As one of the emerging regional bands up north in the country, Baguio-based indie-alternative group DILAW first came together as a complete group in early 2021.

They made their debut on the music streaming platform Spotify a month later and have continued to gain a growing following with their music.

The band’s latest single ‘Uhaw’ peaked at #2 on Spotify’s Viral 50 Chart last year. DILAW is composed of the core duo of vocalist and chief lyricist Dilaw Obero and guitarist/instrumentalist Vie Dela Rosa.

DILAW was a band that was formed during the pandemic and debuted on Spotify in 2021.

“The Baguio music scene is full of talented artists, which is how all of us got to know each other. The scene is really diverse, and the more you dive into it, the more gems you'll find. 'Uhaw’ simply started at one of our drinking sessions, like most songs do,"   the vocalist, Dilaw, explained.

"It was a basic two chords progression we came up with, and we basically had one thing in mind, that feeling one gets when you long for someone – which we felt could best be described in one word, which is ‘uhaw’ or ‘thirst.’ And when it came to recording the song, we wanted to keep it as simple as possible, because the goal was to let the meaning shine – we wanted it to be about the message rather than about everything else happening in the music," he added.

The band also shared which OPM band they look up to the most. “One of the biggest influences in the local scene is Radioactive Sago Project, which is one of our favorite OPM acts. The band's blending of different genres and styles really resonates with us, and it's what drives us when making music together," he said.

"Lyrically, we've also been inspired by rappers like MF Doom because of his deep dives into different topics and complex rhyme schemes,” he added. Locally, the group hopes to work with a local hip-hop artist on a future single. “JRLDM was a huge inspiration for us when we first got into the scene, and it would be great to be able to collaborate with him,” he added.

Last December, Dilaw released “Uhaw (Tayong Lahat)” a full-band version of the song.

DILAW is led by vocalist and lyricist Dilaw Obero.

“During the production of the alternate version of the song, we had one thing in mind: we wanted to launch Dilaw the band, so the process was kept open – we had everyone contribute their own flair and input, and we were simply following where the song would take us, and by the time we finished, we were more than happy with how it sounded and felt to us," vocalist Vie remarked.

Vie went on: "This year, we’re getting together and are all looking ahead and brainstorming for the near-future since we want to find more ways to connect with our listeners and people who have supported us throughout the journey so far and we want to hit the ground running this 2023."

Baguio-based band DILAW’s new single ‘Uhaw’ lands them in viral song chart.

“As musicians, all we want is for people to hear our music and relate to our journey, so this is definitely overwhelming news for us,” says Obero, and adds “all we can be now is excited and we’re filled with nothing but gratitude to those who gave “Uhaw” a listen,” Dilaw added.