From Play to Filipino Culture

Filipino card games have long been part of social gatherings where the people, conversations, laughter, and shared moments can matter just as much as the game itself. That familiar social ritual provides the link between GameZone’s “Tara G! Sama Tayo.” campaign and the song.

Through “Tara G!”, GameZone takes the campaign beyond online play and into music, using a culturally familiar expression to connect the brand with wider conversations around Filipino entertainment, friendship, and community.

For Pinoys, the card table has always been a place to play, talk, tease, and belong. This serves as the emotional foundation of GameZone’s brand story and establishes the connection between traditional Filipino card games and the modern online gaming experience.
v The collaboration with Gloc-9 brings GameZone’s slogan, “Tara, G! Sama Tayo – Where Pinoys Play Card Games Online,” to life by celebrating the Filipino spirit of togetherness. Through Gloc-9’s signature storytelling rooted in Filipino culture and everyday experiences, the partnership translates the spirit of samahan into music, strengthening GameZone’s cultural relevance and connection with Filipino audiences. It also reinforces GameZone’s commitment to celebrating what brings Filipinos together, both online and beyond the game.

Ava Castillo, GameZone spokesperson, said the collaboration was designed to give the brand’s “Tara G! Sama Tayo.” platform a more meaningful cultural expression through music. “We wanted ‘Tara G! Sama Tayo.’ to be more than a campaign line. Music gives us a way to bring that invitation into Filipino culture in a form people can hear, share, and make their own. Gloc-9 was a natural collaborator because his storytelling has always been rooted in real Filipino experiences.”

Listen to “Tara G!”

“Tara G!” by Gloc-9 in collaboration with GameZone is available worldwide beginning October 30, 2026, on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Deezer. Listen to “Tara G!”

For SB19 leader PABLO, the release represents a long-awaited opportunity to give the album a more permanent physical presence. “Honestly, we’re really happy to finally have Wakas at Simula in a tangible form because we know how much A’TIN, and even we ourselves, love having something we can see and touch,” he shares. “Having this vinyl edition as something we can physically hold and listen to means so much to us, especially now that more and more people are getting into analog formats. This release will forever hold a special place in our hearts, and it’s something we’ll continue to carry with us as we move forward.”

The album was a natural choice for the group’s vinyl debut, conveying a defining moment in its evolution through Filipino-language releases, international collaborations, and reimagined versions of earlier material. JUSTIN hopes the format will also open doors for new listeners. “Through this edition, we also hope that new fans, whether local or international, can discover SB19 and have Wakas at Simula as their entry point into our music, while experiencing the album in a more personal and meaningful way,” he says.

Mark Herras and Jojo Mendrez reunited onstage at the 42nd Star Awards for Movies, drawing cheers from the audience with a duet of “Somewhere in My Past.” However, their interaction during the performance also caught the attention of some spectators, prompting questions about whether their relationship has returned to normal.

For now, their unexpected musical reunion has certainly given entertainment fans something to talk about. Whether their reconciliation marks a fresh start in their relationship remains to be seen.

The production process was handled with an intimate and focused approach. Songwriting, arrangement, mixing, and mastering were fully handled by Eko Kus Saputra, while vocal recordings took place at Sixties Studio. The minimalist ballad arrangement allows Addila’s vocals to carry the emotional weight without distraction.

The visual elements supporting “Pilihan Terbalik” further reinforce the song’s message. The artwork photo, created by @HIDK, represents happiness that is shown rather than truly felt—a symbol of a mature choice to protect others, even if it means lying to oneself.

Through this release, Addila hopes listeners will feel connected and understood. Not an explosive sadness, but a quiet ache—empathy, relief, and emotional maturity that comes from accepting that not every wound needs to be exposed.

“Pilihan Terbalik” reflects Addila’s musical direction moving forward: deeply personal, emotionally honest works that resonate with the realities of human relationships.

The single “Pilihan Terbalik” was officially released on January 1, 2026, and is now available on all major digital streaming platforms.

Next month, Tyla will hit the road in Asia for a string of headlining dates starting with Tokyo on Nov. 11. The “Chanel” singer will perform live in Bangkok, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Manila and Singapore during the brief trek, which will run until December 5. Tickets information is available here. She will also be performing at this year’s annual Global Citizen Festival in NYC, beside some of the biggest names in music, including The Weeknd and Shakira.

On Wednesday, Tyla was announced as one of GLAMOUR Magazine’s Women Of The Year honorees. The coveted award also showcases Tyla on the cover of the November GLAMOUR Magazine in multiple global markets including US, UK, Spain, Germany and Mexico/Latin America.

