Star Powerhouse

 The Act Avenue Theater Festival 2026 returns as a dynamic celebration of Philippine theater, bringing together independent, community-based, and institution-based artists in a powerful showcase of original works. Now in its latest edition, the festival continues to serve as a platform for voices and narratives that challenge, provoke, and demand attention. Founded in 2020, the Act Avenue Theater Festival has steadily grown into a vibrant space for both emerging and established theater practitioners. Its 2025 edition, held at The Parc Foundation in San Juan, featured participants from 10 universities and independent theater groups—marking a significant expansion of its reach and community. This year, the festival takes on the theme “Mulat: Awakening from Apathy.” It is a call to move beyond indifference and confront the social, cultural, and political realities shaping the Philippines today. More than raising awareness, Mulat urges a deeper engagement—inviting audiences not onl...

Misis: Ang Vavaihang Musical is a theatre production by Communication Arts students of the University of the Philippines Los Baños that brings contemporary Filipino music, urgent gender discourse, and student-led performance together on one stage. The play will be staged on March 26, 2026 (Thursday) at the Dioscoro L. Umali Hall, with two performances scheduled for a matinee show at 2:00 PM and an evening show at 7:00 PM. Conceived as a jukebox musical, Misis is produced in partnership with ABS-CBN Music’s record labels (Star Music, StarPop, and Tarsier Records) and features songs from renowned Filipino artists such as Viñas Deluxe, Maki, BINI, Vice Ganda, and Nameless Kids. The production is also mounted in collaboration with the UPLB Gender Center as part of its National Women’s Month initiatives. At its core, Misis explores the struggles, solidarities, and evolving meanings of womanhood. As conversations around gender and identity continue to unfold, transgender women’s lived experi...

  9 Works Theatrical returns to the stage with a bold and imaginative production, YEMAYA , a Filipino translation of Quiara Alegría Hudes’ critically acclaimed play Yemaya’s Belly , set to run this June 2026 at The Black Box at The Proscenium Theater in Rockwell, Makati. After a series of blockbuster hits, the company shifts toward a more intimate and evocative theatrical experience, highlighting the raw storytelling power of live performance.  Translated by Eljay Castro Deldoc and directed by the esteemed Ed Lacson Jr. in his much-anticipated return, YEMAYA reintroduces Hudes’ lyrical and emotionally resonant writing to Filipino audiences through a culturally grounded lens. The play follows a young boy’s transformative journey across land and sea as he searches for identity, belonging, and purpose—turning a simple question of “what if” into a profound exploration of “what could be.”  By weaving together themes of resilience, hope, and self-discovery, the production crea...

  After ten years, the world-renowned Vienna Boys Choir (Wiener Sängerknaben) will return to Manila for a special concert on April 26 and 27, 2026, at 8:00 PM, in the Newport Performing Arts Theater. Celebrating the strong cultural ties between Austria and the Philippines, the concert will be held in anticipation of the 80th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between the two countries in 2026.   With a history spanning more than five centuries, the Vienna Boys Choir is regarded as one of the most distinguished choirs in the world. Known for their remarkable musicality, purity of tone, and rich tradition, the young singers perform a wide-ranging repertoire that includes classical masterpieces, sacred music, traditional Austrian works, and international favorites. The upcoming Manila concert will mark the choir’s long-awaited return to the Philippines since their last performance in the country a decade ago. The event promises an evening of exceptional music and cultural exchan...

Photo by Law Legendary frontman Ely Buendia is back on our playlists with new song “Ate” to be released March 26 under his own label, Offshore Music Philippines.  After a year of the release of his tumultuous solo album “Method Adaptor” (2025), which garnered a string of praise from critics and fans alike, noted by Rolling Stone PH as “ a sprawl of metaphors that thrive in paradoxes…”, and a continuously successful run of his intimate bar tour which shares the same name as the album, Buendia is far from taking a step back and is gearing up to expand his range and discography with solo single, “Ate”.  Official artwork for “Ate” “I wanted to change the atmosphere a bit,” says Buendia in an interview about his upcoming single, noting the contrasting nature of his previous sonic masterproject and the new single, he pinpoints his intentions for shortly following up his grittier and more serious album, Method Adaptor, with a more “light and optimistic" new track. The song carrie...

