Arizona-based Filipino singer Barcenilla is a superstar on the rise. With some high-profile playlist placement with his latest single, “Timeless,” and a catalog that includes his two albums G.B. and Scorpio, and singles like “Uno” — which broke 600k on YouTube — and “See The World,” it’s only a matter of time before his star truly shines as bright as it possibly can on a major stage.
His latest singles, “All I Need” and “Timeless,” which we’ve been giving heavy rotation here in the office, do a great job of showing off his commercial appeal, songwriting, and overall universal approachability of his unique spin on the urban, R&B vibe.
“All I Need” has this melding of neo-soul elements with this pop-infused electronic tinge that gives it a moody little bop for Barcenilla to drop these distorted verses accented with a powerful hook/chorus combo that just — for lack of a better explanation — feels good. This song is top-down in the summer at sunset vibes.
“Timeless” is the special sauce; sure-shot single upon first listen. It has this, “haven’t I heard this on the radio” aesthetic. Not in a monotonous way, more in a “the quality is so good it reminds me of a major hit on the radio” kind of way. While “Timeless” only has a lyric video treatment for now, “All I Need” has a black and white performance video, which actually makes the song better watching him perform it in his element.
With a cadence that sounds like a melting pot of names like Miguel, Bruno Mars (among others), he also exudes a likeability — you can also catch this by perusing some of his reaction videos.
Bottom line, he’s a star with a clear direction of where he wants to go, and CLEARLY has the work ethic to make it happen. With voices like his pulling up the next generation of talent, the race for the “King Of R&B” title could very well get much more heated.
Check out Barcenilla’s “Timeless,” below.