Tyla has continued to climb the ranks of stardom. She has illuminated Vogue and AdWeek headlines with her multi-faceted dominance, including scene-stealing appearances at the Met Gala, and a viral Coca-Cola campaign. She’s become a renowned brand ambassador, including an extensive relationship with Pandora that produced a limited-edition charm earlier this month, the “Tyla Tyger," named after her beloved fanbase. The charm, etched with Tyla’s trademark “tiger” insignia, is available exclusively via Pandora online retailers in North America.

Tyla has also been a reliable source of iconic pop culture moments, including her recent victory at the MTV VMAs, where she took home the award for “Best Afrobeats” for the second year in a row. This time for her critically acclaimed single “PUSH 2 START” and accepted the award draped in vintage Chanel and adorned with layers of Pandora medallions and necklaces.

The precision of her creative vision makes the arrival of “Chanel” even more urgent. Stream and watch Tyla’s latest single today.

Sharing the press release and photo for your consideration. Let me know if you have any questions.

The “JANE DOE” music video features the two artists, dressed entirely in black, sitting apart on benches on a train station platform. It depicts a station platform where passengers heading in different directions briefly cross paths only during boarding and getting off. While waiting for the next train, two passengers who happen to sit on the same bench exert a light gravitational pull on each other, like invisible, large circles. Directed by Tomokazu Yamada, known for music videos including Kenshi Yonezu's “Lemon,” “Uma to Shika,” and “Sayonara, Mata Itsuka! – Sayonara.” Hikaru Utada’s “Mine or Yours,” “A Flower of No Color,” and “Gold -Mata Au Hi Made-,” as well as directing last year’s “SCIENCE FICTION TOUR 2024.”

“IRIS OUT” is already setting another record on the Spotify Japan Daily Chart, achieving the “highest daily play count ever recorded” for six days in a row. “IRIS OUT” debuted on Spotify's Top Songs Debut Global Chart at #2, is also currently at #3 on Apple Music's Global Daily Top 100 chart. The music video for “IRIS OUT” was also released on September 15 and has already surpassed 10 million views on YouTube, generating significant buzz as earning #4 on the Global YouTube Daily Music Videos Charts. Available to watch now.



CHAINSAW MAN – THE MOVIE: REZE ARC will be hitting theatres in United States on October 24, 2025 from Sony Pictures Entertainment, who has acquired the worldwide distribution rights for the film. The theatrical release of CHAINSAW MAN – THE MOVIE: REZE ARC opened on Friday, September 19th in Japan. Rocket started with a huge hit, topping the weekend box office rankings exceeding the sales of the smash-hit Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle.

ABOUT CHAINSAW MAN – THE MOVIE: REZE ARC

The film version of CHAINSAW MAN – THE MOVIE: REZE ARC is set after the final episode of the Chainsaw Man TV anime series. It depicts the main character, Denji, who is thrown into an unpredictable destiny by a girl he meets by chance, Reze, alongside the fast-paced action scenes for which MAPPA studio is renowned. The film will be released in more than 50 countries and regions, beginning with Japan on Friday, September 19. CHAINSAW MAN – THE MOVIE: REZE ARC will be hitting theatres in United States on Oct 24, 2025. Sony Pictures Entertainment has acquired the worldwide distribution rights for the film and will be releasing it in the country.

The original CHAINSAW MAN series has sold more than 30 million copies and is currently being serialized in the popular Shonen Jump+ magazines. The author is Tatsuki Fujimoto, a genius manga artist who has created a series of high-profile works including Fire Punch, Look Back, and Sayonara Eri. In 2022, the anime series was broadcast by the animation production studio MAPPA (Jujutsu Kaisen, Attack on Titan: The Final Season, etc.), and high acclaim was won not only in Japan but also around the world. The anime series has been streamed in over 200 countries and regions.

ABOUT KENSHI YONEZU

After gaining success with Vocaloid music under the stage name HACHI, Kenshi Yonezu began producing under his real name in 2012. In addition to music, he has attracted attention for his album cover illustrations and video productions. The video for his hit single “Lemon”, the long-running theme song for the TV series Unnatural, is the most-viewed music video in Japan, and topped Billboard Japan’s year-end charts for two consecutive years, leaving a mark on music history both in Japan and abroad.

His 2020 album STRAY SHEEP set a record of 1.9 million copies sold with the highest-placing Japanese artist ever to appear on the IFPI year-end global ranking chart. He continued to work tirelessly during the COVID-19 pandemic, including performing as the first Asian in a virtual concert hosted by the online game Fortnite. Collaborated globally with UNIQLO on their UT collection with the storefront collaboration displays in NY and other 8 UNIQLO stores worldwide. He was awarded an AAC Award, listed in Forbes’ 100 Asian Digital Stars, and received the Minister of NEWS RELEASE Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s Art Encouragement Prize for New Artists.

