After hitting it big with feisty hip-hop
singles that brim with confidence and unapologetic candor, Alex Bruce
releases her self-titled debut EP under Sony Music
Philippines.
With her first collection of
scintillating new tunes and familiar favorites, the 14-year-old rapper cements
herself as a prolific young talent with incredible skillset. On the 5-track EP,
Alex goes hard with sharp, playful tunes that celebrate life, puppy love
(specifically “Yakap,” which features SB19’s Justin De Dios on the music video),
and being a young girl trying to make her way into the cutthroat and competitive
hip-hop music landscape dominated by men.
In terms of lyrics, Alex doesn’t follow a specific writing style or narrative format. “I just write wherever my pen takes me to,” the young artist shares. “Every song I wrote has its own story to tell and that depends on how I’m feeling during the process.”
While anchored in crossover bangers and
hook-laden jams, Alex finds new compelling ways to incorporate different music
genres and elements, with influences that range from trap to soul, lo-fi
hip-hop to reggae, boombap to contemporary R&B, new school to old school.
“First of all, I really love hip-hop—I think
that’s the first thing that pushed me to start this,” says the gifted rookie.
“This is an experimental project. I didn’t focus on a specific style; I just
came up with some random ideas that best fit me.”
The highly anticipated EP features co-writing
and production duties from some of the biggest names in the global and
Philippine music industry, including BTS and Justin Bieber collaborator August
Rigo on “Go Crazy,” Michael Cursebox on “Yakap” and “Fake Friends,” Jim Poblete
on “Pull It Off,” Markbeats with Brian Lotho on “Dime Girls,” and Bok Bruce on
majority of the tracks.
The EP’s carrier single “Dime Girls”
puts her eclectic personality on full display. With an intricate showcase of
Oriental-sounding instrumental hooks and confrontational beats, the track finds
Alex rapping about empowerment.
Inspired by Ruby Ibarra’s mantra of
“Island women rise, walang makakapigil,” the breakthrough rap star also encourages
women of all backgrounds, to uplift each other and challenge patriarchal bias.
“Giving in isn’t an option,” Alex Bruce insists. “Women are the bosses. We
don’t get on our knees for no man.”
The track release is also accompanied by
a performance video directed by AWIT Awards
nominee Jiggy Gregorio.
Alex
Bruce’s self-titled EP is out now on all digital
music platforms worldwide via Sony Music Philippines. Stream her latest single
“Dime Girls.”
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