Canadian duo Crash Adams revels in PH fans’ love and energy

For the Canadian duo Crash Adams, pop music is not just about irresistibly catchy songs that one ends up humming in the car or in the shower. It’s also a vehicle to inspire.

And as their following continues to grow, vocalist Rafaele Massarelli and guitarist Vince Sasso promised to use the newfound attention to give back to the people.

“There are a lot of people who get attention and do nothing with it. The reason we do this is to spread love and make people happy. The more attention we get, the more attention we [bring to our goal],” Rafaele said at a press conference arranged by Warner Music Philippines

For instance, the accompanying music video of the duo’s breakout 2022 single, “Give Me a Kiss,” shows Rafaele and Vince hitting the streets of Los Angeles and handing out written compliments to random people.

“I think we’re blessed to have the lives we have, so why not share that with everybody else and try to make the world happy? There are many people who have all these abundances and don’t share it,” said Rafaele, who will always be thankful for the impact “Give Me a Kiss” has had on him and Vince.

Special song

“It’s the song that helped put our name out there so it will always be special for us, no matter what,” he said.

“That song really changed our lives,” Vince added.

Known for vibrant, feel-good sounds, Crash Adams first started to gain traction on TikTok after coming up with the idea of transporting a red couch—owned originally by Rafaele’s grandmother—to various locations and using it as a centerpiece of the duo’s videos. The two followed it up with a number of singles and went on to become one of top artists of TikTok Canada in 2022 and 2023.

Rafaele and Vince are also behind the popular “Can You Rap in Public” vlogs, where they approach strangers and ask them if they can spit bars.

Recognition

But more than online popularity or commercial success, Crash Adam’s’ work has also caught the attention of award-giving bodies. At this year’s Juno Awards, the duo got a nod in the breakthrough group of the year category.

“Recognition is always fantastic and when it happens, we’re super thankful. We definitely celebrate. But we’re always looking forward to what we can do next, how we can use our platform to continue inspiring other people,” Vince said.

Still, it’s the people’s love they cherish more. “It’s them we care about,” Rafaele said.

While the two artists always seem like they’re having a blast, whether playing onstage or filming content in the streets, they do run into creative differences every so often. How do they settle them?

‘Magic’

“We have a boxing ring in the backyard—kidding!” Rafaele quipped “We talk it out, fight it out. I’m not scared of confrontation at all. I would rather have an hour and a half argument, finish it and be friends after.”

For Vince, the occasional clash of opinions is actually beneficial to them as musicians. “If things are always perfect and everyone is in agreement, it would be hard to create something special. You’ve got to have a contrast of opinions,” he said. “That’s how magic is created.”

Crash Adams enjoys considerable success in the Philippines. According to a press sheet, the country is the second, fourth and fifth biggest market of the duo on TikTok, YouTube and Spotify, respectively.

That’s why Rafaele and Vince couldn’t be more excited to have finally performed in front of their Filipino fans, whom they described as a cross between the songs “Give Me a Kiss” and “Hotel Party.”

“‘Give Me a Kiss” is full of love and ‘Hotel Party’ has a hot energy. And you guys are just full of hospitality, full of love and at the same time, so energetic,” Rafaele said.

“The kind of energy we feel [from you] is exactly the same kind of energy we want to create with our music,” Vince added.