Everything they do is done together. Each band member’s personality is injected into every song they write. “The first song we wrote together [Clouds] tells how we started writing music together. We had a sliver of an idea, like the riff of it, and we built it together. . .We can have this small idea, whether it’s a lyric that Sof gives or a guitar riff that we feel is compelling or just a beat or a bass line, and we’re like, ‘let’s try and work around this.’ When it comes to our creative process, we tend to enjoy the most when we all have our fingerprints on it. We might disagree. Sometimes we butt heads. But at least we can say that we made our stamp individually on each of our projects,” shares Lumanog.

In case you missed it: A symphony of beginnings at the Goldenberg Mansion with Anya Lagman

Sofia Abrogar - Lead Singer

A film student who shifted into the journalism programme, Abrogar’s creativity knows no bounds. When she isn’t performing or writing a new song, she loves to spend her time reading books and watching anime. You can also occasionally see her in Pop Up, living her best life with friends. Abrogar entered the music world by exploring various genres until she found her true calling with Any Name’s Okay.

“I was put into a voice summer camp by my parents, and singing is what I enjoyed the most or at least is what I excelled at the most out of everything. I tried dancing, I tried fencing, all of these things. But the moment I realised that I loved to sing was when I got into high school. I started taking voice lessons under a classical voice. Being in a band wasn’t in my field of vision at all but I grew up listening to arias, operas and Broadway. I used to be a performer. Then I joined Miriam College High School’s choir and went abroad to compete. . .As a film student who shifted into journalism, I thought I had reached the peak of choir life. I didn’t think I would pursue music again. But then I got lowkey peer-pressured into joining the UP Music Circle. I just experienced a different kind of joy in singing songs I wrote, making covers or singing songs that people knew,” shares Abrogar.

Juan Lada - Bassist

When he’s not working as an engineer, Lada likes to play video games, read manga and spend time with his girlfriend. Lada’s love for music happened when he got into bands during high school.

“When I started playing guitar, I got into fingerstyle guitar. Like Sungha Jung was huge then, so I learned his arrangements. I joined a few bands early in high school because that was a kind of outlet for me at the time. I met Renzo there, and we got pretty close and formed a band. It was called West PD—West Philippine Disease—and that was the highlight of our high school band, the name. When we got into college, Renzo found out about UP Music Circle, and I decided to continue because it was pretty fun,” shares Lada.

Anton Atienza - Lead Guitarist

A civil engineer by profession, runner and cyclist for fun—Atienza loves spending his weekends biking around the city, hoping to compete in a duathlon eventually. His passion started when his family encouraged him to try music, starting with the piano.

“I had piano lessons at nine or ten years old, but I fell in love with the guitar after a few years and never looked back. My good friend and college roommate introduced me to Any Name’s Okay’s manager since they were looking for a session guitarist. Luckily, we had a great time on and off-stage, and after a few gigs, they asked me to join the band officially,” shares Atienza.

Renzo Lumanog - Guitarist

A collector of Funko Pops, basketball cards and Pokemon cards, Lumanog describes himself as a nerd. He even has an online shop where he sells his prized collections. For Lumanog, getting into music was as easy as breathing.

“I grew up in a musical family in general. My eldest brother plays the guitar, and the second came back to school after being an engineer and went into music production. He was also a drummer for a long time. My great-grandfather started this brand—Lumanog Guitars— and my dad used to work there. So we had a lot of music around the house, played songs by the Beatles and the Police. Time passed, and I took piano lessons in grade school and high school. I started listening to more bands and playing with other bands—West PD. Then, I just got into the local music scene. That’s how I knew about the org [The UP Music Circle]. I made a pact with myself that in my first year of college, I would be joining it. Since then, it has been this non-stop roller coaster ride where we are just playing and making new songs. I mean, we went to Taiwan. Going to a different country to play is still wild for me,” shares Lumanog.

Arvin Olete - Drummer

Arvin Olete spends most of his time off-stage practising his skills. He believes there is always room for improvement and is even described as the most hardworking by his bandmates. 

“I started music in grade five, then got into marching bands. I joined symphonic bands and orchestra in college, now with Any Name’s Okay. But I got into pop rock because of the org. I used to do church music before and then transitioned into pop music. It was fun. It’s so satisfying to have a gig,” shares Olete. 

Also see: The joyride of Filipino musical ‘Ang Huling El Bimbo’

Any Name’s Okay’s attitude towards their fans is nothing short of unique and heartwarming. With over 130,000 monthly listeners, they’re all about building a community, not just a fanbase. They regularly invite people from the audience to play alongside them during gigs and make those who love them a part of who they are. The band also regularly collaborates with other creators like Over October and The Ridleys—so much so that the community is called AnyOverRidleys to celebrate the tightly-knit relationship between the three bands. “The artist-listener dynamic has changed so much since. Before, when I would listen to a local artist based in Manila, I had no chance of getting to know them personally. I think the culture has changed now that artists are much closer. It’s so much more than making songs. It’s about the relationships you build with your listeners,” shares Abrogar.

While many would say that the ’90s is the golden age of OPM, the band disagrees. “People thought it was corny to listen to OPM. But now, the scene is becoming less niche. [More] people appreciate OPM’s value rather than this preconceived notion that it is uncool. Like when they hear Lola Amour’s Raining in Manila, they sing along no matter the difference in age or demographics. Chito Miranda said it. The ’90s is not the golden age of OPM. It’s now,” says Lumanog.

During the O Ano, Gig? at JT’s Kalayaan last August 17, Abrogar played the acoustic guitar on stage for the first time and revealed their new song titled, Cobalt Blue. It is set to be released on Spotify soon, so be on the look out for that!

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