Visayan pop

Visayan pop, better known as Vispop, usually refers to popular music in the Cebuano language. The genre has many listeners in the Visayas and parts of Mindanao in which Cebuano is spoken. It is

Definitions and etymology#

The term “Vispop” is derived from Visayan pop or Visayan popular music. Lorenzo “Insoy” Niñal, a member of the Visayan Pop Songwriting Campaign committee, said in 2019, “We have different languages in the Visayas. We accept that. We are sensitive to nuances, that’s why it is called Bisaya, not Cebuano pop.” However, various sources still use the term Vispop in reference to popular music written specifically in Cebuano. Many artists and songs from the Mindanao region are associated with Vispop, due to their use of Cebuano. Examples include the band Oh! Caraga, whose members hail from Caraga, as well as Maris Racal, KZ Tandingan, who are all from Davao. Writing for Nusasonic, Dominic Zinampan noted that “most” budots songs were written in Cebuano, although the musical style originated in Davao. He explained that its history was “deeply rooted in Bisaya culture”. In an article published on February 18, 2025, The Philippine Daily Inquirer ’s Gabriel Pabico Lalu identified budots as a “Visayan pop dance craze”. In the late 2010s, distinct pop music movements emerged in Iloilo and Mindanao. The former was called Ilonggo Pop and focused on songs written in the Hiligaynon language. The latter, called Mindanao Pop or Minpop, aimed to “hyper-localize” pop songs to Mindanao, although some Minpop songs still feature Cebuano lyrics. Founders of both movements have acknowledged Vispop as their inspiration.

Musical styles#

In an interview with Kara Angan of Billboard Philippines, Boholano singer-songwriter Joseph Gara identified a “distinct Bisaya melody” common to Vispop songs. He said that the melody was simple and did not have many complicated elements. He attributed it to the loose structure of traditional Cebuano songs from which the genre evolved, noting that such songs lacked the rigid song structures of Western music. Ruben Almendras of The Freeman described Cebuano musicality as “a mixture of Asian, Spanish and Chinese influences”. Jude Gitamondoc, the founder of Visayan Pop Songwriting Campaign, told Angan in a separate interview that the contest’s vision was to promote “more contemporary trends of pop music” in the Visayas, combining them with genres that previously flourished in the region such as reggae and rock.

Lyrical content#

In an analysis of Vispop artist Therese Villarante-Langit’s music, Mesiona et al. linked her songwriting style to Cebuano traditional literary forms such as balak (spoken poetry, often used in courtship) and balitao (love debate between man and woman). They noted that the influence of these literary forms helps Cebuano speakers “celebrate individuality via literature and music”. Likewise, a Rappler article by Angan notes that the songs feature the “poetic side” of the language, as opposed to everyday conversational Cebuano. This echoes a sentiment expressed by singer Morissette Amon in the interview, who is quoted as saying, " Even though I have been speaking the language, it’s really different when it’s singing." She described the words in Vispop songs as “laum” (deep). In a feature about “Day and Night” by Alamat, a song prominently featuring Cebuano lyrics, Acer Batislaong of Nylon Manila wrote that the Cebuano language adds “an extra touch of romance and allure” to music. Elfa et al. identified romance, family, work, and appreciation for one’s own city as common themes in Vispop, adding that themes of self-love are also common in songs by women. They explained that the songs use sound symbolism to convey meanings even to individuals who do not understand Cebuano. The study concluded that the genre offers listeners an idea of what topics Visayans find important, reflecting Visayan culture and identity. A study published in December 2023 found that Cebuano lyrics in Vispop songs avoided using noun-forming suffixes, favoring noun-forming prefixes, although both inflectional morphemes exist in Cebuano. Cebuano lyrics in Vispop songs also avoided using adverb-forming affixes and negative affixes, but used verb-forming suffixes. Again, all of these morphemes exist in the language itself. Vispop songs often use a mix of Cebuano and other languages, mainly English and sometimes Tagalog.

Introduction of Western music to the Visayans#

Spanish colonization of the Philippines introduced the Visayans to Western musical traditions. In the 17th century, the Spanish historian Francisco Ignacio Alcina wrote that the Visayans learned to play Spanish musical instruments with “notable skill”. Spanish musical instruments such as the Spanish guitar and harp became widely used in the Visayas, supplanting indigenous instruments. The Spaniards influenced the musical styles within the region.

