Manila Grey

Manila Grey (stylized as MANILA GREY) are a Canadian R&B duo from Vancouver, British Columbia.^[1] They are most noted for receiving a Juno Award nomination for Breakthrough Group of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2021.^[2]

Consisting of Filipino Canadian singer Soliven and rapper GhostrideNeeko,^[3] they formed in 2016.^[4] Their debut EP, No Saints Under Palm Shade, was released in 2017,^[5] and was followed by their full-length album No Saints Loading in 2019, accompanied by their hit single “Silver Skies”.^[1] In 2020, they released the singles "Shibuya" and "Blue Vegeta", both previews of their forthcoming second album No Saints on Knight Street^[6] which was subsequently released on March 26, 2021.^[7]

Part of the release of the album No Saints on the Knight, Myx^[8] states that Manila Grey worked with one of Philippine's celebrity and fellow artists James Reid (actor) on the song 'Backhouse Ballin.' The article adds that both Manila Grey and Reid had an opportunity to perform at Universal CityWalk. This performance marks "...a huge step for Filipino artist crossing globally as our music gain exposure" quoted by Manila Grey from the same article. Entertainment Tonight Canada^[9] published an article on April 13, 2023, about how Manila Grey shares their experience as first generations musicians finding success in music and starting from nothing. Manila Grey released their fourth album Sound Drift which features the single 'Motherland' a nod to their Filipino heritage and where they came from.

Career

Manila Grey formed in early 2016 and released their first single "1z" on October 2, 2016, produced by long-time collaborator Azel North.^[10]

Discography

Studio albums

• 2019: No Saints Loading
• 2020: No Saints Loading (slowed + reverb)^[11]
• 2021: No Saints on Knight Street
• 2023: Sound Drift

EPs

• 2017: No Saints Under Palm Shade
• 2022: Spirits

References

1. Akeena Legall and Alex Narvaez, "Manila Grey Are Driving the Vancouver Sound". Complex, July 16, 2020.
2. Holly Gordon, "The Weeknd, JP Saxe, Jessie Reyez and Justin Bieber lead 2021 Juno Award nominations". CBC Music, March 9, 2021.
3. Sophie Caraan, "Filipino-Canadian Duo MANILA GREY Is on a Mission to Expand Their Culture". Hypebeast, November 19, 2019.
4. Melody Lau, "In the Spotlight: Manila Grey". Words and Music, March 14, 2018.
5. Kira Hunston, "MANILA GREY touch on tropics & city life with debut EP No Saints Under Palm Shade". Hip Hop Canada, October 15, 2017.
6. Daniel Peters, "Manila Grey glide through ‘Shibuya’ in their latest track". New Musical Express, August 26, 2020.
7. "Neon Knights: Manila Grey on Inspiring Asian Youth in Canada and Abroad". Complex. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
8. Domingo, Danielle (2021-03-30). "Manila Grey x James Reid "Backhouse Ballin" on Hollywood's Universal CityWalk & MYX Interview". MYX Global. Retrieved 2023-05-24.
9. Pearson, Emerson (2023-04-13). "Canadian R&B Duo MANILA GREY Share Their Experiences As First-Generation Immigrants Finding Success In Music: 'We Came From Nothing'". ET Canada. Archived from the original on April 13, 2023. Retrieved 2023-05-24.
10. Box, Good Juice (2017-12-19). "How I Produce: azel north". Good Juice Box. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
11. "No Saints Loading (slowed + reverb)". Apple Music. 2020-07-08. Retrieved 2021-08-13.