Alas Alvarez

{{Infobox person

| name = Alas Alvarez

| image = Alas Alvarez in December 2024.jpg

| caption = Alvarez in December 2024

| alt =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2001|03|28}}

| birth_name = Joshua Magsilong Alvarez

| birth_place = Davao City, Philippines

| occupation = {{hlist|Rapper|singer|songwriter|performer|record producer}}

| years_active = 2020–present

| signature =

| module = {{Infobox musical artist|embed=yes

| genre = {{hlist|P-pop|Visayan pop|Hip-hop}}

| label = Viva

| current_member_of = Alamat

}}

Joshua Magsilong Alvarez (born March 28, 2001), also known professionally as Alas Alvarez or simply Alas (stylized in all caps), is a Filipino rapper, singer, songwriter, performer, and record producer. He is the lead rapper of the P-pop boy band Alamat, who are known for their multilingual, multicultural advocacy. Alvarez is the group's representative for Cebuano{{Efn|This language is more widely known by its endonym, Bisaya.}} speakers. He is the first active member of Alamat to release a solo single with "Don't Play", a hip-hop track written in Cebuano, Tagalog, and English released on February 7, 2025.

Early life and education

Joshua Magsilong Alvarez was born on March 28, 2001 in Davao City.{{Cite web | first=Addie | last=Pobre | date=February 18, 2021 | title=10 Alamat Facts: Why You Should Stan This New P-Pop Boy Group That Sings In Multiple Philippine Languages | url=https://thesmartlocal.ph/alamat-facts/ | website=The Smart Local Philippines | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/yhlpb | archive-date=February 7, 2025 | url-status=live}}{{Cite AV media | date=March 3, 2022 | title=Section: Alamat Episode 1 | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbIisURjzwA?t=25 | via=YouTube | publisher=Alamat | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/MbIisURjzwA | archive-date=February 7, 2025 | url-status=live}} His mother is of Tausūg descent.{{Cite AV media | date=November 13, 2023 | title=[VLOG] 'Dayang' Recording | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13U1YmvvP1g?t=2368 | via=YouTube | publisher=Alamat | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/MbIisURjzwA | archive-date=February 7, 2025 | url-status=live}}

Alvarez was a sepak takraw player in elementary school and trained in kickboxing, boxing, and mixed martial arts in high school. He planned to study psychology in college, but could not afford to pursue a degree.{{Cite website | url=https://x.com/AlasDaGreat/status/1782756082588463250 | title=Thread by @AlasDaGreat | website=X}} Before debuting in Alamat, he also had some runway modeling experience{{Cite AV media | date=August 15, 2021 | title= ALAMAT reacts to old photos | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWK9K1-mm0E | via=YouTube | publisher=Alamat | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/aWK9K1-mm0E | archive-date=March 11, 2025 | url-status=live}} and was a youth coordinator for "Let's Do It Philippines", a grassroots environmental volunteer movement.

Career

=2020–present: Joining Alamat and solo work=

Alvarez was the final member to be added to Alamat's line-up. He joined the boy band when the other members had already undergone training, so their manager repeatedly told Alvarez that he had many things he needed to catch up on. Alamat officially debuted on February 14, 2021 with the multilingual song "Kbye" (stylized in all lowercase).{{Cite web | first=Franchesca Judine | last=Basbas | date=March 8, 2021 | title=Alamat on taking their multilingual Filipino pop music to the global stage | url=https://www.bandwagon.asia/articles/alamat-interview-rji-kin-gahmi-alas-taneo-joa-mo-tomas-valfer-kbye-maligiw-viva-entertainment-philippines-ppop-2021 | website=Bandwagon Asia | archive-url=https://archive.today/submit/?submitid=AOIYGToXprKZkU%2FBnOjnOfIIH7%2F5NPhpk%2Bn6sOkltEOBr5JyhlBoLbgsmju4o6mL&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bandwagon.asia%2Farticles%2Falamat-interview-rji-kin-gahmi-alas-taneo-joa-mo-tomas-valfer-kbye-maligiw-viva-entertainment-philippines-ppop-2021 | archive-date=February 20, 2025 | url-status=live}} He was given the position of lead rapper in the group and became their representative for Cebuano (Bisaya) speakers.{{Cite web | first=Lia | last=Savillo | date=March 2, 2021 | title=Alamat on taking their multilingual Filipino pop music to the global stage | url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/filipino-boy-band-alamat-kbye-ppop/ | website=Vice News | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/XAuxm | archive-date=February 20, 2025 | url-status=live}} In a feature by Vice News, Alvarez was quoted as saying, "For many years, especially in Luzon, Visayan or the Visayan accent, has often been used as a device for comedy. In our own little way, through the music of Alamat, we seek to contribute in reversing this[…] portrayal of not just Visayans but 'probinsyanos' (people from the countryside) in general. Seeing 'Kbye' reach a large number of people gives me the feeling that we are on the right track."

