Vincent Eco: Of Cebuano indie-folk and love

After 13 years of making music, Cebuano indie-folk singer-songwriter Vincent Eco revisits his roots, the highs and lows of love, and his debut album, Kiss & Disappear.

Born and raised in Lapu-Lapu City, Vincent grew to love music through his father, who was his inspiration and the primary influence for the songs he writes today. 

Truth be told, Vincent wasn’t always into indie-folk. The talented musician used to prefer rock music, and was a drummer in a highschool band.

“Back in my high school band days, me and my bandmates would jam in a studio and it lasted until we reached college,” he said.

After graduating college from the Asian College Of Technology in Cebu City, he decided to be his “own man” and performed solo in multiple open mics and acoustic jams in the Queen City.

This eventually led to him getting signed with 22 Tango Music Group in 2015. In 2018, he launched his debut album, Kiss & Disappear.

Vincent believes that whatever song he writes today doesn’t necessarily have a genre. Having a genre, for him, means being put inside a box.

“Sometimes, when I listen to music, I get influenced by it so I make music to what I was hearing, and to what I was inspired to write,” he said.

“Mainly from my album, the genres you can hear are like folk music and rock music. It’s sort of a blend of folk-rock music and maybe some indie. Sort of like that,” he added.

Vincent finds great joy in expressing himself extensively through his music, collaborating with other talented artists, and even seeing how much people around him enjoy his songs.

Even as the world went under lockdown due to COVID-19, Vincent never missed a chance to keep on writing. However, there were some challenges.

“It was hard to make music during the pandemic. Actually, the last thing that I ever did was record a demo for my next releases but it got halted because of the lockdown,” he said.

“I was inspired for a while to write music, and then I stopped writing music for myself. However, it became more like writing music that I would let other people perform,” he added.

Among other collaborations with Cebuano artists, Vincent also writes and performs in a Cebu-based band known as The Sundown, Cebu-based band made up of himself, Aaron Domingo on vocals, Gino Rosales on the acoustic, Luigi Balazo on bass, and Alden Panes on drums.

“It’s hard for me to make music just for myself because I draw inspiration from people around me, from my current relationship or my current situation,” said Vincent.

He recalls that during the lockdown, he decided to learn “music production” after being inspired by Paul McCartney. This gave him the chance to continue doing what he loved, and even revisit an old project which he left unfinished in 2018.

Vincent hopes that once the global pandemic is over, he can play live for his fans in music festivals all over the country. He also wishes to continue doing more collaborations with new talents in the industry.

“I hope to be making more music and releasing more music,” he concluded.

These are the songs on Kiss & Disappear, and the stories behind them:

“Kiss & Disappear”

“’Kiss & Disappear” is about having a crush or infatuation with someone, and you just imagining having this romantic relationship together,” Vincent said.

He added that the song was based loosely on romantic scenes featuring characters Jim and Pam from the television series The Office.

While also the title of the song, the album Kiss & Disappear is a collection of ballads and lyrics that Vincent has written along the years.

“Before making the album, I was making a lot of music. So when it was time to actually make production on that music, collaborating with famous Cebuano producer Cattski Espina, I had these songs ready,” he said.

According to the singer, Espina developed it to be the full album it is today with the help of 22 Tango Music group.

“The story of the album Kiss & Disappear builds a story about the highs and lows of love and life. That’s the whole premise or the whole vibe or mood of “Kiss & Disappear,’” said Vincent.

Listen to “Kiss & Disappear” on Spotify here:

“I Know You Do”

For Vincent, “I Know You Do” is about choosing to love someone despite the relationship turning sour.

“You sort of hope that it would still work out even though the spark is gone,” he said.

The song is the second track of the album and according to Vincent, includes an easter egg for the next track in his album.

Listen to the song on Spotify, or check out the music video here:

“Make You Stay”

The third song in the album, “Make You Stay” is a continuation of “I Know You Do.”

“In the first verse of I know you do, it says, ‘I’m not trying to push myself to make you stay,’ which is actually a reference to this song,” Vincent said.

The song revolves around the feeling of wanting to make someone stay, even when the relationship is bound to end. 

“You remember the good times and you cling to it, hoping that those good times would come back again,” he added.

Listen to “Make You Stay” on Spotify here:

“Chasing Happiness”

“This song is about chasing your dreams, and it sort of asks the question that if you chase your dreams would you be happy, or is chasing it still worth it?” said Vincent.

The fourth song of the album makes a subtle reference to the Queen City, and comes off as a great motivational song that one may often hear in the co-working spaces of the city.

Listen to “Chasing Happiness” on Spotify here:

“We Don’t Talk”

The fifth song in the album is one for the friendzoned.

“The song is about being in the friendzone, and trying not to make things weird so you end up not talking to that someone anymore,” Vincent said.

Vincent remarks having felt this experience a couple of times in the past, saying that it’s quite a humorous situation.

“It’s a funny situation, it’s an awkward and weird thing but the song is so heart wrenching, like it’s sad,” he added.

Listen to “We Don’t Talk” on Spotify here:

“Falling”

In a collaboration with Cebuano singer-songwriter Lourdes Maglinte, Vincent belts out one of his most painful lyrics to date in the sixth song of the album, “Falling.”

“It was our first collab together and she is such an incredibly talented artist, and actually it was great collaborating with her,” he said.

According to Vincent, the song is about desperately falling for someone and not knowing if they feel the same way. 

Listen to “Falling” on Spotify here:

“Last Oath”

The seventh song of the album is the first song Vincent wrote since starting his career.

“It’s about a promise that you keep to someone, that when you both become old and single, you and that someone would agree and try to be in a relationship with them,” he said.

“Last Oath” has a lively beat and is known to be a common indie-folk song that serenades most couples and best friends who travel the province together.

Listen to “Last Oath” on Spotify here: 

“Fire”

“It’s the feeling you get after a breakup, especially when you’re not over it,” said Vincent.

Blasting riffs off his guitar, “Fire” is definitely for the rocker with relationship issues.

According to the singer, the eighth song in the album describes what it feels like when you think about that certain someone, and wonder if they still think about you.

“It’s like I’m on fire and I still have feelings for you,” he said.

Listen to “Fire” on Spotify here:

“Human”

The ninth song of the album is an indie-folk masterpiece for those going through the rocks.

“This song is very dear to me as it talks about mental health and depression,” said Vincent.

“It’s really about being human, and having flaws, and it’s okay to have them because you make mistakes. You are human,” he added.

Listen to “Human” on Spotify here:

“Please Don’t Let Me Go”

“When couples fight and they don’t talk to each other for a day or two, and they say please don’t give up on us yet, this is that,” Vincent said.

“Please Don’t Let Me Go” is the tenth song in the album and comes from a vulnerable place in the singer-songwriter’s life.

“As long as you communicate and not let that thing tear you apart, it will work, the relationship will work,” he said.

Listen to “Please Don’t Let Me Go” on Spotify here:

“Ramona”

Coming in last in the album, “Ramona” is a song based on the character “Ramona Flowers” from Scott Pilgrim Vs the World, a graphic novel turned movie written by Bryan Lee O’Malley.

“When I saw her in the books, I was like, I need to write that song,” Vincent said.

Vincent joked about how even the book’s main character has a song called “Ramona,” adding how interesting of a personality Ramona Flowers is.

“It’s about how interesting the personality is of that character, Ramona Flowers, that makes her compelling and you kinda root for the guy, you root for Scott Pilgrim,” he added.

Listen to “Ramona” on Spotify here:

– Rappler.com