Brent Manalo Enters a New Era With ‘Loverboy’
The Filipino actor enters music through an EP shaped by softness, heartbreak, and sincerity that feels increasingly rare in today’s pop landscape
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- Brent Manalo officially steps into music with Loverboy, his debut EP under StarPop releasing on May 15.
- The project explores romance, longing, heartbreak, and healing through soft, emotionally driven OPM tracks.
- Brent says Malay Ko feels the most personal because it reminded him of his parents’ love story and reconciliation.
- Drawing from his acting background, he approached each song like an emotional scene or character while recording.
- Following Loverboy, Brent hopes to explore R&B music and collaborate with a Filipino rapper in the future.
Introducing a softer and more romantic side
Everybody already knows Brent Manalo.
Or at least they know the version of him that has existed on screens for years: the charming actor with an easy smile, the leading man audiences naturally root for, and the familiar face built inside the machinery of modern Filipino celebrity.
He has spent much of his career being looked at. Loverboy, his debut EP arriving May 15 under StarPop, feels like the first time he is asking people to really listen.
The project marks a significant shift for Brent, who is now stepping more intentionally into music after years of balancing acting, appearances, and music-adjacent projects. But Loverboy does not arrive with the loud reinvention often associated with celebrity transitions into singing.
Instead, the EP moves carefully. Softly. It is grounded in emotion. And fittingly, it revolves around love.
Not the ironic or detached version of romance common in contemporary pop culture, but love in its most sincere forms: longing, devotion, heartbreak, reconciliation, nervousness, hope. The kind of feelings that soundtrack everyday life.
Brent speaks about romance with surprising openness, almost as if he still believes deeply in the emotional power of songs.
“I’m a big fan of love,” he says during our conversation. “I grew up watching rom-com movies, and music is always such a huge part of those films.”
READ ALSO: Brent Manalo: The Big Winner Who’s Just Getting Started
What is ‘Loverboy’ about?
That cinematic influence runs throughout Loverboy. Listening to the EP feels like watching fragments of different relationships unfold in sequence. Some tracks lean into kilig and youthful excitement. Others sit in heartbreak and yearning.
Together, they form a project that feels cohesive because every track is emotionally aligned with Brent’s worldview. He wants these songs to live alongside people’s memories.
“I hope these songs can become part of someone’s love story, too. Maybe it could be someone’s theme song or a song that reminds them of a loved one.”
It is a surprisingly earnest goal at a time when many artists are encouraged to prioritize virality over emotional permanence. But sincerity seems central to Brent’s approach as a recording artist.
Even the title Loverboy feels purposely direct. There is no attempt to distance himself from sentimentality. If anything, he embraces it.
Why Brent finally felt ready to pursue music seriously
That confidence is relatively new.
Brent admits that earlier in his career, he did not feel fully ready to pursue music seriously. The hesitation was partly internal. Singing required a different exposure than acting. As an actor, emotion can hide behind scripts and characters. Music strips some of that away.
“When I was starting out, I didn’t really have the confidence to fully delve into music,” he says. “But now more than ever, I feel fully prepared because I have the guidance of my management and my label, StarPop.”
More importantly, he says he now has a clearer understanding of the type of music he wants to make and the artist he hopes to become. “I’m also more intentional now with what I want to put out there.”
Inside the creative process of his EP
Brent was heavily involved in selecting the songs that made the final tracklist, participating in listening sessions and discussions about the project’s emotional direction.
He describes the process as highly collaborative, while staying focused on ensuring the EP felt authentic to his personality and lived experiences.
“We had a listening party, and I was really hands-on when it came to choosing which songs would make the cut,” he says. “I really wanted the EP to feel cohesive and true to me.”
The final product explores multiple dimensions of love. There are songs about attraction and hesitation, songs about emotional distance, and songs about heartbreak that lingers long after relationships end.
The family memory that inspired Brent
Brent says one track in particular affected him deeply while recording it: Malay Ko, originally performed by Daniel Padilla.
The song’s themes unexpectedly reminded him of his parents’ relationship. “They were separated for quite some time before eventually getting back together,” he says. “So it really hit me emotionally.”
