FELIP, also known as SB19 Ken, bravely unmasks the complexity of human nature in 7 SINS, an expertly crafted solo album with a profound message and immersive sounds.

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Widely recognized as the jaw-dropping deep bass voice of SB19, Felip’s personal style of music stems from his interest in various genres such as metal, rock, hip hop, and gospel. This young rockstar from Mindanao was the first one among SB19 boys to embark on the journey of a solo career in 2021 and his first solo full-length album, “7sins”, was released on July 5th in 2024, featuring nine tracks written by him in Cebuano, Filipino, and English.

As reported, it took him seven months to finish writing, recording, and mixing all the tracks for the album. He even revealed through his Instagram account that he had been in the studio like it was home for months “making time for everything that needs to be done” for this solo project.

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Upon the release of the “7sins” album, it instantly reached no.1 on iTunes Philippines in the Album chart with seven out of nine songs charting in the Top 10, while the track “ache” landed at the no.1 spot. The album also entered the Top 5 list of Apple Music Philippines Album chart, taking 5th place and becoming the highest charting Filipino album on the same day. The next day, all nine songs occupied the nine spots of the Top 10 on iTunes Philippines while the song “ache” became the no. 1 best-selling OPM track on iTunes Philippines over the weekend.

Globally, the “7sins” album entered the Top 10 list on iTunes Worldwide in the Album chart, taking the 6th spot, and on the Top Debut Albums of Spotify Global, landing at no. 8. The pre-order of CD Album was also immediately sold out in Japan, with the album securely topping the no. 1 spot in all genre ranking, and which CD Japan described as a groundbreaking event in their history.

Felip shared that his “7sins” album portrays the “journey of acknowledging human shortcomings”, inspired by the theme of the seven worst offenses in the Bible.

One must take note, though, that the narrative of the whole album is not directly or theologically Gospel-centered. Rather, it explores more on the psychology of shared human experiences and of unspoken human brokenness due to sins that we tend to hide or suppressed because of our shame-based culture.

How do the songs or lyrical content take you on a journey from vulnerability and confession to finding freedom or light in the darkness? Here’s my personal interpretation and overall review of the album:

foes

The album begins with the electronic type of hard rock metal track, “foes”, which could refer to the negative people around throwing stones at us, or the internal noise that entangles us from living a life without friction.

While it showcases Felip’s jaw-dropping deep bass voice that switches to various tones, the lyrics deal with these foes — unbothered and confident with who he is as a unique individual and what one has attained in life, “I know they’re offended when I’m on a roll”. Some lines randomly respond to harsh criticisms, comically countering insults with hard-hitting truths written in Felip’s native language.

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7sins

The next seven songs tackle about the seven sins, “envy”, “wrath”, “greed”, “pride”, “gluttony”, “lust”, and “sloth”, which were all described in the Bible as deadly or poisonous emotions for our souls, not in one certain chapter of a book, but in random pages or warnings by various spiritual authors, such as the Psalms and Proverbs. Meanwhile, what Felip mostly wrote with seven sins in mind pertains to the feelings and thoughts involved with each sin.

“envy” means to derive hatred from someone’s success, a self-inflicted pain that serves no self-pleasure and could lead to the corruption of the person’s whole being. In this dark metallic track, Felip flexes about Balenciaga, Prada, five stars, and anything elegant that makes them (haters or bashers) gnaw at due to envy, “They about to faint, it’s too much for their brain.” The song also boldly voices indifference, expressing how one’s perception of something can’t take soneone in control or how the media shouldn’t manipulate one’s independence or preferred way of life.

“wrath” refers to the intense feeling of hatred for someone that swells into a monstrous desire for vengeance or murderous revenge. In this track, Felip talks about bitterness, violence, being villainous, and colder. He also dealt directly with listeners who don’t like his music style and lyrics, openly expressing that to understand art depends on one’s intelligence quotient or reasoning ability.

“greed” is to crave something more than one can bear that you forget who you were meant to be. In this emotional track, Felip showcases his romantic voice while sharing a heartbreaking story about love for someone that hints some greed. It begins with the line, “It’s how I made you my everything” that reaches an unreserved conclusion, “In the end, I guess I am the fool”. It was co-written with Cyra Gwynth, a Belgian singer-songwriter.

