Zeke Abella started writing songs when he was in sixth grade.
He grew up surrounded by music lovers. His family members were always listening to music in one way or another — on the radio, around the house. It was this love for music that pushed him to start creating music of his own. “Nahimo na siyang therapy [It was like therapy for me],” Abella shares to Coast2Coast.
When he was in sixth grade, he started writing songs about puppy love and crushes. Abella would then sing his songs to his friends, making them into inside jokes. Fast forward a couple of years to the pandemic, he decided he wanted to try making music more seriously. As he started learning and playing around with music production, the purpose of music being a form of therapy for himself persevered.
“Na-observe ko sa mga artists na naa sila’y songs na dili siya sikat, dili siya pang-masa, pero kana nga songs nga daghan kaayo’g references [sa personal experiences sa artist]…kita ko na murag siya’y way, or ganahan pud ko mu-try, nga medium na i-express imong kaugalingon.”
[Something I observed with other artists is that they have songs that aren’t popular, aren’t really for mass listening, but they have a lot of personal references to the [personal experiences of the artist]…I saw it as a way, or a medium I’d like to try, to express my own experiences.]
He continued to share that music, with its lyrics and melodies, allows him to express himself in ways that plain words can’t. Finding the right guitar chords or the right melodies that convey the feeling he wants is therapeutic for him.
Coincidentally, the pandemic was around the same time he started posting actively on TikTok, eventually becoming the Zeke Abella we know today. In 2025, he has over 2.8 million followers on the platform, and over 180 million likes on his videos. His style of absurdist humor, quick wit, and out-of-left-field punch lines captivated the internet. He was eventually catapulted into superstardom, and he continues to be one of the most recognizable online personalities today.
It was in 2023 — around the same time where he continued to solidify his online presence as a comedian — that he dropped “Only One,” produced by Bryle Lagahit, also known as brayll. To his legion of followers that know him as a comedian, Zeke Abella (the musician), felt like a complete 180 from his online persona. If his comedic persona is one that has a high-pitched, sharp accent, his singing voice is deep, powerful and velvety, making it perfect for his debut as an R&B ballad artist. His singing voice even has his fans calling him “the Philippines’ Daniel Caesar.”
“Only One” was just the start. He eventually started releasing more and more singles, masterfully produced by some of the fastest-rising producers in the country’s hip-hop and R&B scene, like Ronnie Villa, Azi Rodriguez, and Will Mikhael. Tracks like “Baggages” and “Truth Serum” have continued to showcase his talent for writing songs that tug on your heartstrings. Take for example his latest single, “Miles Away,” where he sings: “I would’ve stayed here / And I hope you’re going too / I’d bet it all on you / Again.”
As a listener, the contrast between his two personas is jarring. On one hand, you have a man who can garner over a million views on a TikTok where he makes incoherent sentences and blows loudly into his phone’s microphone. On the other hand, you have an artist who waxes poetic about the pitfalls of falling in and out of love. As he continues to pursue both his comedy and music career, one can’t help but make comparisons between him and Filthy Frank-turned-Joji, Rich Brian, or Donald Glover-turned-Childish Gambino.
However, for Abella, it isn’t about picking one over the other. Being a comedian and a musician — a serious one, at that — is merely a reflection of his real-life nature.
“If mutan-aw mo’g siya externally, layo kaayo siya [If you look at it externally, those two sides of myself are so far apart],” he says. “Di ko pud ka-ingon nga separate kaayo kaning serious music [ug sa akong comedy], kay ako man gud siya. Ako ni ang funny guy, ako pud si serious guy. Like, kun magstorya mi sa akong mga migo, number one jud sila mu-ingon nga ‘Zeke, mu-kalit ra ka’g seryoso. Dili mi kahibaw kung mag-joke ra ka or whatever’.”
[I also can’t say that my comedy and serious music are separate, because they’re all the same parts of me. If I’m the funny guy, I’m also the serious guy. Like, when I’m talking with my friends, the number one thing they say is that, ‘Zeke, you get so serious, so fast. We don’t know if you’re going to tell a joke or whatever.]
He goes on to say that he actually really values having deep, serious, and meaningful conversations with people. So, for Abella, it’s not a matter of turning on a switch to step into either persona. The artist and the comedian aren’t characters for him to perform. The striking contrast between the two is his real-life personality.
However, more than just being a reflection, he reveals that those two sides of him influence each other in different ways. For example, he’d love to write upbeat songs where he can inject wit into the lyrics, just like how SZA does in “30 For 30” (“Chat, should I fold that bitch, no yoga mat?” Abella sings, in our interview).
He continues by saying that there isn’t just “one” way to be an artist. There’s no “one” way to write a song. Abella cites Kendrick Lamar as an example — Lamar can craft the most serious and hard-hitting conscious bars, but he can also inject comedy in other songs. That doesn’t mean that Lamar’s art is any less “serious.”
“Siguro in the next nga tracks...usa jud sa akong goals is [ipakita] akong personality. For example, akong personality sa TikTok, mu-himo siya into song (In the next tracks…one of my goals is to showcase more of my personality. For example, I could turn my personality on TikTok into song).”
It’s exciting to imagine a world where Zeke Abella injects more and more of his quick wit and surreal humor into his R&B music. As he reveals that he’s working on releasing more tracks this year, one can’t help but wonder: just like what happened with Joji, Rich Brian, and Childish Gambino, will it ever come to a point where he chooses music over comedy?
Abella’s answer is simple: no.
“Ganahan ko mu-do ug both. Murag pinangga ko ang duha. Pinangga sad ko nila (I want to do both. It’s like both of them are my babies. And in the same way, they’ve taken care of me too).”
Zeke Abella is not your average musician. He’s also not your average comedian either. He takes ownership of both of those identities, refusing to be just one or the other, and is charting his own path in the entertainment industry. As he steps into the spotlight, one thing is clear: this is just the beginning.
Creative direction by Kara Angan, assisted by Nikko Tan and Lorenz Torres. Fashion direction by Nikko Tan and Manu Studios. Styling by Manu Studios, assisted by Klyde Moraca. Hair and grooming by Soda Pop, assisted by Jianna Lim. Art direction by Nikko Tan. Photographed by Lorenz Torres at Nest Coworking Studio. Story by Kara Angan. Coast2Coast, 2025.
coast2coast 