By Celene Sakurako
Before June, half-Filipino half-Nepalese bedroom R&B singer Jason Dhakal was just another teen boy dreaming to get out of his hometown Oman. His dream destination, his motherland: Manila, Philippines. Despite never having set foot in Manila, he always knew that Oman was not for him, and Manila’s the place to be; “I’ve been in Oman my whole life, but it never felt like home. I never felt like I belonged there.”
So, following his instincts, Jason hopped on a plane five months ago with his best friend Johka, with no leads of where to go, except skate parks, clubs, and “artsy” places they found on the Internet. He says, “We didn’t really know what we were going to do when we got here, but I mean, we did good.” On his first week out bar hopping around Makati, he ran into one of his many local idols (like August Wahh, June Marieezy, Similarobjects, and Jess Connelly) Eyedress, who randomly invited him to record and shoot the song “Lonely Af” as LONERS, and from there things began to take off.
Fashion brands like H&M, Carl Jan Cruz, and Bench, also began to notice. Aside from breaking it into the local music scene, which he pleasantly describes as tight-knit yet diverse, where in “everyone knows everyone” and artists are “musically different from each other,” he’s picked up modelling gigs. Although the one-year-old crooner still remains new to game, his releases which include his first EP AFTERMATH and latest song “Closure,” show a promising future. As he says, “I’m still trying to find my true sound.”
But, worry not, Jason’s not about to slow down. Following his first ever gig this December for streetwear brand Wednesday’s “Who We Are” collection release party, he’s hoping to release all the songs he’s been working on for the past year now.
Today, he leaves us with a playlist of 10 songs that he finds himself listening to at 2am, when “emotions tend to show up uninvited.”
Rina Sawayama – “Tunnel Vision”
“Currently my favorite song right now; It’s just a dreamy beat and Rina’s voice smooth as hell. Plus the lyrics are really cool too.”
Nick Hakim – “Sleep”
“If u play this song with your significant other in bed, y’all gonna have a baby soon.”
Madi Sipes and and Painted Blue – “Space”
“If your heart is hurting, you need to listen to this. —Plus the harmonies are beautiful.”
The Internet – “Gabby”
”
“Been a favorite since 2015. Lyrics are beaut.”
Billie Eilish – “bitches broken hearts”
“I’m honestly hurt that she’s younger than me. I love Billie. ”
Clairo – “Flamin’ Hot Cheetos”
“I loooooooove Clairo, I love Clairo, I love you Clairo!”
Sabrina Claudio – “We Have Time”
“Her new album is so good, and this is one of my favorites from it.”
Frank Ocean – “At Your Best”
“I’ve cried at least five times to this song…deadass”
Infinite Bisous – “Teen Sex”
“First of all, I miss my best friend. We played the fuck out of this song during our first month together in Manila. I love you Jokha.”
Bane’s World – “You Say I’m in Love”
“Bane’s World is so underrated and he deserves the world.”
Photo by Redge Hawang