Ben&Ben is an indie folk/folk pop band in the Philippines. They consist of brothers Paolo and Miguel Guico on acoustic guitars and vocals, Poch Barreto on electric guitar, Jam Villanueva on drums, Agnes Reoma on bass, Patricia Lasaten on keyboards, Toni Muñoz and Andrew de Pano on percussions, and Keifer Cabugao on violin. The band has been known for their popular hits such as "Ride Home", "Leaves", "Maybe the Night", "Pagtingin" and the critically acclaimed "Kathang Isip".
The first incarnation of the group had the Guico twins and Ben Sasis but the latter left the band around 2015 to pursue his BMX career. The Guico twins came up with the name "Ben, Ben & Ben" but later changed it to The Benjamins due to lack of impact. They wrote their first song "Ultimate" during their college days. Unfortunately, there are no record to be found of this song.
The band released new singles and collaborations throughout 2018, including the song "Susi" for the movie and "Maybe the Night" for the movie Exes Baggage. They composed a song, "Balik-Balikan" for the music program Coke Studio Homecoming together with Sam Concepcion. In the same program, Ben&Ben also covered a classic Sam Concepcion Feat. Tippy Dos Santos song, as well as the grand winning Phil Pop single "Dati" for Coke Studio Homecoming Season 2. They covered a new classic cover of the Jose Mari Chan hit Beautiful Girl in 2019. They were tapped for the opening theme of the 2020 television drama seriesMake It With You.
Ben&Ben announced that they will be releasing their debut album in May 2019 after topping various streaming platforms and radio charts with hit singles “Kathang Isip,” “Ride Home” and “Maybe the Night”. “Limasawa Street” is derived from the Butuanon word "Masawa" meaning light and is also the name of a street.
First film
Ben&Ben were one of the starrings of the 2019 Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino film, LSS alongside Gabbi Garcia and Khalil Ramos. 10 original songs were featured in the film, namely "Ride Home," "Branches," "Leaves," "Kathang Isip," "Bibingka," "Fall," "Maybe The Night," "Mitsa," "Araw-Araw," and "Sunrise."
In August 2019, it was announced that Ben&Ben will be performing in the 2019 edition of the Clockenflap, an annual music and arts festival held in Hong Kong. Including in the line up are artists like Halsey and Lil Pump, and bands like The Kooks and Mumford & Sons.
In November 2019, during the National Geographic Explorers Festival in Singapore, Ben&Ben became the first Filipino band to be named as #PlanetorPlastic ambassadors for Asia.
2020
SXSW Musicfest
Ben&Ben was scheduled to perform in the 2020 edition of South by South West music festival, but the music festival was officially cancelled on March 6 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the result of an order by the city of Austin.
Puhon!: A Ben&Ben FB Live Event for the COVID19 Efforts
In 27 March 2020, Ben&Ben held an online concert for the benefit of the frontliners battling the spread of the coronavirus. Titled "Puhon!", a Bisayan word for "Hopefully", the project is an initiative to bring people together to combat COVID-19 in the Philippines by providing a timely and coordinated response to affected communities, and by building a network of courage and inspiration through stories and music. The band aims to raise ₱5 million in donations. As of 27 March 2020 via a tweet, the band said that they have now received nearly ₱3.1 million in donations since the site went up.
First international single
Ben&Ben announced on social media that they will be releasing their first international single in April 2020 after reaching the 29th spot in Billboard's Top 50 Social chart. Titled "Doors", the band said that the single has a "quite sad but hopeful" theme that expresses people's feelings amid the quarantine.
Band members
Current members
Paolo Benjamin Guico – lead vocals, acoustic guitar
Miguel Benjamin Guico – lead vocals, acoustic guitar
