Cup Of Joe’s Unstoppable Year, From Baguio to Beyond

In 2025, no Filipino band has defined the sound of the era quite like Cup Of Joe. Their ascent from a tight-knit group of high school classmates in Baguio City to becoming the Philippines’ number one band feels like the kind of career arc reserved for fiction. Yet here they are: the year’s most streamed local act who sold out the Araneta Coliseum not just once, but five times — and creators of a phenomenon called “Multo,” which dominated the Billboard Philippines Hot 100 for 27 straight weeks and continues to rule the Billboard Philippines Top Philippine Songs chart for 35 weeks and counting. And at the inaugural Filipino Music Awards last October, the group sealed their place in modern OPM history, taking home song of the year for “Multo” and album of the year for Silakbo.

For a band that started in classrooms and lunch breaks, the scale of their success still feels surreal.

“Sobrang (very) unexpected,” vocalist Gian Bernardino says when asked how it feels to hold records that even legacy acts would envy. “Kasi if we talk about how we began, it’s a very, very one-in-a-million chance na mangyari sa amin ‘yun, kasi nga (that this would happen to us, because) we started the band for fun and we didn’t really expect or envision us na makakapag-achieve ng ganitong klaseng (to achieve this kind of) milestone.”

Fellow vocalist Rapha Ridao nods, recalling the band’s earliest days with the same clarity he brings to his lyrics. “Yeah, tapos andaming nagtatanong din na, ‘Anong sikreto? Bakit naabot sa ganito ‘yung banda?’ Wala naman talagang secret, eh — hard work and dedication talaga. Tapos dahil sa hard work naming lahat, sabay-sabay kami nag-evolve, gumaling sa craft namin. Tapos tinuloy-tuloy lang namin ‘yung kung anong gusto naming gawin. [We’re] very thankful na ngayon, nagkakaroon kami ng maraming chances to showcase what we have to everybody.”

(“A lot of people asked us, ‘What’s your secret? How did the band reach that level?’ There’s really no secret — just hard work and dedication. And because of it, we evolved together and improved in our craft. We just kept going in doing what we loved. We’re very thankful that we now have many chances to showcase what we have to everybody.”)

Carving a Scene in the North

The band’s roots are inseparable from the city that shaped them. Baguio’s creative pulse — its mix of quiet, cold air and a deep tradition of visual and musical artistry — forms the backdrop to Cup of Joe’s identity. While Manila long held the reputation as the country’s musical capital, the band’s rise has turned long-held assumptions on their head.

Lead guitarist Gab Fernandez has seen the ripple effects firsthand. “Parang naging effect niya — ‘di lang sa amin, pati rin sa mga ibang bands at sa mga ibang artists sa Baguio na dati hindi masyadong nabibigyan ng spotlight or ng audience… unti-unti ring nag-evolve ‘yung music scene sa Baguio — mas nagiging rich, mas maraming nadi-discover na mga artists na matagal nang nakatago doon sa Baguio.”

(“Its effect wasn’t just for us, but also for other Baguio artists that didn’t have the spotlight or much of an audience. The music scene in Baguio has evolved gradually — it has become richer, and more of them are being discovered, especially the ones that have been obscure for a long time.”)

Rhythm guitarist CJ Fernandez adds that Baguio’s artistic atmosphere has become a magnet for musicians from elsewhere. “Medyo ironic siya, kasi dati dito (Manila) ‘yung center ng lahat,” he explains. “Pero ngayon, ‘yung ibang artists na nandito, [sa] Baguio na ngayon dumadayo, kasi medyo matunog ‘yung name ni Kuya Shad (in-demand Baguio-based producer Shadiel Chan). Parang gusto rin nilang i-explore. May mga [Manila-based] artist friends din kami na panay nagtatanong na, ‘Ano bang meron sa Baguio?’ Natural na talaga sa lugar ‘yung artistry.”

(“It’s ironic, because Manila used to be the center of everything, but now a lot of Manila-based artists head to Baguio because Shadiel Chan has made a name for himself, so they want to explore creating music there. A lot of them ask, ‘What makes Baguio special?” Artistry is really just natural to the place.”)

And while the local gig infrastructure remains limited — “‘Yun ‘yung medyo (that’s the slight) constraint,” CJ admits — the city’s biggest strength lies in what it evokes in those who create there. Whenever the band returns home, something clicks.

Gab says it best: “Feeling ko nakakatulong ‘yun, kasi lalo na pag magkasama kaming lima doon, parang bumabalik ‘yung feeling na parang kami ‘yung mga high school students na gusto lang talagang magsulat ng songs na gusto naming isulat. Walang pressure — pure and sincere songwriting lang.”

