By Precious Nikole Tungpalan and Eunhice Corpuz

Amidst the shaded facade of the Arts Building at Far Eastern University (FEU), there lies a rising artist, blended among his peers. Serenading fans outside Thy Happy Halls, Arron Rebustes is certainly a star that dazzles when given the spotlight. 

Currently, the singer-songwriter is an incoming third-year Communication student under the Digital Cinema track at FEU, shared his humble beginnings to now a fully-fledged recording artist. 

From bedroom covers to recording studios

He first stepped into the limelight within the comfort of his room, creating song covers for his YouTube channel. When seeking something to do with his free time, he pushed himself to try producing his own version of songs from his favorite artists. 

In an interview with FEU Advocate, Rebustes shared that due to the COVID-19 lockdown, singing online became his way to cope, which led him to invest in a good-quality microphone. 

“‘Yong paggawa [ko] ng [song] covers and music, naging way ko siya to cope sa sanity ‘nung pandemic…Nanonood din ako ng covers dati. Naiintriga ako, curious ako sa mga ginagamit nilang mic kasi dati ang perception ko sa mga good covers, kapag maganda ‘yong mic na gamit nila. So, no’ng um-order ako sa online [shop] ng mic, do’n ako nag-start talaga na mag-produce ng magandang quality ng covers (Making song covers and music was my coping mechanism during the pandemic… I also watched covers. I got intrigued and curious with what microphone they use because my perception before was that good mics result in good music. So when I ordered online for a mic, that’s when I started to produce good quality covers),” he shared. 

Along with his continuous posting of song covers came the growth of his YouTube account. He realized he could make something more out of his hobby when he received a phone call from a record label. 

“Sabi ko ‘Hala! OMG (Oh, my God), pwede ‘tong [singing] pang-professional work ko,’ nagsimula lang ako sa kwarto ko na gumagawa ako ng covers tapos ngayon kung saan-saan na ako nagpe-perform (I said ‘Woah! OMG, it’s possible to have a professional singing career,’ I just started under my bedroom, and, now, I am performing everywhere),” the singer-songwriter expressed. 

Rebustes also shared that he had to change his real name to be distinct from fellow co-label ‘Jao’ Oreco, making the second letter of his name double instead of the first letter. 

He also added that he gets to perform his songs in cafes, like Jess & Pat’s and Dinalan Coffee—both popular venues for local artists. He also dreams of performing on the FEU Grandstand, serenading his fellow Tamaraws with his ‘swabe’ and soothing voice.

Now, with almost half a million subscribers on YouTube and 12,000 monthly listeners on Spotify—evidence of his thriving career—Rebustes humbly recounted that he still uses the same microphone for his song covers until today. 

Behind the cameras

As a Communication student, Rebustes also expressed his passion for working behind the scenes. Besides pursuing a music career, he hopes to follow a different role in the same industry. 

“Gusto ko rin maging direktor. Gusto kong maging editor and maybe someday, actor, writer. Marami kasing possibilities kapag nasa field ka ng Communication and ayun, sana magawa ko silang lahat someday (I want to be a director. I want to be an editor and maybe someday an actor or writer. There are a lot of possibilities when you are in the field of Communication and I hope that I get to do everything someday),” he detailed. 

Despite being currently enrolled in his Midyear semester at FEU, he still appreciates the flexibility in choosing his schedule to help him manage his time as a student-artist. 

“Advantage rin sa akin na tayo (students) rin ‘yong nagde-decide kung anong day and time and prof ‘yong kukunin natin sa enrollment. Ang ginagawa ko, Monday hanggang Thursday is school lang talaga and sa Friday to Sunday is ‘yong sa music (It is an advantage for me that students are the ones to decide and schedule the day, time, and professor that they enroll with. What I do is Monday to Thursday is for school only and Friday to Sunday is for music),” Rebustes stated. 

However, just like any other student, he still struggles with managing his time, his studies, and other musical activities. 