In 2022, he released “M87” as the theme song for the film Shin Ultraman, and “POP SONG” as the theme song for a PlayStation commercial. His single “KICK BACK,” the opening theme for the TV anime CHAINSAW MAN, made Spotify’s Global Top 50, and became the first Japanese-language song certified Gold by RIAA®. He was also selected as the first and only Japanese artist to be a part of the “RIAA Class of 2023”, with which the association summarized the artists who had flourished in the year.

In 2023, Yonezu released “Tsuki Wo Miteita - Moongazing” as the theme song for the RPG game Final Fantasy XVI, and “Chikyugi - Spinning Globe” – the theme song Studio Ghibli’s animated film The Boy and the Heron (Academy Award Winner for Best Animated Feature, 2024), directed by Hayao Miyazaki.

In August 2024, Yonezu wrote “Garakuta – JUNK”, the theme song of the movie LAST MILE, and released his sixth studio album, LOST CORNER. In September, Yonezu released an exclusive line of graphic tees in collaboration with Uniqlo, as part of their ongoing UT series celebrating pop culture from around the world. After 11 years, Hachi (Kenshi Yonezu) himself created a new illustration for the VOCALOID song “Donut Hole”, and a fully animated music video based on the illustration. Original chocolate was also released from Godiva Japan as the “GODIVA x HACHI Donut Hole Collection” from October as the first time for Godiva worldwide to create a chocolate collection lineup in collaboration with an artist. In November Yonezu released “Azalea”, a song written as the theme song for the global Netflix series Beyond Goodbye. For the first time in 6 years, appeared at Kohaku Uta Gassen.

In 2025, Yonezu released “Plazma”, a theme to the film Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning- and also the theme to its anime series Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning-. He then released the theme to the anime series Medalist with a collaboration music video between Kenshi Yonezu and the Winter Olympics gold medalist Yuzuru Hanyu. Yonezu kicked off his largest-scaled world tour, KENSHI YONEZU 2025 WORLD TOUR / JUNK after performing domes in Japan, toured Asia, Europe, and the U.S., drew a total of 440,000 people. Kenshi Yonezu has just recently announced his new tour, KENSHI YONEZU 2026 TOUR / GHOST— a 6-city, 14-show arena headliner across Japan. The tour will kick off in Nagano on November 6, 2026, and will travel through Osaka, Aichi, Fukuoka, Miyagi, and Kanagawa, concluding on December 17. In September, he dropped his latest track, “IRIS OUT”, the official theme for the new film CHAINSAW MAN – THE MOVIE: REZE ARC, and its ending theme "JANE DOE" on 9/22.

As for Yonezu’s music videos, “Lemon” has surpassed 930 million views, continuing to break the records of Japanese artists. It is one of the 16 music videos of his songs that garnered him a commanding record of surpassing 100 million views each (“Lemon,” “Eine Kleine,” “LOSER,” “Peace Sign,” “Haiirotoao (+Masaki Suda),” “orion,” “Flamingo,” “Kanden,” “Fireworks,” “Paprika,” “Shunrai,” “Uma to Shika,” “Spirits of the Sea,” “KICK BACK,” Foorin’s “Paprika” and Masaki Suda’s “Machigaisagashi”). He has over 7.89 million subscribers on his official YouTube channel.


CONNECT WITH KENSHI YONEZU
WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | X | TIKTOK | YOUTUBE

ABOUT HIKARU UTADA

A Japanese singer-songwriter and producer Hikaru Utada debuted with the single ‘Automatic/time will tell’ on December 9, 1998. Their first album First Love remains the best-selling Japanese album of all time. In 2024, they released their first greatest hits album SCIENCE FICTION to commemorate their 25th anniversary of their debut, followed by their first tour in six years ―the nationwide HIKARU UTADA SCIENCE FICTION TOUR 2024. In 2025, continuing a dynamic run of creative output, Utada’s latest digital single “Mine or Yours” has captured attention as the theme for the Ayataka green tea commercial, marking the second consecutive year of Utada’s collaboration with the brand. Electricity Remixes, a limited-edition vinyl released on July 9 featuring three remixes by internationally recognized artists Karen Nyame KG, Arca and salute, has already generated excitement among music fans in Japan and around the world following the earlier digital releases.

CONNECT WITH HIKARU UTADA
WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | X | YOUTUBE

A Night to Remember

The Alagang Suki Fest opened with a dynamic performance by Legit Status, setting the tone for an evening of music, nostalgia, and joy. Headlining the event was Gary Valenciano, fondly known as Mr. Pure Energy, whose performance reminded the audience that age is just a number. His energy and passion, much like the brands he represented, showed no signs of slowing down.

