Cover Album art of Lola Amour (Photo: Lola Amour)
Album art of Lola Amour (Photo: Lola Amour)
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See how today’s rising band, Lola Amour, fosters a loyal fanbase through music
Starting as a group of high school friends in different bands at De La Salle Zobel, Lola Amour has shown remarkable growth in the music industry. From simple dreams of being able to regularly perform in a bar to going on tour, playing for this year’s Wanderland, and singing alongside Coldplay, the band has fulfilled every aspiration their younger selves had. But as the members tease the release of their new album, they aim to connect with their fans and inspire many people through whimsical fun.
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Lola Amour’s songs often tell stories of heartbreak and hesitation against the backdrop of upbeat music—allowing its works to resonate with listeners through topics and scenarios that are relatable to anyone. “Our best songs are usually about facing the worst of times, but when you take out the lyrics, the music behind them sounds fun. I think that reflects the feeling of acceptance we all want to feel on our worst days,” the band shared.
For Lola Amour, creating new songs is a collaborative process. For instance, the idea for one of their songs in the new album came from David Yuhico, the band’s keyboardist, who had the chord progression for a verse. They built the entire song from there by throwing ideas on what might work. “We don’t have one person who writes everything and tells everyone what to do. It’s more of ‘I have something, let’s see what we can do with it,’” shared Raymond King, bassist.
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The band’s fanbase transcends age and geography. K-pop idols have been seen jamming to Raining in Manila on TikTok. Children and parents enjoy their gigs and concerts; wherever they go, someone is bound to recognise them and say ‘hi’. And they love that kind of engagement. They love getting to know their fans and enjoy giving back. In an intimate press conference at The Fun Roof in Poblacion, fans conversed with the band members and had a great time. “We cultivate very loyal fans. Those are some of the core things about Lola Amour—not just as a band but as a community,” quipped Pio Dumayas, lead vocalist.
Above Lola Amour posing with a fan (Photo: Christofer Palentino)
Lola Amour posing with a fan (Photo: Christofer Palentino)
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Oftentimes, the band would get messages saying, ‘Your music saved me’ or ‘You inspired me to pick up an instrument.’ The feeling of receiving these messages, the band described as heartwarming. “I’m usually a fan of other drummers. I don’t [usually] get praise from our fans [directly], but whenever I see YouTube comments highlighting my work, it warms my heart because somehow I’ve managed to hit a very niche fanbase,” shared Raffy Perez, drummer.
While many would claim that now is the ‘Golden Age of OPM’ because of Lola Amour and other indie bands, they would disagree. “There have been multiple golden ages of OPM… Yes, it’s a great time to be an artist, but there are still starving artists. So my advice [is to maximise] whatever opportunities there are and add your style. I think that’s how we ended up having fun,” said Dumayas. “While today might not necessarily be the golden age of OPM, I believe it’s the golden age of access to music. It’s so easy for an artist to release whatever they want to say. It’s exciting to be an artist now because so many things are possible through technology,” continued Yuhico.
With the success of Raining in Manila, the band initially felt pressured to create another hit song. Whenever they’d come out with something new, they’d think to themselves, ‘This isn’t a Raining in Manila’ instead of succumbing to the anxiety, the group channelled their energy into creating music just because they loved it. “Initially, there was pressure, but that was a short phase. Sometimes, you have these highlights in your career. We weren’t going to stop there,” shared the band.
On April 10, Lola Amour will release their self-titled debut album, fulfilling their promise to their fans in 2019. They also shared that a two-stop album launch is in the works: the first stop will be at the Circuit Event Grounds on April 13, followed by a trip to Draft Punk, Cebu, on April 27.
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