Photo via Afgansyah Reza (@afgan_) / Instagram
Indonesian R&B heartthrob Afgan is putting the Philippines on his musical radar. The guy’s totally smitten with Filipino talent, especially SB19’s Stell, Christian Bautista, Lea Salonga, and James Reid.
Afgan’s been spilling the tea about his love for Filipino music. He’s told The Philippine Star that he’s dying to visit the country and jam with some local artists. The dude’s seriously impressed with Filipino singers, calling them the “black singers of Asia.” No pressure, Pinoy vocalists!
Afgan’s got a soft spot for the Philippines thanks to his aunt and Filipino friends. He says “I haven’t been there, but my aunt lives there. And she told me so many great stories about the Philippines. And a few of my good friends are Filipinos, so I have so much good stories, and of course, with the singers. I saw on YouTube, you, guys, have, oh my god, the singers, it blew me (away) because I feel like the Filipinos are like the black singers of Asia. Haha!” He’s also buddies with Christian Bautista and has been a lifelong fan of Lea Salonga.
But hold on to your hats, because Afgan’s mind was blown when he heard SB19’s Stell belt out Celine Dion’s “All By Myself” at the “Hitman: David Foster & Friends Asia Tour 2024.” The guy’s jaw hit the floor. Seriously, Stell’s voice is on another level.
He quoted, “There’s this guy from SB19 who sang that, in the original key of Celine Dion. I was like, I can’t even imagine. It was so good.”
Now, Afgan’s dropping his new EP, “Sonder,” featuring K-pop queen Jessi and Vietnamese-American R&B star Thuy. But he’s already eyeing the Philippines as his next conquest. We can’t wait to see what magic he creates with our local music scene.
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