A choreography shaped by landscape, carried by memory, and anchored in one of the oldest human impulses: to move toward a horizon. The company’s new full-length work, PAGLALAKBAY: The Journey of the Sea People , premieres April 10–12, 2026 at The Theatre at Solaire, tracing the ancient Austronesian migration through a movement language that feels both precise and instinctive. Choreographer Mikhail Martynyuk turns to the terrain of Batanes as his guide. There, wind is constant, the ground is uneven, and the ocean draws clean, steady lines across the edge of the land. These elements find their way into the body. Weight dropped into the floor as if meeting resistance, torsos tipping forward with a sense of direction, arms shaped not for decoration but for purpose. The movement is classical in foundation but shaped by the environment that inspired it. The ballet’s emotional framework comes from librettist Sheree Chua, who brings the narrative to life through personal history. She speaks of...

VVINK  has dropped “ Kailan Ka Aamin ,” which serves as the first pre-release single from their upcoming full-length debut album under  FlipMusic . Written by acclaimed Filipino songwriter  Nica del Rosario  and produced by  Julius James “Bojam” De Belen , the catchy pop ballad introduces a more intimate direction for VVINK in terms of musicality and songwriting. A tender, coming-of-age confession, “Kailan Ka Aamin” was inspired by the Thai Girls Love (GL) pair “ MilkLove ,” and the playful dynamic fans have associated with them. It’s a story many listeners will instantly recognize: two people who clearly feel the same way, yet neither has gathered the courage to say it out loud. Instead of the usual perspective of someone secretly admiring a crush, the song unfolds from the point of view of the one on the receiving end: someone who senses the same feelings but is growing impatient with the silence. Drawing from the Filipino experience of being a “yearner,” the ...

  After a breakout 2025 that saw his first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100, hundreds of millions of streams across his self-titled album, and a sold-out international headline tour, Malcolm Todd kicks off 2026 with his new single “ Breathe .” Co-produced by Todd, the track arrives alongside an official music video directed by longtime collaborator Aidan Cullen and featuring choreography by Lexee Smith, signaling the start of a new chapter for the Los Angeles artist and performer. Photo credit: Aidan Cullen At 22, Todd has quickly emerged as one of alternative pop’s most compelling young artists, hailed by Rolling Stone as both a “knockout” and “a new kind of male pop star.” Released in 2025, his self-titled album Malcolm Todd has accumulated more than 600 million global streams since its release, propelled by the breakout single “ Chest Pain (I Love) ,” which earned Todd his first Billboard Hot 100 entry and has tallied over 350 million streams worldwide. The song’s reach ex...

GRAMMY Award®-winning global superstar Harry Styles new album  KISS ALL THE TIME. DISCO, OCCASIONALLY.    has delivered the strongest global debut of his career with over 1 million units sold to date, dominating charts across the world and strengthening his position as one of the most daring and influential artists in modern music. The new album has debuted at #1 in the U.S. on the Billboard 200 chart with over 430,000 units in consumption, the largest first week of the year. This huge debut is Harry’s fourth consecutive #1 solo album debut, extending his record as the first U.K. male artist, and second male artist ever, to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200 with their first four albums since Nielsen Music began electronically tracking sales data in 1991. He also logs the biggest first week vinyl sales for a male artist in the US, beating his  Harry’s House  record.  The amazing U.S. debut comes hot on the heels of Harry’s massive international success where ...

After continuously bringing vibrant energy to the music industry, the highly talented artist pami from Juicey is back with her latest sassy single, cry jar , her first release since her highly acclaimed debut album puffette , and fresh out of her “Best Hidden Gem of the Year” award win at the prestigious TOTY Music Awards in Thailand yesterday. This pop track features a light, easy-listening vibe contrasted with biting lyrics that challenge everyone to evaluate the cost of heartbreak in their relationships. ‘cry jar’ represents the transformation of pain into something measurable through the concept of an "emotional compensation” jar.  “If you don’t want to try in love, then fine! Pay the price. Every time you make me cry, those tears go into the jar as proof that the pain isn’t disappearing—it’s piling up,” said pami about the single. ‘cry jar’ was written by pami during a song camp in Sydney, Australia, an environment that sparked new inspirations for her. The track is designed...