20th century#

Modern Cebuano music first took shape in the 20th century. Its production began to flourish in the early 1900s, owing to the rise of zarzuelas (Spanish-style musical plays) written in Cebuano. In the 1920s to the 1970s, the release of songs such as “Kasadya Ning Taknaa” () in 1933 and “Matud Nila” () in 1941 further strengthened modern Cebuano music. In 1938, In the 1980s, the popularity of MTV, an American musical channel that exclusively played American and non-Cebuano songs, shifted music preferences among Cebuanos. Patronage towards Cebuano music declined. The 1990s saw the formation of Cebuano rock bands Local Ground and Mango Jam. However, they wrote their songs in English, not Cebuano.

2000s to mid-2010s#

In the early 2000s, BisRock bands who sang in Cebuano grew in popularity. Local radios played their songs frequently, contributing to a brief rise in patronage towards Cebuano-language music. In 2009, the prolific composer Jude Gitamondoc pitched the idea of the Visayan Pop Songwriting Campaign, a contest for original compositions written in Cebuano, to Ian Zafra, Lorenzo “Insoy” Niñal, and Cattski Espina of Artists and Musicians Marketing Cooperative (Artist Ko), a creative collective based in Cebu. The inaugural contest took place in 2013, in cooperation with the Filipino Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. In addition to the contest, Artist Ko offered songwriting workshops. In an interview for the event, Espina said, “I was alarmed at the realization that by default, local songwriters write in English.” The festival outlined the following objectives: These artists were considered as the genre’s “new hope”.

Late 2010s to 2022#

In 2017, the Filipino-American artist Karencitta released the single “Cebuana”, a dance pop song with lyrics written in a mix of Cebuano and English. The song had a transformative impact on the Vispop genre. The 2020s saw a significant increase of Vispop hits in mainstream Philippine music, most of which are written in a mix of Cebuano and other languages, primarily English and Tagalog. In September 2021, Maris Racal released a pop-rock single about heartbreak titled “Asa Naman” (), which featured verses in Tagalog and choruses in Cebuano. She explained that Rico Blanco, her partner at the time, encouraged her to write a full song in Cebuano. However, she was “worried that not everyone would understand it”, so she decided to write the song partially in Tagalog. The song won “Best Regional Recording” at the 35th Awit Awards in 2022. In her partly Cebuano acceptance speech, Racal said, “We all know that when we write songs, we should write our truth, and part of my truth is that I’m born in Tagum, Davao. I grew up Bisaya!” She encouraged musicians to stop being afraid of writing songs in Philippine languages beyond Tagalog. Also in September 2021, SB19 member Felip made his solo debut with “Palayo” (), a Vispop song about ending a toxic relationship. In October 2022, Gitamondoc alluded to “Manila organizers … gearing up their machinery to stage multiple music festivals during Sinulog Week”, and urged Cebuanos to stand by the Visayan Pop Songwriting Campaign despite their lack of “clout” and funding. He wrote, “We will not be forever relegated to the sidelines. We will not be a mere afterthought in a scheme to please the locals. We will not remain just front acts to Manila’s main event.”

2023 to present#

On December 6, 2022, Careless Music announced that it would stage the Wavy Baby Festival in Cebu amid Sinulog festivities in January 2023. The festival was marketed as “the first of its kind” for Sinulog. Kara Angan of Rappler noted that the Cebuano music acts were billed at the bottom of Wavy Baby’s promotional poster, below foreign and Manila-based acts. James Reid, co-founder of Careless, issued an apology to Cebuano music acts the Wonggoys, Three Legged Men, the Sundown, and Sepia Times on Instagram. He said, “Thank you for allowing us to come to your hometown and throw this amazing experience. I promise to make it up to you.” The company released a separate statement, saying that they personally reached out to the Cebuano acts involved. Eventscape Manila, one of the festival’s producers, issued another statement blaming the removal of Cebuano acts from the lineup on inclement weather and logistical difficulties. In August, Maymay Entrata released “Tsada Mahigugma”. The title is a Cebuano phrase that translates to “It feels great to be in love”, and is prominently featured throughout the song. Billboard Philippines included it in their end-of-year “Top Filipino Releases of 2023” list, a curated list of reader picks. In January 2024, Cebuano actor-singers Juan Karlos Labajo and Kyle Echarri released “Kasing Kasing” (), a Vispop ballad that is fully in Cebuano. Labajo and Echarri initially planned to write the song in Tagalog, but decided to write it in their native language instead. They shared that they felt Cebuano music lacked representation in the Philippines’ mainstream music industry. In an interview, Echarri said, “We wanted to show how Bisaya people are with our language with how we express our emotions … ,” adding that the two hoped to normalize using Cebuano in songs. In the same year, Cebuano artist Dom Guyot released the queer song “Free” and declared that Vispop was “here to stay”.

Genre family: Cebuano music, Philippine popular music, Philippine styles of music