they’re going through. 

For World Mental Health Day in particular, we’ll be hosting virtual talks, workshops, and panels related to our employees’ mental well-being. Individuals will be able to learn new skills, deepen existing self-care practices, and open up in important conversations. We’ll also continue to lean into our Heart & Soul local peer-to-peer ambassador program that enables employees to educate and support each other and reduce the stigma around mental health.

Finding some healing

When it comes to individuals who are speaking up about mental health, WE THE URBAN stands out. The online publication updates frequently with soothing pictures, quotes, and mantras to help followers find a moment of solace in their day—and hopefully capture some skills they can use to address their mental health going forward. For the Record asked Editor-in-Chief Willie Greene about listening to oneself—and about the FALL HEALING SESSION playlist he created.

Your Instagram is filled with self-worth reminders and moments of peaceful pause. How can daily affirmations help an individual get in touch with their emotional state and needs?

The average person in the United States spends more than 1,300 hours on social media a year. If you add that up, that is literally 52 consecutive days of ingesting media—the mundane parts of other people’s lives, news, other people’s thoughts, and everything in between into our subconscious. What we’re taking in each day has real-life consequences on our mental health. Being mindful of this is so important. 

That’s why I created a space on the internet like WE THE URBAN—sort of as an antidote to the onslaught of media that makes us feel bad. Our daily affirmations are shared and viewed up to 12 million times a week, and when I look through the messages we receive from our audience, I see firsthand how taking in positive daily affirmations has improved lives in a very real way. Following content that is supportive and makes you feel better about yourself can only help your emotional state.

Spotify is telling listeners to “take a beat” and “tune into themselves” during World Mental Health Day this year. Why is it important to listen to ourselves even when we might feel lost or as though we don’t personally have the answers?

Intuition is the greatest gift. So is the ability of being present. In my own mental health journey, things only began to improve when I decided to face the symptoms I was experiencing head-on. Having the courage to recognize what I was feeling informed me on how to get the help that I needed. It’s uncomfortable to sit in feelings that are confusing or painful, or to acknowledge that you might be depressed or having some serious mental health battle, but leaning into them, interrogating it, and feeling it out is how we heal. 

A lot of the times when we experience heartbreaks or grieving, it’s easy to dissociate and spiral in thought. Through therapy, I learned that mindfulness and being present was the thing that was going to save me. The cliches really work: meditating, journaling, practicing mindfulness, and gratitude. 

How do you approach collective versus personal struggles, especially as they can impact mental health?

When I think of collective struggles, I think of the issues marginalized communities deal with on a daily basis. I live at the intersection of so many different systematically oppressed identities. I’m Black, queer, and non-binary. When you put it all together, the struggles these communities face take a toll on our mental health. It’s not for everyone, and I definitely have to be careful about how much I do it (for the sake of my own mental health), but my approach to dealing with it is utilizing my platform to bring awareness. There is something to be said about the performance of activism a lot of people do on the internet, but the reality is that change begins with awareness. 

Funny enough, I’ve crafted a career where I can do this for my personal struggles as well. Therapy has been a lifesaver and so has the ability to process what I’m going through and sharing those little nuggets of wisdom with millions of people who can relate. 

What are some of your favorite mood-boosting tools?

Definitely the things I mentioned before. Therapy, journaling, exercise, and mindfulness about what I’m ingesting (on social media, what I eat, etc.) all help me so much. I’d say one of my most effective mood-boosting tools is music. The power sound has to transform how we’re feeling blows my mind, and I’m constantly curating playlists and searching for music to help with what I’m going through.

Tell us about some of the songs on your FALL HEALING SESSION playlist. What approach did you take in crafting this playlist?

It’s a vibe! When I was crafting this, I was thinking about the ups and the downs of our lifelong healing journeys. Every single song is a song that has aided me personally. Sometimes you feel energized and hopeful, other times you find yourself randomly crying about that thing you thought you got over a long time ago. I wanted to honor every kind of feeling with these song selections. 

What songs or artists might listeners be surprised to see on there?

The playlist is very R&B inspired, so some people may be surprised to see “Creep” by Radiohead or “Pretty Girls” by Little Dragon. “Summer Soft” by Stevie Wonder is one of the most beautifully written songs and is so perfect for October. I’m a lover of all genres, and I hope the mix can be of service to each listener. 

‘Tune into yourself’ with WE THE URBAN’S World Mental Health Day playlist.