Introducing Dilaw: Your Spotify RADAR Philippines 2025 artist

WHAT pops into your mind when you hear the word “Dilaw?”

For many, it is a vibrant color. For some Gen Z music enjoyers, it is the hit track about finding someone who can bring joy into their lives.

And for others, it is the name of an up-and-coming rock band in the Philippines, which means “‘Di ilaw sa gabing mapanglaw.”

That is the “Dilaw” we are talking about.

Ever heard of the song that goes: “Bakit uhaw sa ‘yong sayaw? / Bakit ikaw? / ‘Di bibitaw, sa ‘yong sa ‘yo / Laging ikaw?”

Dilaw is the voice behind that viral song, titled “Uhaw (Tayong Lahat),” which has now more than 206 million streams on the music streaming platform Spotify.

The band has been named as one of the Spotify RADAR Philippines 2025 artists, along with nine other rising Filipino acts who have been making waves in the local music scene and gearing up to become the next global stars.

Humble beginnings

Formed in Baguio, Benguet in 2021, Dilaw is a six-piece rock band composed of Vie Dela Rosa, the writer; Dilaw Obero, the vocalist; Leon Karlos Altomonte, the guitarist; En Altomonte, the keyboardist; Tobi Samson, the drummer; and Wayne Dela Rosa, the bassist.

When Dilaw is mentioned, the band members said they are often mistaken for a hit song among Gen Z listeners or a solo artist. 

Fun fact, going solo was the initial plan Vie and Dilaw had in mind before introducing themselves as an alternative hip-hop duo.

“Dapat solo artist lang siya [Dilaw], tapos ako sa likod lang ako. Parang Finneas,” Vie said in an exclusive interview with republicasia. 

The band’s songwriter was referring to singer-songwriter and Billie Eilish’s brother, Finneas O’Connell.

“Tapos nag-decide kami na, ‘Tara, duo na lang kasi mukhang masaya rin sa album cover.’ Ayun lang ‘yun eh, parang ang pangit ‘pag ikaw lang. Kailangan dagdagan ng medyo kapogian ‘yung album cover,” he continued.

Dilaw chimed in, “Dalawa na kami, pangit pa rin. Dalawa lang eh.”

This prompted the duo to invite Tobi, Vie’s brother, Wayne, and the Altomonte siblings, Leon and En, to form the rock band.

Vie and Dilaw said they retained the name “Dilaw” for the band, short for “‘Di ilaw sa gabing mapanglaw.”

“Taong gabi kami, so takot kami sa ilaw,” explained Dilaw.

“Hindi kami ilaw tapos shortcut na lang Dilaw. Kasi masyadong mahaba ‘yung ‘’Di ilaw sa gabing mapanglaw.’ ‘Pag ina-announce mahaba masyado, ‘Please welcome, ‘Di ilaw sa gabing mapanglaw,’” he added.

The Dilaw members have been creating music together for three years, making them grow close and know the ins and outs of each other. This helps them build a good chemistry and produce good songs, despite their different musical backgrounds.

Music inspiration

Some listeners find Dilaw’s songs interesting. One example is the 2022 single “3019,” which is based on Republic Act (RA) No. 3019 or the “Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act” and has over two million streams on Spotify.

But what exactly is Dilaw’s main inspiration for its discography?

“‘Yung inspiration namin kung ano ‘yung—‘yung mga taong nakakahalubilo minsan,” Vie said. 

He continued, “I mean, parte sila ng inspiration namin kasi kapag nagsusulat kami, sa side ko, kapag nagsusulat ako parang kung ano ‘yung na-o-observe ko so far o paano ko nakilala ‘yung tao, doon ko ibe-base.”

The songwriter said he also gets inspired by other local artists in the indie scene like Zild and ONE CLICK STRAIGHT, who is also part of the Spotify RADAR Philippines 2025 slate.

Leon agreed with Vie and said they draw much inspiration from their fellow music artists and happenings around them.

“Being in the music scene, it’s super inspiring already. As a musician, you always have dreams of performing onstage and with the crowd,” the guitarist expressed.

“One of the biggest things that has pushed me to and has cemented the thought that I really wanted to do this is seeing other people in the scene enjoying themselves and expressing themselves as musicians,” he added. “And to be able to participate in that and to share the feeling with everyone is great for all of us.”

Vie said their vision as a band remains the same over the years: to produce an “experimental” hip-hop discography with a touch of romantic tracks. This is evident in Dilaw’s Love Trilogy series, featuring “Nilalang,” “YIEE,” and its latest single “Mahal.”

“‘Yung vision, so far, nandon pa rin and still going. Parang pina-plan ahead namin kung may need kaming idagdag or kung parang vibe check kung align pa ba tayo,” the songwriter said.

Becoming a rising artist

From busking around the streets of Baguio City, Dilaw has now more than 4.2 million monthly listeners on Spotify, making it one of the emerging Filipino acts in the local music industry.

There have been many rock bands—some cemented their names already—in the Original Pinoy Music (OPM) scene. If there is something new that Dilaw would offer to today’s generation of listeners, it is none other than its chemistry on and off the stage.

“We try to put our chemistry on display whenever we record a song. I wouldn’t say we are the only band that has chemistry. No, everyone has great chemistry on stage. It’s just that everyone has different chemistry,” Leon stressed. “Our brand of chemistry, that’s what we want to show, which is the way we work together, the way our different sounds and ideas jive together.”

For the members, blending all their diverse musical backgrounds—from hip-hop, to rock, afrobeat, and electronic dance music (EDM)—and stories “feels natural.”

“It’s like it creates something new, like a new sound or like even just the feel itself,” Tobi said. “Because there is a way to have the same sound, but the feel is so difficult to imitate or replicate.”

Dilaw showcased its chemistry as it took the spotlight as one of the RADAR Philippines artists for this year. Vie said they were thrilled after learning that they are part of the 2025 slate.

“Magandang nagkaka-program and magandang may ganitong klaseng platform for artists na nag-i-strive,” Vie said. 

“Sa’min magiging malaking platform and magiging malaking tulong ito para sa banda para ma-reach ‘yung tamang tao na gusto makinig ng music namin through Spotify,” he added.

With Spotify RADAR Philippines fueling its next chapter, Dilaw said it will continue to produce new songs and perform in various gigs. 

“We love playing live, that’s one of the reasons we became so close to each other, and discovering each other in the studio is something we’re doing now and we’re hoping the output’s good,” said Leon.

The band also encouraged other music enjoyers to explore the indie scene and listen to its discography.

“Pakinggan niyo kami. Pakinggan niyo rin kami. Sapilitan na ‘to. Pakinggan niyo kami kasi gagalingan namin palagi tsaka marami kaming story to tell,” Vie shared.

Leon chimed in, “And sa underground scene—regardless of the genre whether it’s indie rock, whether it’s folk, hip-hop—has so much to offer creatively. It has so many messages that are nice to hear, and it’s just—as a musician, seeing other musicians is one of the most inspiring things out there.”

“So, if you like music, you should be diving into the underground scene regardless of the genre,” the guitarist concluded.

Check out Dilaw’s songs on the RADAR Philippines playlist on Spotify!