Meet Pino, the R&B artist blending Filipino charm with Canada’s sonic elements

Many years ago, in the Canadian town of Ajax, there was a young boy who was just beginning to discover his penchant for sound. 

The boy’s parents are from the Philippines — an inherently music-loving country — so whether or not he had a choice, music quite literally ran in his veins, thanks to the endless karaoke sessions he’d join at home. While tinkering with his father’s extensive R&B CD collection and his brother’s hip-hop CD collection laid the groundwork for his musical tastes, it was of his own accord that he began scouring the catalogues of Michael Jackson, Aaliyah, Pharrell, Timbaland, Ne-Yo, and more. 

It finally came time for him to start following in these musical icons’ footsteps, too. Before long, he’d make his official debut as an R&B artist called Pino — which you might have already guessed is short for “Filipino.” 

“In Canada, all the Filipinos go to a Catholic high school, but I went to a public one. I was one of a few Filipinos there, so people would just call me Pino,” he explained. 

When you have a nickname (and eventually, an artist name) like that, your heritage is bound to become a major part of your artistry. It’s a name that carries a lot of weight. There’s an unspoken pressure that comes with it, but Pino is determined to carve out space for his Filipino roots in the Canadian music scene. 

Anything but nonchalant 

In 2016, just before Pino entered high school, producing trap beats became one of his favorite pastimes, but it was by no means supposed to turn into anything serious. It was all just for fun, until he would soon realize that music was something he was actively pouring his heart into. 

But it hadn’t always been the smooth lure of the rhythm and blues genre that dominated Pino’s sound. Rap was what first caught his eye. 

“I could always sing as a kid. That was a given, but in high school, kids are really into old rap and just being mischievous or savage,” Pino told Rappler. “I wasn’t doing anything crazy, so I didn’t think there was a reason for me to rap because a lot of it is sort of violent.”

It had actually been through the encouragement of his peers that he decided to transition to R&B. “It fits you,” they would tell him — and Pino himself knew that, too. He made the switch, and since then, he has never looked back. 

In the R&B genre, it’s common to bare your soul to your listeners. 

But for the 23-year-old artist, navigating that is where his Filipino roots really come into play. Pino is calm and laidback, so wearing his heart on his sleeve is something you might not expect of him at first glance. But you will quickly learn that that couldn’t be further from the truth. 

“It’s in our blood. Filipinos are ‘chalant,’” Pino said, referring to the colloquial term that’s now being widely used as the opposite of “nonchalant” — where someone is completely devoid of strong emotion. 

“We’re not afraid to admit our feelings or say what we want to say. So it’s natural to me and a lot of us,” he added when asked if vulnerability was something he struggled to show in his music. 

From Canada and the Philippines, to the world

Just listen to his 2025 EP 02. Here, Pino takes listeners through stories of love, loss, and hurt, fronted by songs like “Can’t Leave Alone” and “Love This Pain Away.” 

But while his Filipino side takes the reins for the unapologetic outpouring of emotions in his lyrics, his Canadian side takes charge of the soundwaves.  

“Because I basically grew up outside of Toronto, Drake, The Weeknd, Tory Lanez, and PARTYNEXTDOOR were the sort of stuff we were listening to when we were younger. Because I’m from there, I heard their music when it first started coming out,” he shared, adding that this early exposure to all these legendary Canadian artists served as a big influence to him. 

All this is a part of Pino’s effort to blend modernity and nostalgia. He ties this all together in the record’s cover art, where he sports a barong tagalog as he leans against an alleyway’s wall. 

“We have this distinct sound,” Pino said of the Toronto music scene. “It varies between all the artists out in Toronto but for the past few years, it’s definitely been the ambient sort of R&B.” 

Pino was quick to admit that it was only in 2025 when he really began listening to music from his motherland — with classic R&B artists like Jay-R and South Border making it into his personal playlist. Still, with his growing platform on Canadian ground, he finds importance in showcasing more of OPM’s distinct style, which he hopes to incorporate more of into his music moving forward. 

For now, though, Pino is just enjoying the ride. When prompted to open up about any struggles he’s experienced throughout his five-year music career so far, he was stumped. 

“Honestly, I can’t really complain about anything. You have to stick it out until you start seeing traction. Patience in this industry is really important,” he told Rappler. 

Pino is well aware that artists find their footing at different points in their careers. While he’s found a million people who are more than willing to listen to his body of work, he wholeheartedly believed that dedication, patience, and consistency remain at the heart of his mind and soul as an artist. – Rappler.com