Alvarez has several songwriting, production, mixing, and mastering credits on Alamat songs, such as "Hala"{{Efn|an expression found in various Philippine languages, roughly corresponding to the English "wow"}},{{Cite web | date=October 28, 2022 | title=Hala - Song by Alamat | url=https://music.apple.com/ph/song/hala/1649723177 | website=Apple Music | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/evtws | archive-date=February 20, 2025 }} "Noli" ({{translation|Do Not}}),{{Cite AV media | date=November 21, 2023 | title=ALAMAT - 'Noli' Lyric Video | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YyZCaz-qnw | via=YouTube | publisher=Alamat | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/2YyZCaz-qnw | archive-date=February 20, 2025|quote=Produced by Alas Alvarez, R-Ji Lim; Arranged by Alas Alvarez | url-status=live}} and "Dong-Dong-Ay"{{Efn|a melodic phrase with no meaning, originating from a Kalinga folk song}}.{{Cite AV media | date=November 26, 2023 | title=ALAMAT - 'Dong-Dong-Ay' Lyric Video | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gchff6btFsU | via=YouTube | publisher=Alamat | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/gchff6btFsU | archive-date=February 20, 2025|quote=Mixed and mastered by Joshua Alvarez | url-status=live}} He spoke of his process in an interview with Teen Vogue, explaining, "I'm personally the one in charge of beats so I like looking up and including local instruments when I can, like the kudyapi or kulintang."{{Cite web |title=P-Pop Group Alamat Are Set to Conquer the World |url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/p-pop-group-alamat-interview-maharani |website=Teen Vogue |date=January 23, 2023 |language=en-US |archive-date=June 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230627234625/https://www.teenvogue.com/story/p-pop-group-alamat-interview-maharani | url-status=live}} On November 30, 2023, Alvarez won Top Male Rapper of the Year at the 8th P-pop Awards.{{Cite web | first=Jia | last=Bote | date=December 1, 2023 | title=Still the kings: SB19 sweeps 8th PPOP Awards | url=https://tribune.net.ph/2023/12/01/still-the-kings-sb19-sweeps-8th-ppop-awards | website=Daily Tribune | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/nFZ3R | archive-date=February 9, 2025 | url-status=live}}

File:Alas (Joshua Alvarez) in August 2024.png

On February 2, 2025, Viva first announced Alvarez' solo debut, "Don't Play", a hip-hop track with lyrics in Cebuano, Tagalog, and English. The lyrics are from the perspective of a man in love with a woman who plays games with him emotionally. He hopes for her to stop playing those games and be honest about how she feels about him, hence the title "Don't Play".{{Cite web | date=February 3, 2025 | title=ALAMAT'S Alas releases solo debut single 'Don't Play' PUSH TV | url=https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/music/2025/2/11/alamat-s-alas-releases-solo-debut-single-don-t-play-push-tv-0137 | website=Push TV | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/v93fl | archive-date=February 20, 2025 }} Alvarez wrote, produced, mixed, mastered, and engineered the song by himself.

