(L) Soliven; (R) Neeko
Leaders of the new wave of hip-hop and R&B coming out of Vancouver, BC, MANILA GREY blends atmospheric R&B with Southeast Asian style. As childhood friends growing up in Vancouver, Neeko and Soliven had few Asian-Canadian roles models in music to follow, so they formed MANILA GREY to blaze their path representing their Filipino-Canadian identities. They recently dropped a video for the single “Night Code,” from their 2019 mixtape No Saints Loading.
Since concluding their Silver Skies Tour shortly before the start of the pandemic, the duo has been hard at work creating with their art collective “1z Co.,” prepping a new album, dreaming of island vacations, and still managing to drop their new single, “Blue Vegeta.”
The following interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
What influences you?
Neeko: Music and fashion, but recently I’ve been studying and soaking in the works of Daniel Arsham, Madsaki, Kaws, and Murakami, just to name a few, and it’s impressive to see how they move and see things. On top of that, just the passion and time they put into their craft is inspiring—definitely a practice I want to master and keep implementing into my work.
Soliven: Great storytelling! I’m influenced by a lot of films and directors from all over the world like Miyazaki, Wes Anderson, Bong Joon-ho, and Quentin Tarantino. I’m seeing these artists create their worlds in their distinct styles, and it’s so grand and inspiring. I love studying the art of building that and the endless possibilities that come with it. I’m currently building ours every day.
What’s the most overrated?
Soliven: Likes and followers. Fuck the numbers; it doesn’t change who you truly are. Create what’s true to you. Find your zen, and never get caught up in that shit.
Neeko: Memory foam mattresses, bought one a few months back and did not live up to the hype.
What’s the most underrated?
Neeko: A fresh pair of white socks and Bow Wow’s verse on “Fresh Azimiz.” You big, big trippin’ if you don’t agree with me.
Soliven: Horror. Most misunderstood genre ever. There’s an inner fear in people that a good horror story can tap into on a human level; it goes way beyond ghosts.
What are you most excited about right now?
Soliven: This next project. Since the virus hit and the touring and traveling were canceled, the team is in a different bag, and we’ve become more creative than ever. From the music, the visuals, to our merch line, we got some out of this world ideas we bringing to life.
Neeko: Performing again. Coming back home from the “Silver Skies Tour” and going straight into quarantine a few months after was not my ideal way to spend 2020. I was mad excited to travel and see the fans again and just soak in the different cities with my “1z Co.” fam. I need that energy.
What’s next for you?
Neeko: “MG SUMMER 2020,” we’ve got a lot of things moving on the backend. All I can say is that if you are watching, keep watching, you in for a treat.
Soliven: The next project is in the books, so Baby Fleece is taking the most bless vacation to the islands when this pandemic is over. After that, we are going straight into the album.
Bonus: How are you able to continue to create in the face of a global pandemic? Have you learned anything surprising about yourself, each other, and your craft during this moment?
MANILA GREY: It’s so easy to create music in 2020, it’s not like back in the day where you needed big studios. People nowadays are creating hits in their own cribs on their own terms. When the world is trapped at home, and our fans are trapped at home, we learned that we have a responsibility to keep the vibes going, pandemic or not. We own an art collective based in Vancouver, Canada, called “1z Co.” The whole team is so creative, and quarantine was what helped us kick start the different initiatives that we were too busy to explore before. The movement is something to watch out for as we continue to introduce “1z Co.” to the world.
