Celebrating Filipino American History Month in LA at ‘Ube Jam’
- Ethan Buriel
- Nov 3
- 3 min read
For the first time ever, Lyn Lapid brought Ube Jam to Handmade Records in West Hollywood to celebrate Filipino American History Month (FAHM). Alongside Lyn Lapid, performances featured other Filipino artists including Keoni Usi, Rin, and RC AVENUE who performed a series of their original music and covers live.
Lyn Lapid is a 23-year-old Filipina American singer-songwriter who grew up involved with music her whole life and started writing her own songs when she was in high school. Lapid rose to fame at just 16 years old through her vocal covers on TikTok and later her original song “Producer Man.” Always proud of her Filipino heritage, Ube Jam was her way of celebrating and showing support to the Philippines. All proceeds from Ube Jam’s ticket sales went to Project PEARLS, a non-profit organization based in the Philippines whose mission is to abolish poverty.
Ube Jam was an intimate Tiny-Desk style event set in Handmade Records’ cozy outdoor atmosphere, filled with the warm glow of candles and lamps and the chatter of guests arriving.
Opening was Keoni Usi, an up-and-coming Filipino American artist based in Long Beach, California, who tells a story with every song. Usi brought a soulful, passionate vibe with two of his unreleased original songs and a cover of “Rodeo Clown” by Dijon. His soothing voice contrasted by the punches of the guitar was enough to get the crowd bopping their heads. Usi’s music brought a sense of nostalgia and yearning within the audience, warming them up for an emotional night ahead.
After a brief intermission of guests mingling and getting drinks from the bar, Rin settled the crowd in with one of her first songs “tiptoe.” Just simply Rin and her guitar made the experience much more intimate and cozy, as if you were listening to a friend play music she made herself. She also played “always, sometimes” and “nice and slow” from her newly released debut album fawn. Rin shared a heartwarming story of how her mom and her have bonded over music and then played a cover of “Kahit Maputi Na Ang Buhok Ko” by Rey Valera, her mom’s favorite song. This cover in her own calming way felt like a very fitting love letter to her culture, especially as Ube Jam was celebrating FAHM.
With the crowd all relaxed, it was time to bring some upbeat energy to the stage. Hailing from Carmel, California, pop R&B singer RC Avenue brought joy and laughter to the venue, as he walked up on stage in a Stitch onesie. His melodic voice brought cheers together as he played one of his most popular songs: “COFFEE SHOP.” RC then introduced his Filipina background vocalists and they continued to mesmerize the audience with their covers of “Folded” by Kehlani and “If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys. Everyone was emotionally connected as they sang their hearts out to these smash hits.
Lastly, of course, the host of Ube Jam closed out the night. Lyn Lapid played many of her original songs including “poster boy” and songs from her album BUZZKILL, like “you” and “buttons.” Lyn really showed off her range by also playing one of her older songs “In My Mind” and her newest song “the simlish song.” Her songs range from groovy and upbeat to soulful and calm, taking us on a colorful journey with her music. As she played her final song, the crowd was left in awe. Ube Jam was a beautiful way to share Filipino culture and excellence, uniting fans through music. It was a great nod to the spirit of community or “kababayan”; whether Filipino or not, the audience was left empowered with a sense of connection.
How do you celebrate your culture? Let us know by leaving a comment below or by reaching out on Instagram or X!
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Edited by Martina Yee
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