On February 6, a day before the song's release, Alvarez held a launch event for "Don't Play" at Atmosfera, a nightclub in Poblacion, Makati.{{Cite web | first=Mayks | last=Go | date=February 3, 2025 | title=ALAMAT's Alas Makes Solo Debut With "Don't Play" – Listen | url=https://billboardphilippines.com/music/news/alamat-alas-makes-solo-debut-with-dont-play-listen-release-new-single-2025/ | website=Billboard Philippines | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/IcnD3 | archive-date=February 17, 2025 | url-status=live}} Fellow Viva artist Yen Durano (also known as Yennybooo) and the other members of Alamat joined him at the event.{{Cite web | date=February 2025 | title= ALAMAT Alas Sets the Vibe with Debut Solo Single "Don't Play" | url=https://www.metroscenemag.com/2025/02/alamat-alas-solo-single-dont-play.html | website=Metroscene | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/qrnEe | archive-date=February 20, 2025 }} In an interview with Billboard Philippines, Alvarez revealed that "Don't Play" had already been composed in 2021 or 2022, but had undergone many changes through the years. He also shared that his plan was to release a solo album or extended play, but decided that he would release a song every one or two months instead to avoid feeling pressure.{{Cite web | first=Mayks | last=Go | date=February 10, 2025 | title=Purok Nuebe: ALAMAT's Alas On Carving His Own Path In P-pop With "Don't Play" | url=https://billboardphilippines.com/music/features/purok-nuebe-alamat-alas-on-carving-his-own-path-in-p-pop-with-dont-play-interview-2025/ | website=Billboard Philippines | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/fkRLr | archive-date=February 20, 2025 | url-status=live}} Alvarez also released a lyric visualizer video for "Don't Play", which he conceptualized.{{Cite web | first=Andrea | last=Dee | date=February 20, 2025 | title=Purok Nuebe: ALAMAT's Alas On Carving His Own Path In P-pop With "Don't Play" | url=https://pulpmagazine.com/article/742 | website=Pulp | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/U99Gr | archive-date=February 20, 2025 | url-status=live}}

Discography

{{For|Alvarez' discography with Alamat|Alamat (group)#Discography}}

=As lead artist=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" ! scope="col" \| Title ! scope="col" \| Year ! scope="col" \| Album ! class="unsortable" \| {{abbr\|Ref.\|Reference}}
scope="row" \| "Don't Play" \|2025 \|Non-album single \|

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

! scope="col" | Title

! scope="col" | Year

! scope="col" | Album

! class="unsortable" | {{abbr|Ref.|Reference}}

scope="row" | "Don't Play"

|2025

|Non-album single

=Songwriting and production credits=

Credits are adapted from Tidal{{Efn|Attributed to multiple sources: {{Cite web |date=February 15, 2021 |title=kbye / Alamat / Credits - TIDAL | url=https://listen.tidal.com/album/172949005/credits?trackId=172949008 |url-access=subscription | publisher=Tidal | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/GwBQg | archive-date=March 27, 2025 | url-status=live}}{{Cite web |date=November 3, 2023 |title=IsaPuso / Alamat / Credits - TIDAL | url=https://listen.tidal.com/album/322234953/credits?trackId=322234954 |url-access=subscription | publisher=Tidal | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/Wl4tE | archive-date=February 25, 2025 | url-status=live}}{{Cite web |date=June 14, 2024 |title=Gupit (with Alamat) / The Juans / Credits - TIDAL | url=https://listen.tidal.com/album/368027486/credits?trackId=368027488 |url-access=subscription | publisher=Tidal | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/c5zAh | archive-date=March 27, 2025 | url-status=live}}}}, Apple Music{{Efn|Attributed to multiple sources:}}, and official listings on YouTube{{Efn|Attributed to multiple sources:}}.

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="text-align:center" \|+ List of songs, showing year released, artist name, and name of the album ! scope="col" \| Title ! scope="col" \| Year ! scope="col" \| Artist ! scope="col" \| Album ! scope="col" class="unsortable" \| Producer ! scope="col" class="unsortable" \| Lyricist ! scope="col" class="unsortable" \| Composer
scope="row" \| "Kbye" \| rowspan="1" \| 2021 \| Alamat \| Non-album single \| {{Na}} \| {{Ya}} \| {{Ya}}
scope="row" \| "ABKD" \| rowspan="2" \| 2022 \| Alamat \| Pasulong \| {{Na}} \| {{Ya}} \| {{Na}}
scope="row" \| "Hala" \| Alamat \| Pasulong \| {{Na}} \| {{Ya}} \| {{Na}}
scope="row" \| "Gayuma" \| rowspan="3" \| 2023 \| Alamat \| Pasulong \| {{Na}} \| {{Ya}} \| {{Ya}}
scope="row" \| "Noli" \| Alamat \| Isapuso \| {{Ya}} \| {{Na}} \| {{Na}}
scope="row" \| "Manila Dreams" \| Alamat \| Isapuso \| {{Na}} \| {{Ya}} \| {{Na}}
scope="row" \| "Gupit" \| rowspan="2" \| 2024 \| The Juans with Alamat \| Non-album single \| {{Na}} \| {{Ya}} \| {{Ya}}
scope="row" \| "Ngayong Gabi" \| Alamat with Nik Makino \| Coke Studio Philippines Season 8 \| {{Na}} \| {{Ya}} \| {{Ya}}
scope="row" \| "Don't Play" \| rowspan="1" \| 2025 \| Alas \| Non-album single \| {{Ya}} \| {{Ya}} \| {{Ya}}

