Singer-songwriter Peniel Debuts Two Unreleased Tracks in Recent Wish Bus Gig

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Fresh off her performance at the “Wish Date: Twilight” concert, Davao-based songsmith Peniel returned to the Wish Bus on April 10, 2023, and debuted two still-unreleased tracks.

Peniel was declared the grand winner of Wishcovery Originals in 2021. She is currently signed under KDR Music House, through which she released her debut single, “Moon’s Offer.” The poetic tune puzzles over love, dreams, and the seemingly inevitable part of an artist’s life — solitude.

Profound new pieces

Armed with a backup band and the ability to carefully weave vulnerability into the fabric of her songs, Peniel rendered “(Fairy)tale” and “Untitled” aboard the Wish Bus, which was parked at SM City Bicutan.

“(Fairy)tale” is a tune that sees the 21-year-old act waltz into the loneliness of being an artist. Though boasting a sanguine soundscape — one that is reminiscent of musical scores in fairytale adaptations — the song is an exploration of someone who’s yet to find a place in the world.

Starting off with dainty guitar strums, the piece later welcomed other sonic elements, most prominently the delicate harmonica-like sounds produced by the keyboard. This bouncy melody gave an interesting contrast to the song’s somber lyrics.

Like the song that she is
whirling around in her room
like the song no one hears
waltzing to the tune
that goes
do do do do

Showcasing a different sound, her second performance featured “Untitled,” which leaned toward the soulful, jazzy side of the music spectrum. Whether taken as a conversation with a potential lover or one’s self, lyrically, the song is Peniel’s attempt to express and encapsulate overwhelming yet indescribable emotions.

Maybe I should really let you in
promise answers every now and then
maybe this time I won’t run away
and I’ll get how it feels to stay

“When I wrote this song, it was just pure emotion. [T]here wasn’t really a specific feeling that I wanted to chase because, you know, when you have so many overwhelming emotions, you can’t really pinpoint what it is,” she shared during the interview.

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Perhaps a portrait of what it’s like to be an artist — being driven by that deep desire to express but also recognizing the fact that they have hurdles to overcome to successfully do so — Peniel remarked that the tracks “represent a lot of the polarity of a person between wanting something desperately and realizing that [they] actually have to work for it.”

An artist’s reward

A no-nonsense musician, Peniel revealed that when she makes songs, she tries to create ones that are “as layered as possible.” Much like when someone is reading a poem, she wants her listeners to uncover that within each line she writes lies a deeper meaning.

This is why when asked about her ultimate wish for her career, the artist said she simply wanted her listeners to appreciate her songs.

“I’m not really big on having a huge audience. I just like having a small group of people who could understand the messages of my song [because] it makes me feel less lonely,” she stated.

As a message of appreciation to those who’ve been with her since day one, Peniel further said: “I would like to say thank you for still listening because a lot of my songs are very much parallel with my every day and how I change every day. So, people staying is very important to me and it means a lot because that means I’m growing with other people.”

Ahead of her new releases, watch Peniel’s Wishclusive performances below:

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Stream “Moon’s Offer” here:

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Written by Emmy Borromeo

Editing by Pauline Bolaños