FROM invading Filipinos’ social media feeds, the viral song “Multo” by the young pop/alternative band Cup of Joe is now thriving on a global music chart!
The song, part of the band’s debut studio album “Silakbo” released this year, has entered the Billboard Global 200 chart this week, landing on the 181st spot.
It ranked ahead of other popular tracks like “Handlebars” by Jennie of the K-pop powerhouse BLACKPINK and singer-songwriter Dua Lipa, “You’ll Be In My Heart” by Indonesian singer-songwriter NIKI, “Toxic Till The End” by BLACKPINK’s Rosé, and Selena Gomez’s recent collaboration song with Benny Blanco, “How Does It Feel To Be Forgotten.”
Cup of Joe vocalist Gian Bernardino shared the news on X (formerly Twitter), quoting the post of allchartsPH that claimed “Multo” is the “first Filipino song in history to enter the chart.”
First released in 2024 as a single, “Multo” was written by the band’s other vocalist, Raphael Ridao, with his brother Immanuel, in 2020.
Cup of Joe released the hit track’s music video in February, starring Miles Ocampo and Elijah Canlas, who play the role of an ex-couple haunted by the memories of their once-vibrant love.
Meaning of ‘Multo’
The Ridao brothers worked together on “Multo” at the height of the COVID-19 crisis that drastically reduced people’s mobility and significantly impacted their physical and mental health.
Raphael said they were stuck in a room and could not process their feelings and what they were going through at the time. The two found songwriting as an outlet to express themselves, which eventually resulted in “Multo.”
“Nilabas namin doon lahat ng mga feelings namin na longing, lahat ng lungkot na hindi namin inakalang kaya namin harapin. After naming masulat ‘yung song, parang meron [kaming] sense of relief, para bang nawalan ng bigat ‘yung dibdib namin,” shared Raphael.
“It is about kahit saan ka pumunta, sinusundan ka pa rin ng mga nararamdaman mo kasi it’s part of being human, na kahit anong gawin mo, nandyan pa rin. Kahit ilang taon na nakalipas, bigla mo na lang maaalala, ‘di ka lilisanin, minumulto ka ng damdamin mo,” he added.
A frequent TikTok user won’t probably go a day without hearing “Multo” on the social media platform. It has been used as background music by netizens for their TikTok clips, where they share their own versions of “Multo.”
For some, their “Multo” is a failed relationship or a dream career they did not pursue. Others said it is a past mistake that still haunts them today, or their greatest “what if” and “what could have been” if a certain scenario did not happen.
Raphael expressed how thankful the band is for the support they have been getting from listeners, whom they felt connected with through “Multo.”
“Sobrang nakakataba ng puso na malaman na marami rin sa inyong nakaka-connect sa sinulat namin kasi nilagay namin doon ‘yung heart and soul namin,” the vocalist said. “Magkakasama tayo lahat dito, sa lahat ng nararamdaman natin. Walang mag-isa, lahat tayo sama-sama.”
Breaking records
On X, Cup of Joe shared with its fans, collectively known as Joewahs, that it became the first-ever Filipino act to reach over 8.3 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
“Multo” has become one of the band’s most-played songs on the global music streaming platform, earning over 62 million streams.
Cup of Joe performed the hit track during its two-night “Silakbo” concert at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on February 8 and 9.
