For nine years, Ben&Ben has grown from a promising Filipino folk-pop collective into one of the Philippines’ most accomplished OPM acts. With billions of streams, major awards, sold-out concerts, and performances on international stages, the nine-piece band now celebrates its journey with Nine, an anthology album that revisits the music and memories that shaped the group while looking toward what comes next.
Rather than serving as a straightforward retrospective, Nine works as a musical time capsule of the band’s first nine years. The nine-track collection brings together reimagined versions of songs that played important roles in Ben&Ben’s story, offering longtime fans—or Liwanag—a fresh perspective on familiar music while introducing new listeners to the band’s evolving sound.
“We celebrate the love we have for one another and the bond we have built through the years,” says violinist Keifer Cabugao. “We’re just deeply grateful, not only for everything the past has taught us, but also for the gift of being present with one another today.”
Reimagining The Music They’ve Grown With
The album revisits some of Ben&Ben’s most meaningful songs through the perspective of musicians who have lived with them for years. The band returned to their original recordings, reconsidering the instruments, arrangements, performances, and perspectives behind each track.
For lead vocalist and acoustic guitarist Paolo Benjamin, the process was about allowing the songs to evolve alongside the people who created them.
“Reimagined, for us, is letting the songs grow up with us,” he explains. “Our Liwanag, and we the band too, were molded by life a lot in the past nine years. Hindi biro ang mga karanasang humubog sa aming pagkatao nitong halos isang dekada na ang lumipas, parehong yung mga maaliwalas at yung mga madilim na yugto.”
The new arrangements reflect the band’s growth as performers, incorporating the chemistry and energy they have developed through years of playing together. Lead guitarist and backing vocalist Poch Barretto, who led the album’s full production, also aimed to bring the immediacy of their live performances into the studio while maintaining the detail of a recorded production.
“The influences and inspiration we truly channeled in producing ‘Nine’ were literally our nine years of experience in doing what we do—from our live show moments on stage and with Liwanag, to the close relationships we’ve built with each other in the band,” says Poch.
From “Maybe The Night” To “Harinawa”
Among the album’s pivotal tracks is “Maybe The Night (Reimagined),” a song that holds a special place in the band’s history. It was the first song the members worked on from beginning to end as a nine-piece, collectively arranging it in Jam Villanueva’s attic in 2017.
“Binigay namin lahat ng puso namin sa kanta na ‘to and it opened a lot of opportunities for us, from our first ever Paskuhan, first official movie soundtrack, to our first band trip abroad,” shares bassist Agnes Reoma. “This new album is a testament to our journey, and ‘Maybe The Night (Reimagined)’ reflects how we have grown as individual musicians and as a collective since that attic session.”
While much of Nine looks back, the album closes by looking forward with “Harinawa,” a brand-new song written and completed in 2026, the band’s ninth year. Carrying a spirit of positivity and good energy, the track connects the memories of the past nine years with whatever comes next.
“We hope for these nine songs to accompany [Liwanag and our listeners] wherever they’re at in their lives right now,” says percussionist and backing vocalist Toni Muñoz. “Hope comes in many forms, and we wish for our music to be even just a glimpse of one of them.”
The album also brings together longtime and new creative collaborators. JP Verona, who has worked with Ben&Ben since its first album, contributed his understanding of the band’s musical identity, while producer Ziv brought a fresh sonic perspective. Luke and Eo contributed drums to tracks recorded during Jam Villanueva’s recovery from injury, while photographer and visual artist Sara Erasmo created the album artwork and accompanying imagery.
Ben&Ben’s Nine is out now on all digital platforms worldwide via Sony Music Entertainment.
