How KathNiel film led Fil-Aussie singer grentperez to an OPM cover.

Grant Perez's memories of visiting the Philippines 10 years ago was of meeting family members and mall hopping. He was just 11 years old then. Little did that Filipino-Australian boy imagine that he would one day return to tour as a professional singer-songwriter.'This is my first time here in 10 years. Coming back as a musician is really interesting. To be honest, I think I have only scratched the surface level but it feels surreal. To have a career and perform in the Philippines is nuts,' he told the Inquirer.

Grant, who goes by the stage name Grentperez (stylized as grentperez), recently played an intimate outdoor show at the Eastwood Central Plaza, his first live performance in Asia. 'I love it. I just love performing live and having fun. That's really one of my main goals. And I love when the crowd gets involved,' he said.

'Just listening to the audience sing along with me is crazy to me. And it's very heartwarming,' the 21-year-old artist added. 'I always get surprised when the fans suggest what songs I should sing next. I was like, 'Wow, you actually like that song?''Born in Australia, grentperez grew up in a music-loving Filipino home where The Beatles, Eagles, Queen and Apo Hiking Society were in constant rotation. Upon getting his first nylon-string acoustic, he taught himself how to pluck chords and eventually play songs like Jeremy Passion's 'Lemonade.'

In 2013, he put up a YouTube channel where he posted covers and, eventually, original songs. His 'Sing U to Sleep' series, where he performs a series of acoustic numbers was a big hit during the pandemic, especially among anxious souls with frayed nerves.Melding influences of pop, indie folk, soul, bossa nova and a touch of R and B, grentperez scored his first big hit in 2021 with the flirtatious, sultry dance tune 'Cherry Wine.' The song swept Spotify charts across the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore. In just two years, his continually growing discography has already amassed 200 million streams.

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Childhood nostalgia

He recently dropped his first EP (extended play), 'When We Were Younger,' a seven-track collection fueled by nostalgia and the carefree creativity of childhood. Born out of his desire to keep cynicism at bay, the EP is a cocktail of seemingly disparate genres that surprisingly mesh beautifully-Philadelphia-soul, old-Hollywood strings, bossa nova and pop elements inspired by romantic comedy flicks.

'Connecting with what I...