In Argao, southern Cebu, Cebuano artist, filmmaker and producer Jiezniel Roy Lopez, known creatively as JustRaw, found a creative identity shaped by his experiences between the province and the city.
His moniker, which began as a shorthand for his childhood nickname JR, eventually became an artistic code rooted in authenticity.
“At first, it was simply a name that fit,” Lopez said. “Over time, I realized that the whole journey behind it was raw and unfiltered. Eventually, JustRaw became a movement and a way of creating, living and expressing without forcing things to be perfect.”
His creative journey began in sixth grade with backyard video experiments, homemade sketches and editing projects. In high school, he joined a dance crew in Argao and was tasked with cutting and mixing performance tracks.
“Wanting our sound to be different pushed me to explore music, learn how to record and mix vocals, and eventually understand production,” he said.
Although he eventually left choreography behind, music became another way to express his cinematic vision.
When the pandemic brought him back to Argao in 2020, the slower pace of provincial life deepened his relationship with creativity. His experiences in both Argao and Cebu City eventually shaped an approach that blends music, cinematography and direction.
When sound becomes a story
“Usually, the sound comes first. Different beats naturally make me visualize different moods, scenes, and moments — whether it feels like a road trip, the beach, a party, love or something more reckless,” he said.
Rather than forcing every song into a specific narrative, he leaves room for listeners to create their own interpretations.
“The music doesn’t need a complicated story — it just needs to create a mood and leave enough space for people to imagine their own scene,” he said. “In the end, I’m creating soundtracks for the way I experience life — the things I’ve lived, the things I feel, and the things I still want to experience.”
His experience across different stages of production, from recording vocals to editing and color grading, has also given him greater control over his creative process.
“At this point, the challenge is less about knowing what I want and more about translating what I see in my head into an actual output,” he said.
His process often grows out of ordinary moments with friends.
“I see the process more like a jam session — hanging out with friends, experimenting with sounds, playing guitar, beatboxing, laughing and building something together,” he said.
“Sometimes, it’s simply capturing a moment, preserving the energy of a session and letting something naturally become a track.”
Growing with the scene
As Lopez matured, his approach to music shifted from focusing primarily on sound to paying closer attention to meaning and personal experience.
“Before, I was mainly focused on getting the sound right — how the music felt, how the vocals sat on the beat and how everything came together,” he said.
“Now, the process has evolved. I still start with the sound, but I also pay more attention to what naturally comes out of me — the words, thoughts, experiences and stories I want to express.”
His spiritual journey also influenced how he approaches creativity.
“I’ve learned to experience moments first instead of immediately turning them into something. I let things sink in, process them and then express them through music,” he said.
“For me, music has become a way of documenting life — not just what happened, but how I experienced it.”
That perspective extends to his understanding of Cebu’s creative scene, which he describes as a mix of different influences.
“I’d describe Cebu’s creative scene as Atlanta mixed with California, with a little bit of New York because of the graffiti, tags and rawness around the city,” he said.
He also sees music as a way to connect creative communities across the Visayas and Mindanao.
“With Bisaya communities spread throughout the Visayas and Mindanao, music can become a bridge that connects people and introduces them to cultures, stories, sounds and perspectives they may not normally experience,” Lopez said.
Unlike the centralized commercial machinery found in Luzon, the scenes across VisMin are sustained by self-reliance and regional fellowship. Collectives like Third World Records and Bakeshop Boyz in the city center, OL Crew in the north and A-Side Boondocks in the south operate as an organic ecosystem honoring the foundation laid by previous underground vanguards.
“A lot of what happens in the Visayas and Mindanao still doesn’t reach the rest of the country or the world. If music can give someone peace, make them feel connected or make them curious about a place they’ve never experienced, then that already means something.”
Finding his way back through ‘TBH’
After stepping away from the microphone to focus on video editing, Lopez found his way back to music through his single and accompanying music video, “TBH.”
The project emerged during a difficult period in his creative journey.
“TBH became the project that brought me back. I was going through one of the lowest points in my creative journey, but TBH became the project that brought me back,” he said.
The song, which centered on appreciating life and a girl, took a brighter direction despite his personal struggles at the time.
“Even though I was feeling sad at the time, I ended up making something happy — and genuinely enjoyed the process,” he said.
The music video brought together friends from Cebu City and Argao, with the project filmed in Argao. Despite having to rent a laptop to complete the editing, the team managed to finish the project and organize a premiere at The Playgrounds in Crossroads.
After “TBH,” Lopez returned to recording more consistently and began exploring new sounds and ideas.
Documenting the creative community
Today, Lopez is expanding his work beyond his own music. While he has unreleased songs and albums in progress, he is also focusing on documenting creative communities across VisMin.
“I want to experience these places, document the artists, events, and communities, and help share stories that often don’t reach outside the region.”
For Lopez, the goal is not simply to produce his own work but to help create opportunities for others.
“At this point, my bigger focus is cultivating the scene — creating opportunities, connecting people, documenting moments and helping other artists move forward,” he added.