Munimuni is a Filipino indie folk band from Quezon City, Philippines. The band currently consists of Adj Jiao (guitar, vocals), John Owen Castro (flute, vocals), Jolo Ferrer (bass), Josh Tumaliuan (drums), and Ben Ayes (guitar).[1][2][3]
History
Formation (2012-2013)
Munimuni were formed in UP Diliman, where TJ de Ocampo met Adj Jiao who was, at that time, doing a musical project with Red Calayan. They figured out that they had similar tastes in music, so they started writing and arranging songs together.
A year after their start, de Ocampo was sent to Japan as an exchange student, and the band added John Owen Castro as the band's session keyboardist. Munimuni kept on doing gigs while de Ocampo was away.[4][5]
Simula EP (2017)
In 2017, Munimuni released their debut EP titled Simula. The EP featured the songs "Sa Hindi Pag-alala", "Sa'yo", and "Marilag".[6][7][8]
Kulayan Natin (2019)
Two years after releasing their debut EP, Munimuni finally released their debut album.[9][10] Titled Kulayan Natin, it featured the songs "Tahanan", "Oras", "Kalachuchi", and "Solomon" (featuring Filipina singer Clara Benin).[11][12]
Hiatus (2020)
On September 30, 2020, the band announced on Twitter that they will be on a hiatus.[13][14]
The comeback #MaligayaAngPagbabalik (2021)
On June 9, 2021, the band announced their comeback with a social media hashtag, along with a new song titled "Maligaya" and TJ de Ocampo's departure from the band.[15][16]
Band members
Current members
Adj Jiao – guitar, lead vocals, backing vocals (2012–present)
John Owen Castro – flute, backing vocals, lead vocals (2014–present)
Jolo Ferrer – bass, backing vocals (2017–present)
Josh Tumaliuan – drums, backing vocals, occasional lead vocals (2018–present)
Ben Ayes - guitar (2023-present)
Past members
Red Calayan - drums, backing vocals (2012–2018)[17]
TJ de Ocampo - guitar, lead vocals, backing vocals (2012–2020)[18]
^Munimuni - SANGGOL. Marilag Records and Productions. 19 October 2020. Archived from the original on 11 June 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021 – via YouTube.