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="text-align:center"

|+ List of songs, showing year released, artist name, and name of the album

! scope="col" | Title

! scope="col" | Year

! scope="col" | Artist

! scope="col" | Album

! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Producer

! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Lyricist

! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Composer

scope="row" | "Kbye"

| rowspan="1" | 2021

| Alamat

| Non-album single

| {{Na}}

| {{Ya}}

scope="row" | "ABKD"

| rowspan="2" | 2022

| Alamat

| Pasulong

| {{Na}}

| {{Ya}}

| {{Na}}

scope="row" | "Hala"

| Alamat

| Pasulong

| {{Na}}

| {{Ya}}

| {{Na}}

scope="row" | "Gayuma"

| rowspan="3" | 2023

| Alamat

| Pasulong

| {{Na}}

| {{Ya}}

scope="row" | "Noli"

| Alamat

| Isapuso

| {{Ya}}

| {{Na}}

scope="row" | "Manila Dreams"

| Alamat

| Isapuso

| {{Na}}

| {{Ya}}

| {{Na}}

scope="row" | "Gupit"

| rowspan="2" | 2024

| The Juans with Alamat

| Non-album single

| {{Na}}

| {{Ya}}

scope="row" | "Ngayong Gabi"

| Alamat with Nik Makino

| Coke Studio Philippines Season 8

| {{Na}}

| {{Ya}}

scope="row" | "Don't Play"

| rowspan="1" | 2025

| Alas

| Non-album single

| {{Ya}}

Filmography

{{For|Alvarez' filmography with Alamat|Alamat (group)#Filmography}}

=Television=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="text-align:center"
scope="col" \| Year ! scope="col" \| Title ! scope="col" \| Role ! class="unsortable" \| {{abbr\|Ref.\|Reference}}
scope="row" rowspan="1" \| 2024 \| Family Feud \| Himself (contestant) \|

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="text-align:center"

scope="col" | Year

! scope="col" | Title

! scope="col" | Role

! class="unsortable" | {{abbr|Ref.|Reference}}

scope="row" rowspan="1" | 2024

| Family Feud

| Himself (contestant)

=Online/Digital=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="text-align:center"
scope="col" \| Year ! scope="col" \| Title ! scope="col" \| Role ! class="unsortable" \| {{abbr\|Ref.\|Reference}}
scope="row" rowspan="1" \| 2025 \| iWant ASAP \| Himself (performer) \|

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="text-align:center"

scope="col" | Year

! scope="col" | Title

! scope="col" | Role

! class="unsortable" | {{abbr|Ref.|Reference}}

scope="row" rowspan="1" | 2025

| iWant ASAP

| Himself (performer)

=Music videos=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="text-align:center"
scope="col" \| Year ! scope="col" \| Title ! scope="col" \| Artist ! class="unsortable" \| {{abbr\|Ref.\|Reference}}
scope="row" rowspan="1" \| 2025 \| style="text-align:left" \| "Don't Play" \| Alas \|

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="text-align:center"

scope="col" | Year

! scope="col" | Title

! scope="col" | Artist

! class="unsortable" | {{abbr|Ref.|Reference}}

scope="row" rowspan="1" | 2025

| style="text-align:left" | "Don't Play"

| Alas

Awards and nominations

{{For|Alamat's awards and nominations|Alamat (group)#Awards and nominations}}

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" ! scope="col" \|Award ! scope="col" \|Year ! scope="col" \|Category ! scope="col" \|Nominee(s) ! scope="col" \|Result ! scope="col" \|{{Abbr\|Ref.\|Reference}}
scope="row" \|8th P-pop Awards \|2023 \|Top Male Rapper of the Year \|Alas \|{{Won}} \|

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

! scope="col" |Award

! scope="col" |Year

! scope="col" |Category

! scope="col" |Nominee(s)

! scope="col" |Result

! scope="col" |{{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}}

scope="row" |8th P-pop Awards

|2023

|Top Male Rapper of the Year

|Alas

|{{Won}}