For some artists, music and art exist separately. For Reanne Borela, they breathe together.
The University of the Philippines Cebu Fine Arts student moves gracefully between melodies and canvases, building emotional worlds where songs feel visual and paintings feel as if they could hum back. Signed to a record label while balancing academics, gigs and her own art practice, Borela exists in multiple creative spaces, but insists they all come from one origin.
“Art and music aren’t really that far off from each other,” she said. “Both are used for expression but as different mediums. It’s similar to storytelling. Music is for the content, the heart of the story, while painting is giving a visual image of that story.”
That emotional intensity is a defining feature of her work. Her sound, often described to be “softcore sad pop,” is inspired by storybooks and childhood imagery. Her visual art is of the same thread, featuring soft dreamlike forms and doll-like figures. She cites artists like British-Filipina singer Beabadoobee and American singer-songwriter Melanie Martinez as primary inspirations.
But beyond her aesthetic lies something far more rigid: control. To her, creative ownership is not just preference but identity.
“Unfortunately artists really are prone to wonder whether they should make songs that are sellable to the masses or songs that are true to them,” she expressed. But remaining steeped in her virtues, she shared, “It won’t be my art anymore, it would be theirs. What would be the point of it all if that’s the case? I just refuse to become a puppet of society and this applies to both art and music.”
At one point, she even stepped back from creating music altogether. This helped her recalibrate.
“I took a step back for me to gain control again. Control on what I want and how others perceive me and my music. The reward I’d receive from this is gaining back my identity and that is enough for me now.”
And that is where Reanne Borela quietly stands apart. In her world, painting is not just an image and music is not just sound. Her work is not built on curated identity or trends, but from the depths of her very soul. (Tasha Zosa Anton )