Combining a vibrant hiphop sound with tropical flair, Massiah’s musical style can’t be missed. In this episode of Sound Fiesta, the Dumaguete-born and Ghana-raised artist performs the opening track of his album Lahi, Tourist Chick. An ode to anyone visiting the country and having a good time, the track also lends inspiration from the 80s.
And in true Massiah fashion, the song has a fun, raw, yet clever lyricism accompanied by a smooth flow and hooks.
We had a quick chat with him to discuss the inspiration behind Tourist Chick, his influences, and his beginnings.
Tourist Chick is the first song off your album Lahi. Why did you decide to kick off the album with this song?
I chose this song to start the album because I felt it had the most tropical feel to it, a cheeky island adventure feels, which could serve best as an intro to anyone visiting the Philippines.
What was the inspiration for the song Tourist Chick? How would you describe it?
Tourist Chick was inspired by my friends and I from Dumaguete — always hanging around waiting to meet new people, or showing visitors a good time whenever they visited.
What influences did you pull from in creating this song?
Not too many. We were just being ourselves when we made the song. However, we made sure the instrumental had a bit of an 80s postcard feel to it.
Let’s talk about your beginnings. What got you into music?
What got me into writing and creating music really was the community. It was as if I had found my tribe, and we could talk about anything. I felt comfortable being around musicians, especially when creating.
How would you describe your musical style?
I would describe my style as fun, blunt and minimalist. With my lyrics, I aim to get straight to the point and just hope people will vibe with it.
Sound Fiesta is in collaboration with Playhouse Studio for video production and Kindred Productions for audio management. This video was shot in The Astbury, Makati City.
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