ROB Deniel could well be the best 17-year-old Filipino pop singersongwriter mainstream doesn’t know about. And that’s saying something especially in this age of instant celebrities and viral-today-gone-tomorrow acts. For how could such a talented artist release his debut single, “Ulap,” to a whopping 55 million streams (estimated and combined from Spotify and YouTube) and still remain unknown in the industry?

But, all the same, popularity “My dad bought me my first guitar is least on Rob mind. Because if — and it was black — and it’s it were up to him, he’d just write still here. I use it sometimes here and crank out tunes as much as at home,” he shared with Music he wants — then again, his current Geek via digital interview. music label Viva Records has "My dad started all of this, introducing other ideas. me to all kinds of music.

Rob started working on his That helped me grow and learn music when he was about 12 or even though I’m self-taught,” he 13 years old. added with pride.

The old adage, “Many are called but few are chosen” indeed seems to apply to Rob because at some point in his musical development, he decided that writing his own songs would be the logical next step.

“It was 2019 when I started to take music seriously. It was during this time that I learned the stuff that was useful [to me] for making [my own songs] and also when I was inspired to look at music as having a bigger part in my life.”

And just like that, Rob started writing songs one after another. He recalls “Sunshine” as one of his first, inspired by the indie artists whose music he was listening to then.

“It makes me feel nostalgic just thinking about the song right now.”

Now for a 17-year-old kid to feel nostalgic about something that happened just a couple of years ago says even more about Rob Deniel’s music. It is, in fact, the same feeling — this wistfulness — that gives his songs that almost retro vibe trademark. It’s right there in the harana-like ballad “Gabi,” and on the almost doo-wop sounding “Baby I Tried.” These are just two of the few singles that Deniel released last year.

But of course, with someone as young as Rob, that youthful vibrance is bound to come out in sound, which is exactly the stuff his winning breakout single “Ulap” is made of — indie music with a tinge of ‘60s pop. Think dream-pop sung in a yearning

falsetto; or the sound Pinoy Pop could have been back then.

“Ulap was came out of boredom in my room,” the singer-songwriter admitted. “I was pretty chill and had nothing in my head. I was just writing words that I wanted to say. You could say that the whole song was made subconsciously.”

Definitely not bad for a song produced on a cellphone.

By the way, Rob, who besides the guitar plays the drums and also dabbles on keyboards, has his own description for the sound he’s going for: “Maybe alternative pop or rock and roll sweetheart.”

Rob’s most recent single “Ang Rosas” is currently making the

rounds of “chill and feels” playlist circuit. A new single titled “Darling” was released last June 18, which he described to be inspired by the ‘60s and ‘70s this time, and “a sort of like advice for myself and about the experiences I’ve had so far.”

Now with his partnership with OPM legacy brand Viva Records, not much should really change. Recognizing a star when they see one, an executive said, “We’ll just let Rob write his songs and not get in his way. That, and to make sure that as many people as possible hear about Rob Deniel and his songs.”

It’s the only change this artist needs, indeed.