Other acts included rock band Mayonnaise, heartthrobs Maki and Darren Espanto, and the nation’s rising girl group, BINI, who represented the younger generation of brand patrons with their high-energy and colorful performance. Laughter echoed through the coliseum thanks to Comedy Manila’s GB Labrador and James Caraan, who warmed up the crowd with relatable humor.

Celebrity brand ambassadors also made surprise appearances. Jolina Magdangal, radiant as ever, charmed fans during the Neurogen-E segment. Robi Domingo brought laughter and quick wit during Kremil-S, while Belle Mariano lit up the stage for Biogesic, drawing cheers from her fans.

More Than Just a Celebration

While the night was filled with fun, its deeper purpose was never lost. It was a salute to the Suki, the everyday Filipino families who trust Mercury Drug for their medicine needs and Unilab for their health and wellness.

For 80 years, both brands have been constant companions in Filipino homes. Through wars, natural disasters, pandemics, and personal battles with illness, Unilab and Mercury Drug stood by their promise, which is to care and to protect.

The brands’ core messages of "Alaga" and "Malasakit" continue to reflect their genuine mission—not just to sell medicine, but to deliver care. These are values rooted in Filipino culture and strengthened by time.

A Legacy Built with the People

The event also highlighted the role of Alagang Unilab Rewards and Mercury Drug Suki Card—loyalty programs that reward patrons not just with points, but with a sense of belonging. These initiatives are expressions of gratitude to the customers who have been part of their journey.

From grandparents who recall the early days of the Mercury Drug store, to Gen Z fans dancing to BINI’s latest hits, each person in the coliseum had their own story to tell. And through it all, Unilab and Mercury Drug were there: familiar, reliable, and trusted.

Looking Forward

As the lights dimmed and the final confetti fell, one thing was clear: this celebration was not just about the past, it was a promise for the future.

With every “ingat po” from the pharmacy counter and every tablet that brings relief, Unilab and Mercury Drug continue their mission. And as they look forward to the next chapters, their promise remains rooted in two words that Filipinos hold dear, Alaga and Malasakit. 

Eighty years on, the bond remains strong. Because in every Filipino home, there is always space for care, compassion, and trusted partners, just like Unilab and Mercury Drug.

And that, truly, is the heart of being Alagang Suki.

“As an institution that champions top-of-the-line technology, we also recognize local talents. This partnership with The New Hue reflects our commitment in supporting music scene in the country together with our upcoming smartphone HONOR 400 5G,” said HONOR Philippines Vice President Stephen Cheng.

HONOR 400 Pro 5G champions OPM

On July 27, The New Hue recognized mainstream and up-and-coming OPM talents with awards such as Song of the Year, Music Video of the Year, Group Artist of the Year, among others. Famous OPM talents such as Cup of Joe, Maki, Amiel Sol, Philia, Hev Abi, Janine Teñoso are present at the event.

200MP Super Sensing AI Camera System

The HONOR 400 Pro 5G includes a 50MP Telephoto Camera with a Sony IMX856 sensor, 3x optical zoom, and OIS, ensuring detailed zoom shots. It is equipped with the AI Enhanced Portrait feature and delivers ultra-high-definition Portraits that ensure the true colors of every subject shine through. With its enhanced AI Super Zoom feature, the HONOR 400 Pro boasts an AIGC-powered telephoto capability of up to 50x, making it perfect for capturing distant subjects.

Download “Punk N Roll”

About Road To Braga
Formed in 2021, Road To Braga currently consists of:
• Vergio – Vocals & Guitar
• Verrel – Bass
• Dimas – Guitar
• Jeremy – Drums

Inspired by legendary acts like Stray Cats, Johnny Thunders, Motorhead, and Social Distortion, Road To Braga carries the spirit of Punk n’ Roll as the core identity of their music and message.

Tracklist - "Punk N Roll" EP
1.Hidup di Jalan
Channeling the spirit of '70s punk bands like Ramones and The Clash, this track screams rebellion and the untamed life of youth with no rules.
2.Lonely
A melancholic yet danceable tune, reflecting fear of loneliness with emotionally rich lyrics over upbeat instrumentation.
3.Lancang
A sharp critique of opportunistic individuals with no backbone, served with bold riffs and biting lyrics.
4.Jeruji
A tale of false freedom and wild living, told through catchy rock n roll grooves and stylish flair.
5.Mana yang Katanya Merdeka
The EP's final track delivers a powerful social-political message about inequality and hypocrisy in a country that calls itself "free." A true punk anthem for the disillusioned.

"'Punk 'n' Roll' is not just the name of our release-it's who we are,"
- Road To Braga


For more information: Shockss Record

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