What started out as an excuse to hang out and have fun have come a long way, and is now way of life. Manibela started out as a group of high school kids who wanted to jam and make music on non-school days.

Their love for music took them seeing their favorite local bands on their gigs within Manila. Soon, Michael (vocals, guitars) found himself working with one of his favorite artist: Raymund Marasigan on his band, Sandwich – as a production assistant. While continuing school, Manibela got a few gigs for some production and soon played as front act for major artists such as Sandwich, 6cycledmind, and Protein Shake.

Manibela writes songs that are light to the ears with lyrics that can be easily comprehended, reflecting the youth of the members themselves. In their sets, Manibela also does covers of their influences such as Fall Out Boy, Grin Department, Eraserheads, Sandwich, and Switchfoot.

After years of mastering their craft and defining their music, Manibela’s take on the Pop-alternative / rock music is now ready for the public to hear.

Soon, they started writing their own songs, playing in some small bars within Metro Manila for some productions and even ended up working as PA’s for their favorite bands, such as Sandwich, 6cyclemind, and Imago. They thought, “What else could we ask for?” They continued to hone their craft and soon, they were performing as front acts for the bands that they were working with. As if things could not get better as they were, their craft was taken notice of and in a matter of time, they found themselves in the recording studio recording their album.

Last year, Manibela released their debut single, “Guitar Addict”, to some radio stations while they were finishing their album. Guitar Addict even entered NU107’s daily countdown, Stairway to Seven. Who knows, this may be just the tip of the Iceberg of what Manibela has in store for us.

This February, Manibela’s debut album, Happy Stambay is expected to hit your favorite music stores under Soupstar Music, distributed by Alpha Music.