(“I feel that all five of us being together in Baguio fuels our creativity, as it somehow brings back the feeling of being high school students again who just want to write the songs that we wanted to write. There’s no pressure — just pure and sincere songwriting.”)

From “Tingin” to “Multo”

Before “Multo” took over the nation, there was “Tingin”— the collaboration with singer Janine Teñoso that became a breakthrough hit that hinted at Cup Of Joe’s potential. But inside the band, there was no pressure to chase or replicate success.

“Every time na nababalitaan namin na nag-chart ‘yung song namin (we get news that our song is on the charts), we’re like, ‘Wow! Congrats [to us]!’” Gian says, emphasizing that they never approached writing with chart performance in mind. “Lagi lang talaga kami nasu-surprise (we’re all just sincerely surprised). It’s in that way that we maintain our authenticity.”

Rapha describes “Tingin” as a turning point — not for fame, but for clarity. “It gave us the idea that our songs could reach that much [of an] audience or make that much impact on people. Dahil sa ‘Tingin,’ nag-click [sa amin] na kaya pala ng music namin ‘yung ganito (it clicked in us that our music is capable of achieving such things). I guess nagtanggal siya ng limit namin (it took away our personal limits of what we hoped to achieve).”

Then came Silakbo, and within it, “Multo,” a song that transcended the band’s own expectations. Its longevity across charts is unmatched in 2025, and its emotional grasp only widened the band’s listening community.

The Album as Art, The Band as a Unit

In a landscape dominated by streaming algorithms, Cup Of Joe chose to build their identity around a full-length album — a deliberate statement in an age of singles and curated playlists.

“Para sa akin (For me), there’s something really deep and personal with making an album. Lalo na sa process — ‘yung lima kami sa studio, tapos nag-overnight (especially in the process, where all five of us are in the studio doing all-nighters),” Rapha explains. “Seeing ‘yung lahat ng effort and emotion na nilalagay namin sa lahat ng songs, may ibang feeling, eh. Mahirap siya, pero nung natapos, may satisfaction (seeing all the effort and emotion we put in all the songs gives a unique feeling. It’s difficult, but satisfying in the end).”

Keyboardist Xen Gareza expands on the significance of the format: “You can tell so much more [about] an artist through their album compared sa paisa-isang song lang (to single releases).” He then likens albums to feature-length movies, as opposed to YouTube shorts that aren’t as rewarding, adding, “May something talaga about sa length ng isang [piece of] entertainment or art (there’s something about the length of a piece of entertainment or art).”

Thematically anchored in the five stages of grief, Silakbo is a collection of songs that works as a narrative designed to be experienced from start to finish. “It’s a narrative of feelings na tinatago natin (that we keep hidden),” continues Rapha. “And ang hope namin (our hope) is by the end of listening to it, mas na-understand mo [ang] sarili mo, ang pinagdadaanan mo, and hopefully, may magawa ka in order to put yourself in a better space (you will understand yourself more and what you are going through, and do something to put yourself in a better place).”

What Comes Next

With five sold-out Araneta Coliseum shows in 2025 and a runaway hit that refuses to be let go of by its audience, Cup Of Joe seem destined for even broader horizons. After having just toured both North America and the Middle East before closing out the year, the band is preparing for a big nationwide trek in 2026. “Our next step would be to [get] in touch with our international fans,” says Gian at the time of this interview, which preceded both tours. “We’ll start from there.”

Rapha adds, “Gusto namin mag-reach out sa (We want to reach out to our) international fans while being there for ‘yung mga fans namin (our fans) here sa Philippines, kasi sila rin ‘yung rason kung bakit kami nakaabot dito (because they’re the reason we got this far).”

And if there’s pressure to surpass their No. 1 hit? Gab shrugs off the notion. “Wala namang ganoong [goal] talaga (it’s really not our goal),” he insists. “Siguro nag-top lang [‘yung ‘Multo’] para maging (perhaps ‘Multo’ topped the charts to serve as a) platform for the new fans to get to know us. We have so much [more] to offer them. Basta kami, tuloy-tuloy lang kami (We’ll just keep making music).”

“Tuloy ‘yung pagsulat, ‘yung pagkanta, kasi ‘yun talaga ang na-e-enjoy namin,” closes Rapha. “And just hope na ma-appreciate din ng fans ‘yung mga ginagawa namin, kasi kami, super proud kami sa lahat ng ginagawa namin.”

(“We’ll keep writing and singing, because that’s what we enjoy the most. And just hope that the fans appreciate what we create, because we’re super proud of all of it.”)