How Amiel Sol went from mathematics graduate to full-time musician

It had never been Amiel Sol’s dream to become a musician. 

He was a BS Mathematics graduate. While he had grown up in a musical household, becoming a full-time singer-songwriter wasn’t really something he had considered. That is, until he slowly began to fall deeper in love with his craft. 

Before he started releasing his own music, Amiel was a familiar face at open mics, food parks, fundraising events, and online gigs — places that became a big part of his platform as a then-budding musician. It was only over the earliest parts of the pandemic that he was able to try his hand at writing and producing his own songs, eventually going on to release his debut single: “You Make It Right.” 

“At that time, hindi ko naman talaga iniisip yung pera (I wasn’t thinking of money),” he told Rappler. “I was just doing it for the sake of being able to pursue what I love to do.” 

Over the years, Amiel’s audience gradually grew, until being a singer-songwriter eventually turned into a full-time career — his singing voice and guitar transforming into his vessels of fulfillment. 

Life-changing releases

Breeze through Amiel’s discography and you’ll notice one thing right away: love and yearning are at the heart of it all, and he isn’t afraid to make that known to his listeners. For him, love isn’t just something you feel, but something you choose to do every day. 

“‘Yung inspiration ko when it comes to that kind of love is the love that the people around me give me. ‘Yung family ko, ‘yung girlfriend ko, ‘yung friends ko, and everyone around me na talagang, [pinapafeel na] ‘ay, ang sarap nga naman talagang magmahal.’ That’s what we live for,” he shared. 

(My inspiration when it comes to that kind of love is the love that the people around me give me. My family, my girlfriend, my friends, and everyone around me that really makes me feel that loving is worthwhile. That’s what we live for.) 

This kind of love Amiel speaks so fondly of is what you’ll see in two of his hit songs, “Sa Bawat Sandali” — where someone becomes your rest and refuge — and “Ikaw Lang Patutunguhan,” where the one thing you look forward to at the end of each day, no matter where you are, is going home to your special person. 

These songs changed things for Amiel in the best way possible. 

“Ikaw Lang Patutunguhan” was the song that gave Amiel the confirmation that he had finally found his sonic footing, and the exact audience that appreciated the kind of music he was putting out. 

But “Sa Bawat Sandali” was really what started Amiel’s meteoric rise in the local music scene. 

“Habang nirerecord namin ‘yung ‘Sa Bawat Sandali,’ I was still at my day job, and then nagnenegotiate pa ‘ko ng raise. So I was really planning to stay there for a long time,” Amiel shared.

(While we were recording “Sa Bawat Sandali,” I was still at my day job, and I was even negotiating a raise. So I was really planning to stay there for a long time.)

But just two months after the song’s release, Amiel could already say that his life had changed for the better. 

More bookings and gigs began to pour in, and the singer-songwriter finally had to ask himself if he could still juggle the responsibilities of the “full-time employee by day, musician by night” route he was taking. 

His decision to pursue a full-time career in music was a big gamble, yes, but it’s one that Amiel stands by — and as early as now, it’s clearly starting to pay off.  

“I think at that time, talagang naisip ko na ang tagal ko na rin naghihintay to be able to break through, na masabi ko na talaga na kaya ko na ‘to gawin full-time. It was that moment. Naisip ko na kapag hindi ko pa i-try na i-full-time [ang music] at ibigay lahat ngayon, baka pagsisihan ko sa huli. So whether or not it works out in the end, I think hindi ko na siya mapagsisisihan kasi sigurado ako sa sarili ko na nabigay ko lahat ng kaya kong ibigay,” he explained. 

(I think at that time, I really thought to myself that I’d been waiting to break through for so long, and had been waiting to say that I can do this full-time. It was that moment. I thought that if I didn’t try to do music full-time and give it my all now, I might regret it in the end. So whether or not it works out in the end, I think I won’t regret it because I’m sure that I gave everything I possibly could.) 

Savoring it all

Now that Amiel’s fully committed to making a career out of his passion, he has more time on his hands to put out everything he’s been itching to write, which means that listeners can expect more music from the singer-songwriter in the near future. 

“I can assure myself and the people who are waiting with me na kaya ko nang mas maging mas consistent sa mga releases ko, which is what I really plan to do this year. Gusto ko maglabas nang maglabas ng kakanta. I really want to pour my heart out, lalo na sa mga taong sumusuporta sa akin,” said Amiel. 

(I can assure myself and the people who are waiting for me that I can release music more consistently, which is what I really plan to do this year. I want to keep putting out more songs. I really want to pour my heart out, especially for all the people who support me.) 

But if there’s one thing Amiel truly wants people to take away from listening to his music, it’s that love is as real as it can get. 

“Minsan na-over-romanticize natin ‘yung pag-ibig na madalas parang, ‘Aabutin ko ‘yung mga bituin para sa’yo,’ when in reality, love is always more about the little things, the simpler things,” he attested. 

(Sometimes love is over-romanticized, and we think that it’s about reaching the stars for someone, when in reality, love is always more about the little things, the simpler things.)

You won’t find most of the satisfaction of love from grand gestures. Instead, it will manifest in mundane moments, like all traces of exhaustion leaving your body once you get to sit down and chat with your person. 

“You don’t need a social battery ‘pag kasama mo ‘yung taong ‘yun (when you’re with that person). And I think that’s the kind of love that I really want to communicate with people when they hear my songs,” 

For now, though, Amiel isn’t in any rush to make big career moves. He’s focused on processing the fact that he’s finally realized his singer-songwriter dreams, and he’s set on making sure that he’s present to savor what he has now. – Rappler.com