“May times na nagka-clash sila and ang ginagawa ko, nagre-request ako sa manager ko na i-resched ‘yong mga recording sessions. Pero [kapag] sa mga gigs, [hindi na], kasi alam ko naman mostly ‘yong mga gigs ko tuwing weekend [siya ginaganap] (There are times when his schedule clashes and what I do is I request to my manager to reschedule my recording session. But when it comes to my gigs, no need. I know most of them are done during the weekends),” the artist explained. 

He further expressed that, as of the moment, he has chosen to prioritize his studies over his career and his love for music, as advised by his manager. 

“‘Yong music kasi nandyan lang kahit anong mangyari, nandyan lang siya para sa’yo and ‘yong studies kasi pwede kang mahuli. Mas mahalaga talaga siya na pag-focus-an muna (Music is there anytime, whatever may happen, it is always just there waiting for me, but when it comes to studying, you can be delayed. It is more important to just focus on studying right now),” Rebustes clarified. 

Hence, with the discussion of ‘diploma o diskarte,’ he acknowledges the importance of being a degree-holder. He expressed that, in any case, if he decides to stop pursuing music or if his career fails, he would continue to pursue a degree he is interested in.

With Rebustes now choosing to focus on his studies, this equates to spending more time on campus. This reignited his curiosity to join music-related student organizations like One FEU Music & Records. He also shared that he had previously tried to apply but could not commit because of his schedule outside of the University. 

“This year, plan ko na sumali ulit sa org (I plan to join in organizations again). To gain experience and connections,” he expressed. 

When asked about his message to other TAM-artists, he reassured them that sometimes, opportunity comes to you unexpectedly.

“Ang corny pero possible kasi lahat talaga. Sa moment na hindi mo ine-expect [na] mangyayari siya [ay] mangyayari [talaga] siya (It sounds corny, but everything is possible. Sometimes, things happen when you least expect it),” he advised. 

He also encouraged aspiring artists to just keep going as long as they enjoy singing and making music.

Choosing Arron Rebustes 

Every rendition, note, and chord a musician plays affects the listener’s mood, emotions, and feelings. With his latest EP ‘Chasing Sunsets,’ which features six originally-produced and written songs, he encapsulated the story of hoping for a better life, which the TAM-artist revealed was inspired by his first single ‘loop.’

He explained the meaning behind the song ‘loop’ as an enjoyable experience of getting lost with someone you like. He then shared that all six songs tell a complete story.

“‘Yong ‘Chasing Sunsets’ kasi para siyang ‘hoping for a better life,’ na ‘yong perfect sunset na hinahabol nila is the perfect life they want. And ’yong pag-chase nila do’n sa sunset parang sini-symbolize niya rin ‘yong pagtakas nila sa real life. ‘home’ [is the] last track, do’n na sila nag-decide na mag-elope or gumawa ng sarili nilang mundo (‘Chasing Sunset’ was similar to ‘hoping for a better life’, where the perfect sunset they chase is the perfect life they want. Also, the way they chased the sunset symbolizes their escape from reality. ‘Home’ is the last track from the album and that is where they decided to elope or create their own world),” Rebustes discussed the story of his latest EP. 

He also shared that if there were a song title about his life, it would be ‘Chasing Sunsets,’ since this album revolved around his personal experiences that showed his vulnerability. 

“Parang kumbaga noong sinusulat ko siya, ako ‘yong navi-visualize ko do’n sa story no’ng songs (It is like when I was writing it, I visualized myself in the story of the songs.),” the Communication student shared. 

He also named ‘you chose me’ as his favorite track on the album. While he appreciates the fans’ different interpretations of the song, he considers the song to have a bittersweet romantic feel. 

“Kahit ako man ‘yong huling piliin ng iba, basta piliin mo ‘ko, okay lang, or kahit ako lagi ‘yong last choice or last pick, basta pinili mo ’ko, okay (Even though I am everyone’s last choice, just choose me, it is okay, or even if I am always the last choice or last pick, as long as you pick me, it’s okay),” he explained. 

Rebustes’ determination in producing songs and pursuit to hold a degree only signifies that one can excel in both worlds they live in—from creating song covers for fun to owning songs to perform. Indeed, a music career is like chasing the perfect hues of a sunset since creating a masterpiece surely does not come overnight.