“pride” describes the arrogant attitude of the heart that highlights self-reliance or self-glory. In this track, Felip unfilters internal deliberations and speaks more in his native language, dealing with haters or bashers who dictate what one should do in life. He also mentioned Marilyn, an expression that represents the bashers of the rockstar who defamed him for his Mindanao roots and the discrimination against “bisaya” people, according to some A’TIN who witnessed the journey of the singer.

“gluttony” captures the overindulgence of one’s desires or excessive gratification for something or someone that ultimately heads towards soul destruction. In this track, Felip bravely uncovers human imperfections and shortcomings, confessing, “I’m just a man and I know, I know that I am flawed. I need me something to fill up the void of my loss.” The song also conveys that we all have those moments of tripping, falling, losing one’s self — of running out of luck with an empty cup — of seeking help and needing remedy in life — that we all have been guilty of gluttony. Featured in this track is the alternative hip hop group from Davao City, the PLAYERTWO.

“lust” portrays the fantasies about being with someone whom we find attractive to gratify innermost unmet needs. In this R&B track, Felip describes the root of self-pleasure, “I’ll admit that you’ve been on my mind, Might be for the wrong reasons” and how the temptation all leads to dropping the pin and sending ETA. It was co-written and performed with the Belgian singer-songwriter, Cyra Gwynth.

“sloth” simply means negligence or the avoidance of something that needs attention because another thing keeps you hooked. In this track, my personal interpretation is that Felip talks about the complicated feelings for someone — an intense admiration, describing this person as his time and life while on the other hand, conveying a moment of displeasure for the unreciprocated feelings, and yet returning to the same old desire of wanting the same person. The song also mentions avoiding another for the pleasure towards something or someone else, “In my camera roll, it’s all you. They wanna call, ignore. If it’s not about you ’cause it’s not about you.”

Looking at all these tracks and lyrics is like reading random thoughts from Felip’s profundity gained from various experiences kept all this time in his cave, waiting to be pieced together to create one big story.

Overall, these songs on the theme of seven sins ponder upon the reality that sin is a fact of life and every human is guilty of committing at least one, some, or most of these offenses in life. We don’t normally talk about such sins because of our conservative background and our shame-based culture. It was brave of Felip to express such an idea that is not fully accepted by all, breaking boundaries with his personal vision and taste in music.

ache

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The song “ache” for me in this album is like Felip’s lamentation and battlecry against life’s stings — all the painful events that we had no control over, the wrongful desires that we had to deal with, the unfinished dreams that we had to reconceive, the desolate moments we experienced where no one could comprehend deeply enough, and the inner child in us that cries out for refuge amid darkness.

Remarkably, this melancholic track showcases the versatility of Felip when it comes to his vocal range and how he can powerfully portray scenes of lamentation with the way he sings this song overall. It also leaves a strong exhortation on fighting endlessly against life’s hopelessness, fears, and failures because one day, we will reap all our efforts if we don’t give up, believing that “everything will be alright”.

I also liked how the song expresses a word of prayer to the Light of the world who alone can lift us up from our deepest misery. In brokenness, Felip prayed, “Light guide me in the dark. Calm me like the blue sky. I pray that you won’t leave my side.” I could also hear him crying out “Savior” in the background.

It’s no wonder why this track was placed as the finale song because it ultimately wraps up everything about this album. After all the mess we’ve gone through in life, at the end of the day, we always go back and cling to where we always belong like helpless kids but overcomers in the face of ache — with the One who alone knows, understands, and fights for us like no other — the Light, the Hope, and Giver of life, our Savior.

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CONCLUSION

Overall, the “7sins” Album is meticulously and expertly crafted with its concept on human sinfulness, Felip’s profound poetry, and the wild ride of its beats and sounds.

Everything about this album, from the aggressive sounds to the heavy composition, may not be everyone’s taste. That’s okay. Personally, this art is for anyone who can listen, understand, and handle the psyche of human brokenness or sinfulness, without losing your sanity or being wholly overtaken by it. Listen or hit play at your own risk. Above all, appreciate the artist’s bravery and vision to relate with human experiences and break barriers in the music industry.

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Meanwhile, Felip continues to make waves with his music as he held two solo concerts, one at the Space at OneAyala in Makati in July 2024 and another one in Japan in September 2024.

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Research and review by: KORB Blog | Images: Felip via X and IG