It is 30 minutes before Yaelokre opens for Aurora, and the dressing room is — for lack of a better word — in chaos.
Frontperson Keath Osk is frantically tuning their rustic blue guitar-lele while lead guitarist Emil Ortega assists; drummer Eugene Rabang is setting up a laptop to review a rehearsal video; bassist JD Santos and percussionist Reynaldo Capuno are touching up the drawings on their arms.
“Chaos ensues,” Santos whispers to me, laughing. This is Yaelokre’s first time performing at the New Frontier Theater. In the past, the five-piece act found their homes in underground gig venues playing to a crowd of about 20 or so people. Then, 20 became 200. As of tonight, 200 officially became 3,000.
Their set for Aurora’s concert is just the latest feat in the exponential rise of Yaelokre. Last year, their track “Harpy Hare” skyrocketed in virality, garnering millions upon millions of views on YouTube and TikTok. The track also debuted at number one on Spotify’s Global Viral Songs Chart in July.
Osk and Yaelokre suddenly had the spotlight shine on their work, with both fans and detractors flocking to their social media accounts. For other artists who have experienced a similar trajectory in their career, it can be overwhelming. For Osk? They only had one word to describe what that sudden rise felt like: horrible.
“How can you prepare to face a whole world where kindness is scarce and hate is normalized, when all you’ve ever really wanted to [was] to tell your stories to little children and make them happy?” Osk reveals to Rappler. “The project has been very special to me, and the four characters are based off of my childhood. [Creating Yaelokre] was like a [form] of therapy for me.”
“It was like, ‘oh I need to tackle this one [personal] issue.’ But then, it was so overwhelming [to handle all at once]. So what I did was to split them into four, and then those stories became characters — I gave them names, voices, visuals. And then, I just fell in love with them.”
Osk, who has been creating music and art ever since they were young, had planned to go to college to become a kindergarten teacher. They fell in love with storytelling and music at around the same time — their mother taught them how to sing, play guitar, and how to play chords on the piano. On the other hand, their father would read fairytales and fantasy storybooks while Osk grew up. It made sense that Osk would want to become a kindergarten teacher, but if not, they say, they would’ve wanted to make storybooks for children.
“I’ve had art and music all throughout my life…the imagination came from [my father], and the skills [with music] came from my mother. But putting all of that into visual work was just me being interested in putting it onto paper and I want people to understand how I see things, how I understand things.”
In a sense, Yaelokre itself is Osk’s whole life, laid out in fantasy and wonder. “It’s a diary turned into a storybook,” they share. “I’ve had it since I was very little, and as we grow up, it changes, as we do. I’ve had art and music all throughout my life.”
The characters in Yaelokre — the Playwright, Cole, Clementine, Perrine, and Kingsley — are all based off of Osk’s own experiences growing up. However, more than anything, Yaelokre revolves around moments of love, kindness, and wonder that Osk has experienced throughout their life.
“It’s many, many things. Of course, it started out with my parents. Then, came my friends. Then, other people in my life. I’ve just reshaped it to be a lot more inspiring.”
What started out as an expression of their love for storytelling for children eventually grew into a love for storytelling to all kinds of people, from all backgrounds and ages, all over the world. Ultimately, their goal now is to bring back childlike wonder into the world through the intersection of storytelling, art, and music.
“I’ve had this story for all my life. It was about time for me to share this to the world through kindness and promoting that inner child. There’s so much wonderment inside of everybody. But there’s this whole thing of… ‘oh, I’m busy with work,’ ‘I’m busy doing taxes,’ and people lose that. Now, you get this piece of media, this person, who just wants to help.”
“I want to help bring that wonderment back, no matter how dark the world is.”
For Osk, it was a tricky tightrope to balance on. On one hand, you have the joy that comes with bringing wonder and fantasy into the lives of people through your art. On the other hand, Yaelokre is basically Osk’s personal diary. So, having your stories and your childhood on the internet for people to pick apart and twist was all kinds of overwhelming for them.
“I’ve gone through life thinking that there’s so much kindness in the world, kindness in everybody, and I just wanted to be positive and hopeful. But then, you have these people who break this vision… and it makes you feel like a child. It makes you feel like what you dream of is just childish ideology — that everybody is fueled by kindness and friendship and all those rainbows.”
“There was a point last year where I was like: I’m wrong, and what I’m doing isn’t working. October was the worst of it all. There were things I wish I could forget — the internet, and the whole populace, they can all be very harsh. Not just in our country, but all around the world. And I’m just this random Icelandic-Filipino guy just trying to enjoy music.”
However, in November and December of last year, Osk says that “something magical happened” to them. Their friends came in and reminded them of what started all of this: love and kindness.
“The disfavored people have drained my color…but my friends were there to get their crayons out and scribble their own stories on mine. It’s so magical, it’s so wonderful, and everything after that just became so happy.”
That’s why it’s important to point out that while Osk is the face of the band, Yaelokre is not a solo act. It is a tapestry of love, kindness, and wonder that binds ourselves to the Yaelokre story. It is about friendship, perseverance, and the belief that there is always good in the world.
“The stories of Yaelokre wouldn’t have existed if it wasn’t for them — my parents, my friends, the people in my life.”
The clock strikes eight, and the band barrel down the stairs to head to the side stage. As the band prepares for their first song, Osk takes their spot at the very front. They take a look back at their bandmates — no, their friends — and nod. Osk faces the audience. They take a breath.
“I can tell you a story, in verses it will be…” – Rappler.com