This personal connection became important during recording sessions, where Brent discovered that singing required far more emotional energy than he initially expected.
“Honestly, what surprised me the most was the recording process itself,” he says. “Before this, I used to do music videos and I thought that was the hardest part of music production. But recording is actually harder because it drains your voice and your emotions.”
Unlike acting, where scenes move quickly and multiple people share the emotional weight of production, recording often requires artists to sit inside a feeling repeatedly until every line sounds believable. Brent describes the process almost like emotional endurance training.
“You really have to let everything out while singing.”
How acting helped Brent access vulnerability in music
Across the EP, Brent leans into softness rather than resisting it. Vulnerability becomes the project’s emotional anchor. Fortunately, accessing those emotions came naturally to him because of his acting background.
“Every time I record, it’s kind of like acting,” he explains. “I really try to put myself in that moment while singing the songs.”
Each track required a slightly different emotional approach. For the more melancholic songs, he tapped into yearning. For brighter tracks, particularly the more upbeat pop records, he shifted into a more playful energy.
“Each song portrays a different kind of love.”
Which songs from ‘Loverboy’ should fans listen first?
Ahead of the EP’s live launch at Skydome on May 22, I asked Brent which songs fans should listen to first, as he notes that the range is especially evident across the project’s tracks.
For listeners looking for a lighter pop sound, he points toward Pareho Tayo Nahihiya. For those drawn to emotional ballads, he recommends Malay Ko. Then there is Tell Me How, which he describes as more upbeat and energetic.
Choosing the setlist for the live show, he admits, was unexpectedly difficult. “Honestly, it was so hard choosing which songs to perform for the fancon,” he says.
What’s next for Brent?
Although the EP primarily stays within contemporary OPM and pop territory, he already has ideas about where he hopes to go next creatively.
“If given the chance, I’d love to explore R&B in the future,” he says. “Locally, I’d also really want to collaborate with a Filipino rapper.”
The possibility feels fitting. R&B would allow Brent to further explore the emotional intimacy already present in Loverboy, while collaborations with rappers could introduce sharper contrasts to his naturally soft aesthetic.
For now, the EP exists as an introduction. Not just to Brent Manalo the singer, but to Brent Manalo the storyteller. The EP presents him as someone trying to translate complicated emotions into something melodic and shareable.
“Some love stories may end, but they can still end beautifully. You can turn pain into something beautiful.”
It is a line that summarizes the emotional philosophy behind Loverboy. It understands that romance is not valuable only when it lasts forever. Sometimes the beauty exists in the feeling itself, even when it disappears.
Before ending the conversation, Brent leaves one final message for the fans preparing to stream the EP upon release:
“Hey guys, it’s Brent Manalo here. I just want to say thank you so much,” he says. “I know you’re going to stream the EP, so thank you in advance. I love you guys so much. This EP is for you.”
Loverboy explores different experiences of love, including romance, longing, heartbreak, and healing. Brent Manalo describes the project as a collection of songs that people can connect to emotionally and make part of their own love stories.
Brent Manalo’s debut EP Loverboy will be released on May 15 under StarPop. The project marks his official move into music as a recording artist.
Brent says “Malay Ko” resonated with him the most because it reminded him of his parents’ relationship and eventual reconciliation. The emotional connection helped him access deeper vulnerability while recording the track.
Brent approached recording like acting, treating each song as an emotional scene or character. He also worked closely with his team during listening sessions to make sure the EP felt cohesive and authentic to him.
After Loverboy, Brent says he wants to experiment more with R&B music. He also hopes to collaborate with a Filipino rapper in future projects.
Chief of Editorial Content Patrick Ty
Photography JL Javier
Art direction Summer Untalan
Fashion Ryuji Shiomitsu
Editor Dayne Aduna
Grooming Bhads Castor, assisted by Tin Castor
Fashion assistants Dale Chan and Jerome Arguelles
Photography assistant Sean Olalo
Special thanks Star Magic, Mo Nuevo, and Joy Lomibao
