Optimism can be hard to come by these days. It’s why we need grentperez, an artist whose music is absolutely chock-full of the stuff. The Sydney-born Filipino singer, songwriter, producer and visual artist has carved out a unique – and, given the state of everything, necessary – space for himself with songs that are speckled with sunlight, dusky with nostalgia and as breezy as late summer afternoons with your best mates. His music is exuberant and soulful, its wide-ranging amalgam of bedroom R&B, dream-soft indie and vintage bossa nova a salve that not only sooths but reenergises those who may be feeling a little world-weary.
“Being Filipino has become more and more important in my life,” he says. “Growing up, my parents didn’t shy away from our culture. And I think being so far away from home and being in the music industry, there’s just not a lot of diversity. I think it’s slowly becoming more diverse, and for me, being an Asian musician in Australia, is massive. I really want to make more space there.”
Given the trajectory of grentperez’s career, such ambitions feel more like an inevitability. He recently completed his first headline tour of Australia and has dates planned at festivals, throughout Europe and even a sold-out North American summer headline tour for 2023, where he’ll also be supporting Cavetown in July and August. And, of course, there’s more music planned. “What I want to do is form a gradient of music,” he says. “I think it’s important to have a vision of what you want to achieve, then I think you’re more likely to follow it. There might be deviations, but if you can keep that goal in sight then you’re creativity will come out on top.”
Such self-belief and cheeriness are what make grentperez so special. “I’m not faking it,” he says with a laugh. “Naturally, for the most part, I’m very, very happy. I’m optimistic. That’s the word for it.”
