Vocal coach Zebedee Zuniga twists his hand in the air, and the melody of a tender, haunting lullaby, Ili Ili Tulog Anay, begins.
“Little one, little one, sleep now/ Your mother is not here / She went to buy some bread,” sing the six members of Alamat, sitting in a circle. Then hip-hop beats kick in; the traditional Philippine lullaby, known as oyayi, is merged with more contemporary sounds.
It is a Monday afternoon at Viva records’ studios, and Alamat, one of the label’s rising acts, are rehearsing their next single. They are part of a new wave of bands, often