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ZOS!MO is the singer-songwriter moniker of Los Angeles-based – specifically South Pasadena – Filipino American artist Zosimo Quibilan Jr. who plays original Tagalog indiepop and rock. Z, as he is known among friends, has lived in South Pasadena for the past 15 years with his wife and three children (two of them are currently at SPHS and his eldest graduated SPHS in 2020 and now attends UC Santa Cruz).
Z was born and raised in the Philippines and is deeply honored to be playing at Eagle Rock Public Library on Thursday June 8 at 6pm. “It feels like a homecoming – like I’ve come full circle because Eagle Rock was our first home when we moved to the U.S. My wife and I would bring our kids there for special events when they were toddlers. Looking back, it seemed like a novelty to us coming from a country with practically no public libraries,” he marvels. “Later on, especially when we moved to South Pasadena, we appreciated having easy access to books and public resources.” Z is hoping to play in South Pasadena soon so that he can share his music with his current hometown.
Why Tagalog songs? One reason is Z wants to help promote Filipino American culture “that goes beyond cliches like adobo and lumpia” he says. Earlier this year, ZOS!MO entered NPR’s Tiny Desk contest and played a Tagalog song— Wasakin Ang Pader (Break The Wall), about tearing down the walls of silence and speaking up. “I’ve been writing songs for a long time and have played semi-professionally in rock bars and music venues in Manila in the 90s,” Z goes on to explain. “I’ve also written musicals in Tagalog, including “2BAYANI”, a two-act rock opera on the last days of Andres Bonifacio, the leader of the 1896 Philippine revolution against Spain. It was restaged in 2022 and still available for streaming this year.”
In the early 2000’s, Z stopped writing and making music to focus on his family. But music continued to call to him and last year he decided to start playing again and singing his Tagalog songs here in the U.S. “because it helps me and our kids, specifically, to stay connected to Filipino culture,” he says. “With the success of Asian American and non-English entertainment and Filipino American musicians everywhere (HER, Olivia Rodrigo, Saweetie) in American pop culture, I thought there’s a noticeable openness now to accommodate more languages and cultures.”
Z has always felt that singing in a different language can inspire awe in the audience and thought Tagalog could have that effect. “While Tagalog is not the only language in the Philippines, promoting it here builds a bridge to better understand Filipino Americans,” says Z, “our roots and how our culture helps make the multicultural experiment that is America, even richer.”
The event takes place at Eagle Rock Public Library located at 5027 Caspar Avenue, Los Angeles, CA. The concert is free and starts at 6pm on Thursday June 8, 2023. It is a showcase of ZOS!MO’s original Tagalog songs including songs written for stage and film. ZOS!MO is backed by Joseph Mendoza (guitar – also a South Pasadenan), Adam Lovinus (bass), and Don Karingal (drums). Follow ZOS!MO on Spotify and Bandcamp.
