Meet PH-born indiepop-rock musician of South Pasadena, California

ZOS!MO playing the Tiny Desk Concert for NPR.

Philippine-born Zosimo Quibilan Jr. will perform his original Tagalog indiepop and rock compositions at Eagle Rock Public Library, 5027 Caspar Avenue, Los Angeles, on Thursday, June 8 at 6 p.m. The event is free.

Going by the stage name ZOS!MO, he is also known as Z among friends. He and his wife and three children have been South Pasadena residents for 15 years. ZOS!MO is backed by Joseph Mendoza (guitar) , Adam Lovinus (bass), and Don Karingal (drums).

Quibilan has written Tagalog musicals, including 2BAYANI, a two-act rock opera on the last days of Andres Bonifacio, the leader of the 1896 Philippine revolution against Spain. It was staged at Tanghalang Ateneo in Metro Manila in April 2022.

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Earlier this year, Quibilan entered NPR’s Tiny Desk contest and played a Tagalog song— Wasakin Ang Pader (Break The Wall), about tearing down the walls of silence and speaking up, Alisa Hayashida of The South Pasadenan reported.

“With the success of Asian American and non-English entertainment and Filipino American musicians everywhere (HER, Olivia Rodrigo, Saweetie) in American pop culture, I thought there’s a noticeable openness now to accommodate more languages and cultures,” Quibilan told Hayashida.