This singer-songwriter-producer is giving it his all, most recently through the reimagining of his EP track, "lapit layo."
One thing Filipinos love is music that tugs at the heartstrings, allowing hugot storytelling and emotive ballads to flourish in the OPM scene. With the music landscape already filled with artists fitting in this genre, it can be difficult to break into the scene as a new musician delivering the same kind of anthems — but JEL REY proves that there is space for him in this beloved environment.
Debuting under Star Pop in 2023, JEL REY was quick to prove that he is someone worth looking out for. His debut single "hele pono" shows off what he's got without being overly grand. It is affectionate, it is warm, but most importantly it is intimately and uniquely his. The rawness of his voice and the lyrics alongside the simplicity of the instruments and the production, offer a more immersive listening experience.
With the title being a play on hinehele sa telepono, the song truly does give you the feeling of being soothed to sleep over the phone. This soft and melodic performance earned JEL REY a nomination for Best Performance by a New Solo Artist at the 37th Awit Awards, which was only the beginning of his young and flourishing career.
Hele pono was followed by the equally dreamy "Nasa Alapaap Ang Paraluman." Inspired by Eraserheads and their staple OPM songs "Alapaap" and "Ang Huling El Bimbo," JEL REY adds more emotional complexity to his lyricism, making the song a bit more poetic than his conversational debut single.
Aside from iconic OPM band, JEL REY is also musically influenced by local artists Rico Blanco, Gloc-9, Loonie, Flow G, IV Of Spades and Juan Karlos, along with international artists Queen, Rex Orange County and Joji. This wide range of influences goes to show that JEL REY is not simply making one-dimensional music.
Already having the two ballads under his belt, the up-and-coming artist furthered his discography with his debut EP "TERAPEWTIKA." True to the EP's title, the tracks in this record are indeed therapeutic. Joining the earlier singles in this project is "Tayo (ating istorya)," a tender love song, with a slow pace that brings out a sort of sultry quality. The EP opener "TAKBO!" was perhaps the most different of his songs released at the time, as it is more rock-oriented than his other releases — this, opens up JEL REY as a genre-fluid musician.
JEL REY has described his writing style to be adventurous, as he feels comfortable dipping his toes into several different genres, exploring rock, hip-hop and soul sounds. Doing it all while not losing sight of who he is as an artist.
Another upbeat song from JEL REY is "Naiilang." If his previous songs lean more toward romantic, yearning love, this one shifts its focus to treasuring a special friendship, one that helps JEL REY feel more comfortable around other people, and this comfort and ease is definitely felt through the song's light and bouncy rhythm.
JEL REY's next two releases, "Bumabalik Pa Rin" and "Parapelikula," are connected in a way that the former tackles the struggles of getting over a past relationship, while the latter shows him feeling like in a movie scene as he gets to know someone new.
The rising musician finally released his second EP "Southbelle 517" a year later, at the beginning of 2026. Just like all of his other songs, every track in the EP was composed by JEL REY, only now he adds another hyphen to singer-songwriter as he is also credited as studio producer. In Southbelle 517, The multihyphenate artist takes listeners on a five-track journey through love's turning point.
JEL REY shared that the songs in the EP were borne in a room where he had his Baguio City staycation, thus the EP title. In the stillness and the gentle breeze of the place, he was able to explore love, from its intense beginning to its stale end, and the process of doing it all over again. One of the EP tracks, "Gusto Kitang Pakasalan," brought new listeners to JEL REY as it was featured in the second season of the iWant microdrama series The Chambermaid's Daughter.
Another track, "lapit-layo," was given new life with an alternate version released on Sept. 25. The latest, reimagined single once again explores JEL REY's capabilities as a musician, this time as he brings a more classic OPM sound to his song, enabling its atmosphere to shift from a contemporary heartbreak to a nostalgic heartbreak.