Spotify RADAR artist Illest Morena: A skilled rapper and a proud Pinay

MANILA, Philippines – Anybody can tell that Illest Morena loves what she does. 

Even when she’s offstage, she beamed with energy, enthusiastically answering whatever questions we had for her and willingly opening up on the journey to get to where she was now.

The Filipina hip-hop artist had always been drawn to singing since her childhood, but she had always felt that she couldn’t keep up with the standards back then that placed more value on singers who could effortlessly belt out high notes and do runs on top of that. 

Interestingly, however, this was what kickstarted her foray into hip-hop – realizing that she was made for rap and rap was made for her. 

At present, the young artist has seen herself sit at the top of the Spotify Philippines chart numerous times, with several hits like “Faded (Raw),” “Lagabog,” and “Slow Burn” under her belt. With this, it’s no surprise that this was already her second year as a Spotify RADAR artist. 

“I think [Spotify RADAR] really helped me reach more people through my music kasi kahit hindi ka nila nakita somewhere on social media, mas nagiging familiar sila sa name mo, sa music mo (because even if they didn’t see you somewhere on social media, they still become familiar with your name and your music), [so it gives you more] credibility for them to check you and your music out,” she said. 

In an exclusive interview with Rappler, the young artist shared what it was like to make a name for herself in the local hip-hop scene and how she has evolved throughout her career. 

A woman in hip-hop

Illest Morena began making a name for herself in 2021 when she participated in an online rap challenge she called “Swagapino.” The entire thing had been a spontaneous affair. She had filmed herself spitting out the bars she had thought of off the top of her head, posted it on social media, and was later surprised to see thousands of people lip-syncing to her short audio and using it for makeup videos. 

Illest Morena was among the very few female rappers in the local music scene when she began releasing her own songs, so she quickly gained traction among Filipino listeners looking to adorn their playlists with more hip-hop. 

“The only rappers [who were] out and really getting recognized by people were Alex Bruce and Zae, so it was really hard to fill in those shoes in some way. Pero siyempre, since uhaw ‘yung mga tao (But of course, since people were thirsty) for more female music, for more hip-hop music, medyo naging madali siya for me kasi sabi, ‘Uy, bago ‘to (it was quite easy for me because people were saying, ‘Hey, this is new.’),‘” Illest Morena said. 

Her career had only moved forward from there. Despite admittedly having a few “down days” here and there, Illest Morena had pushed herself to keep writing. After a few sessions, she had finally crafted an entire song, and never stopped from then on. 

“Naglabas kami nang naglabas ng kanta (We kept releasing songs) until I got my first hit, and that’s what gave me motivation to continue. Sabi ko, ‘Pagpapatuloy ko ‘to kasi (I said, ‘I’ll keep at this because) I feel like I was made for this,'” she said. 

But being a woman in the music industry hasn’t been an easy ride for Illest Morena, so much so that she saw it as a double-edged sword. 

“‘Pag female artist ka, mabilis kang mare-recognize ng tao kasi hindi kayo ganoon karami pa sa scene e. Pero at the same time, limited lang din ‘yung listeners na makikinig sa’yo kasi not a lot of guys listen to female music. Not a lot of guys get into the vibe and the themes na nilalabas ng mga female artists, so I feel like you either have to be super unique or super pretty to really pop off kapag female artist ka sa Pinas,” she explained. 

(When you’re a female artist, people will recognize you more quickly because there aren’t that many of you yet in the scene. But at the same time, your listeners will be limited because not a lot of guys listen to female music. Not a lot of guys get into the vibe and the themes that female artists put out, so I feel like you either have to be super unique or super pretty to really pop off when you’re a female artist in the Philippines.)  

For the love of music and for her desire to create an impact, however, Illest Morena soldiers on. 

“As a female artist, I feel like there’s a lot of pressure to create an impact, pero (but) at the same time, now na (that) there’s a lot of female representation compared to before, I want to keep it going kasi (because) I’m one of the pioneers, I can say, in this genre in this generation. That’s what pushes me to keep on creating music,” she said. 

The evolution of Illest Morena

A lot has changed since Illest Morena officially began her career as an artist in 2021. She had gone through several phases of experimentation, often diving into new styles and genres whenever she had the chance. Three years later, she had finally found who Illest Morena was supposed to be. 

“[In] 2021, my mindset was that I should put out songs na mas pinapakinggan ng listeners ko, pero now, nagshift ‘yung mindset ko, lalong-lalo na nung nirelease ko bigla ‘yung ‘Salvaje Freestyle’ before ‘Faded (Raw).’ That’s what changed my mindset. Sabi ko: ‘I’m gonna do me. I’m gonna do what I want. I don’t have to conform to the standards I set [for] myself,'” she declared. 

(In 2021, my mindset was that I should put out songs that my audience was more likely to listen to, but now, my mindset has shifted, especially when I suddenly released “Salvaje Freestyle” before “Faded (Raw).” That’s what changed my mindset. I said: “I’m gonna do me. I’m gonna do what I want. I don’t have to conform to the standards I set for myself.”) 

Despite the evolution of her sound, there’s one thing that remained constant: her Pinay pride. 

“I’m really proud of my heritage,” Illest Morena said when asked why it’s important for her to highlight her being a Filipina and a morena in her music. 

The “Sabik” artist admitted to having a colonial mentality before, opting to look up to international artists instead of Filipino ones. But Illest Morena had gradually realized the value of representing her own country through her craft. 

“I wanted to be the best version of myself instead of being a subpar version of somebody else. That’s the reason why I place a lot of emphasis on being a Filipina. I’m proud to be Pinay,” she added. 

Aptly, this is the exact legacy Illest Morena would like to leave behind as a modern Filipina musician: taking pride in her culture, skin color, and experiences as a Filipino woman. Ultimately, she hopes to inspire younger Filipino women to pursue their craft head-on. 

With this, Illest Morena has one sage piece of advice: 

“Don’t give up on [your passions]. Just because you’re not seeing the results right now doesn’t mean it’s not gonna happen. If you want it, you already deserve it. It’s already there, it’s just not showing up yet,” she said. – Rappler.com

Check out the Spotify RADAR playlist here.