Before I was introduced to SYLAS, I was listening to the music of solo artist Stephanie Belle back in 2019. She is a Filipina-Romanian singer and songwriter who was independently releasing her music, working with producer friends in Manila. I distinctly remember how captivated I was by her deep singing voice and ever since then, I've been a fan of her. We eventually connected and she introduced her current music partner, Irish producer-instrumentalist Patrick Campbell, who started his music career as a drummer in the UK. In that initial meeting, where they told me about their new music project as a duo, I already got a sense of the creative spark between them.

SYLAS started making music together around that time and had their first release was in November 2020 — a track called “The Hollows”. Right away, after hearing the track, I was excited for the journey they were about to embark on. I know starting this move for Stephanie Belle would greatly give the leverage she needed since I remember she had struggled to find the right producer to work with, mostly for availability reasons.

After 8 months in the music scene and with 4 songs out, SYLAS releases their 5th single entitled “Pressure”, and I must let you know that the growth of this dynamic duo is looking greatly promising. They're already getting traction early on and even landed spots in editorial playlists on Spotify like New Music Fridays and Fresh Finds. SYLAS is a group that was formed, impressively, in the middle of the pandemic. I believe that they will have a special place in the Filipino music industry and will most likely gain more global exposure in years to come.

“I haven’t yet figured it out I haven’t yet thrown in the towel Cause this pressure is wearing me down This pressure is wearing me down.”

SYLAS is a blend of modern electronic dance music and cinematic pop. I imagine their music would fit very well within a cinematic score or soundtrack — at least that is what I feel every time I listen to their songs! With “Pressure”, Patrick was inspired by the idea of using sounds that embodied pressurized elements, like helicopters spinning, planes taking off, air cans, and the likes which all ended up being in the final version of the song. The idea extended into the lyrics, where they decided to write about pressure in the figurative sense.

“We created Pressure with the intention of reminding people that they are not alone in their personal battles and that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. It’s about not giving up and pushing forward and being at peace with the knowledge that maybe you haven’t figured out life yet, but that there is beauty in the journey and to stay strong throughout it. Especially during the pandemic and the stress it has put on everyone’s lives, we wanted to write a song that could make you feel positive through these difficult times.” — SYLAS on the making of “Pressure”.

One of the most important things to SYLAS is to make music that is relatable, to write about topics from personal experiences, and to create music that would make you want to move and dance. SYLAS is working on further exploring dancier music in the future and possibly doing collaborations with other artists that inspire them. They also want to explore the visual elements of their music through videos and live performances when the world allows that to happen again. But for now, enjoy their latest release on all music streaming platforms and be sure to catch their lyric video for “Pressure”.

About The Author

Alex “Phat Boy” Lim started Beat This ON AIR on terrestrial radio back in 2017. His goal was to hold space for Filipino-made music on a global stage. This was a passion project he held onto from the beginning until the present day. Alex believes that Filipino Global is the next wave that will shape the standards of the music industry in the Philippines.