Tothapi. Image: Instagram/@kobdionela
In the final lines of Tothapi’s song “Panata,” the Bicol-based band sings about wanting to remain in a peaceful state with a loved one despite the many experiences people have in life.
Spreading the value of “live, laugh, and love” is the goal of the eight-piece act when it comes to their music. They are aware that romantic songs are common in OPM—especially that Filipino listeners love the feeling of love and being in love — but they want to remind that true love is defined if the “kilig and sweet words” soon pass, among other things.
“We are trying to give a different perspective on love lalo na ngayon, ang daming love songs that talk about their crushes or kilig,” the band’s frontman and vocalist Kobe Dionela said of “Panata” during a Zoom interview with INQUIRER.net. “But with our song ‘Panata,’ kung naubos ang kilig at matamis na salita, d’un ko narealize na precious pala ang katahimikan and feeling kapag meron ka nang taong ‘yun.”
(We are trying to give a different perspective on love especially now, there are a lot of love songs that talk about crushes or kilig. But with our song “Panata,” once the kilig and sweet words go away, that’s when you realize that silence and comfort are indeed precious when you find that someone.)
Based in Tabaco City in Albay, Tothapi is composed of Kobe on vocals, Jomel Consuelo on keyboard, Michael Jamlang on lead guitar, Mark Kenneth Llaguno on trumpets, Aaron Bordeos on drums, Jeebay Dellosa on bass, Vince Dominic Dionela on saxophone, and Bert Llaguno on trumpet. The band contains the words tot hapi, which according to them, translates to the phrase “happy thoughts.”
Tothapi first made waves in TikTok, until they caught the attention of Regine Velasquez in 2024. She then asked an “ASAP” staff member to give them a spot in the Sunday noontime show after chancing upon a video of them performing their song “Celeste.”
“It’s a humbling experience kasi to know na merong nakakaappreciate ng gawa namin na matagal sa industriya,” Dellosa said, looking back at the time they were recognized by Velasquez. “‘Yun ‘yung hope na sana it’s a symbol from the universe that we’re really getting there.”
(It’s a humbling experience to know that someone who’s been part of the industry for a long time appreciates our work. We hope that it’s a symbol from the universe that we’re really getting there.)
Portraying love in music
Inspired by “anything with love and life,” the eight-piece act is aware that many artists touch on happiness in their music. But what they can bring to the table is their authenticity, raw honesty, and their love for music.
“What we offer to the table is authenticity, the honesty that we put in, and the love of our craft and the effort which is lahat ng mga artists meron n’un at naiinspire rin kami. But siguro we value friendship and we always want to bring the best na kaya naming iparinig sa mga tao,” Kobe said.
(What we offer to the table is authenticity, the honesty that we put in, and the love of our craft. We are also inspired by the efforts of all the artists. We also value friendship and we always want to bring out the best of us that we’re willing to let the people hear.)
Tothapi. Image: Instagram/@kobdionela
It is normal for a band—especially with one as many as the members of Tothapi—to not meet halfway when it comes to music. They nonetheless make an effort to acknowledge that every member’s opinions and suggestions are valid.
“We try to trim it down para [magkaroon kami] ng solid result. It’s hard to put everything in one song and we try to explain to each other kung why we need to do this,” Kobe explained. “Why do we need to trim it down? What is our bigger goal which is to send a message through our songs? Kung ano man ‘yun, we just want to spread [the value of] live, laugh, and love.”
(We try to trim it down so we can have a solid result. It’s hard to put everything together in one song. We try to explain to each other why we need to do this. Why do we need to trim it down? What is our bigger goal — which is to send a message through our songs? No matter what it is, we just want to spread the value of live, laugh, and love.)
With their goal in mind, Tothapi shared that their younger fans will dedicate “Panata” to their crushes or significant others. They are grateful for the song to be recognized as that kind of love song, but they hope that they will reassess the lyrics as it serves as a reminder that love is more than romance.
“It’s not always rainbows and butterflies in music. [Despite this], they think of our releases as somehow romantic and they dedicate it to their MU, boyfriends, or girlfriends, we encourage them to dedicate it to their loved ones first — their parents and their siblings,” Kobe said.
Tothapi. Image: Instagram/@kobdionela
They also want their younger fans aspiring to get into music that the industry will always be there. “Sinasabi namin sa kanila is to always finish their studies and obey kung sino ‘yung guardians or nagsusustento sa kanila (We tell them to always finish their studies and obey their guardians or those who are taking care of them),” Kobe said, admitting that their authenticity extends to their hopes for their fans.
“Music is always there and you can always pursue it [when kaya]. Kapag humihingi sa’min ng opinion, sinasabi namin na okay ang music pero nandyan lang din ‘yan. Just do it kapag gusto niyo siyang gawin,” he said.
(Music is always there and you can always pursue it when you are capable of doing it. When they ask us for an opinion in terms of music, we tell them that it’s okay to do it. But it will always be there. Just do it when you truly want to do it.)