How awards fuel, validate, and ground music artists
While awards aren’t the first thing on artists’ minds when they make music, they’re certainly nice to have. And depending on where they are in their careers, recognition from fans or the industry can serve as a fuel to dream bigger, a reminder to stay grounded, or a validation of their hard work and its impact.
At the Awit Awards 2025 press room, R&B artist Dionela gamely posed for photos, cradling multiple trophies. He still had a recording session right after the event—but after a haul like this, who needs caffeine?
“This will be my gasoline to stay up all night,” he tells Lifestyle Inquirer.
Dionela was one of the event’s big winners—taking home Best Solo Performance for “Marilag” and both Best R&B Recording and Best Collaboration for “Sining” with Jay-R. “That’s how faithful God is in my life,” he says.
These wins, however, didn’t come out of nowhere; he has been on a streak of success with award-giving bodies, and continues to amass impressive streaming figures over the past two years. But his ascent hasn’t been without naysayers. His lyricisms—particularly his use of deep Tagalog words and unconventional metaphors—have been criticized. His performance style has also been deemed over the top.
Despite the doubters, Dionela finds clarity through his faith. “Whether I’m having success or facing negativity, my prayer is the same: I want to be like Jesus every time,” he says. “It’s easy to be humble kapag mahal ka ng lahat. Pero mas napa-practice mo ‘yung humility kapag ‘yung iba ayaw sa ‘yo.”
Enduring friendship
While Dionela sees his wins as “a reflection of God’s greatness” in his life, Ben&Ben sees theirs as a timely reminder that friendship, above all else, comes first.
The nine-piece pop-folk collective walked away with Best Group Performance for “Triumph” and Album of the Year for “The Traveller Across Dimensions”—not bad for a band that attended the event with no expectations.
“It’s a surprise, and we’re very thankful. Earlier, I was telling everyone that no matter what, our friendship will remain solid,” says Miguel Guico, who shares lead vocal duties with his twin brother, Paolo. “These awards mean a lot to us—the friendship, the fights, the tears, the hard work that went into bringing our music to life.”
Yes, even the fights—something that exists, he says, in everything worth keeping. The band has been together for almost nine years now—two and a half of those, under one roof during the pandemic—so conflicts are inevitable. But can you really call it friendship if it has never been tested?
“Nakaaway ko na lahat dito. Maraming conflicts, pero na-resolve. Dahil dun, masasabi namin na tunay ang pagkakaibigan namin,” Miguel says.
This is a lesson Paolo hopes to pass on to fellow musicians looking to make it as a group. “If there’s something we haven’t or will not trade for anything, it’s friendship,” he says. “To those in a team or in a band, trying to achieve something, never forget about the thing that brought you together. Hold on to it when times are toughest.”
Those behind the scenes
Presented by Vibe, this edition of Awit Award gathered some of the local music scene’s biggest stars and rising talents. There was SB19, who, despite not being able to attend because of a previous commitment, still made their presence felt with multiple awards: Best Global Collaboration Recording (“Moonlight”), as well as Best Rap/Hip-Hop Recording, Best Cover Art, and Best Music Video—all for “Kalakal” feat. Gloc-9.
But true to form, the event also shone a light on artists and professionals whose names we usually only see in song credits or liner notes.
For most of his career, Kahlil Refuerzo worked in advertising and wrote songs for commercials. Never did he imagine that one day he would stand onstage, accepting a trophy in front of the people he admires.
“It’s my first award from the industry, and it feels good,” he says. “I usually work behind the scenes. I’m not used to this, I’m shaking right now!”
Rapper-producer Luke April Isnani of the alternative hip-hop group PLAYERTWO spends as much—if not more—time in the studio as he does onstage. Still, it’s humbling to be recognized for work that most people never notice.
“Iba ang feeling…I’m grateful because it’s not always that sound engineers or producers get recognized, especially here in the Philippines,” says Isnani, who shares the Best Vocal Arrangement Award with Felip Suson (also known as Ken of SB19) for the song “Ache.”
“There’s a bit of pressure now,” he quips. “But really, we’re just doing this for the love of music. The award just means our work resonated with the people, the critics. It’s an amazing feeling.”
Icing on the cake
Now here’s someone no stranger to awards. For his indelible contribution to Philippine music, Ely Buendia was bestowed the Dangal ng Musikang Pilipino award. Through the years, the rock icon has collected numerous awards for his work with the Eraserheads and as a solo artist. But while the pride of holding a trophy never gets old, they’re just “icing on the cake.”
“I didn’t really see myself receiving awards, but I did visualize myself as a composer. I dreamed of becoming a performer, and reaching as many people as I could with my music,” he says.
And now that he has accomplished all that—and then some—Buendia sees lifetime achievement honors like this one as motivation to continue giving back. For him, relevance is no longer about personal glory, but helping create opportunities for others, especially those who can’t access them through the usual means.
But for all his accolades, he stresses the importance of not losing sight of the bigger picture—something that he admittedly struggled with at some point in his career marked by dizzying heights and tumultuous tides.
“I’m saying this only because I went through this whole stage of taking things for granted—what the universe and the fans have given me,” he says. “So just enjoy the music and try not to step on anyone’s toes.”
Not a race
After all, the journey toward global recognition isn’t a race, but a collective effort. As Bini’s Jhoanna noted in her speech, not a few nominees and winners couldn’t attend because they were performing out of town or overseas, bringing OPM to the international stage.
“Patunay na hindi tayo basta sumasabay—tayo mismo ang tunog na hinahanap ng mundo,” stresses the leader of the girl group, which won Best Dance/Electronic Recording for “Salamin, Salamin,” Most Streamed Artist, People’s Voice Favorite Album of the Year for “Talaarawan” and People’s Voice Favorite Group Artist.
These awards are “a validation of their hard work,” but they also push them to experiment and explore new directions, even if it means surprising the fans. “That’s the heart of being an artist,” Jhoanna points out. “It’s growing, and then, trusting that music will always find the people it’s meant to reach.”
