Music artist Elhé’s craft blends movement and sound

Many of the artists who have defined the R&B genre also lead double lives as skilled dancers. 

Think Usher, Brandy, and Taeyang of BIGBANG. These musicians have not only built their status as multi-talented hitmakers, but also as clever creatives who make songs in a way that the soundwaves give listeners no choice but to get up and groove. 

In the Philippines, we have rising artist Elhé doing just that. 

Hailing from Olongapo, Elhé began dancing in his early twenties — and it dominated his already packed schedule as a college student. He’d attend rehearsals each night after coming straight from class, and would often travel out of town just to go to workshops and competitions. 

Long days were normal for Elhé, but he did it all anyway for the love of the game, and found that krumping was what he really wanted to hone in on. This style stands out for its use of explosive yet controlled movements, and much of what drives the impact of krump dancers’ routines is the right music. 

Elhé would later end up on both sides of the equation as a dancer and a musician — but he didn’t really think anything of it at first. 

“Nagsimula lang siya sa trip-trip lang,” he told Rappler about his foray into music. “Niyaya ako ng mga kasama ko sa sayaw na gumawa ng kanta. May kakilala kasi silang recording artist that time.” 

(It started out as nothing serious. My fellow dancers invited me to make a song because they personally knew a recording artist that time.) 

Now, though, Elhé has embraced his dual role as a dancer and as a singer-songwriter. Instead of picking and choosing, he finds a way to blend these two art forms in his craft. 

Never boxed in

As a singer, Elhé’s sonic identity is sensual, gritty, and versatile. Some days, he weaves his vocals into the usual silky atmosphere you get in R&B and soul (listen to “ngunit hindi sapat”), but on other days, he leans into the hard-hitting beats and bass-heavy nature present in trap and rap (listen to “Makasama Sandali”). His music never conforms to just one shape, and it’s a style of creation he’s come to develop because of his roots as a dancer. 

“I have a better understanding of rhythm and patterns in music [because of dance]. I’m also more sensitive when it comes to sound and being able to hear the elements of music. I notice even the most minimal sounds because when you’re choreographing, it’s essential that you hear every instrument,” the 2026 Spotify RADAR artist explained in a mix of English and Filipino. 

The only requirement he strictly sets in creating his songs is being able to answer “yes” when he asks himself, “Is this something I’ll be able to dance to?” 

That’s why in some of Elhé’s songs, you will likely notice that the production sounds more raw than usual. It’s not an accident, but a conscious choice he makes as an artist who relies more on feeling rather than technical perfection — the latter sometimes causing the story’s important nuances to get lost in the mix. 

“For example, nag-record ako sa bahay ko na ‘di well-treated yung room, then i-re-retake ko siya sa studio. Mas malinis siya, mas maayos ‘yung pagka-take, pero minsan nawawala na ‘yung emotion,” shared Elhé. 

(For example, I record at home where the room isn’t well-treated, then I retake it in the studio. It comes out cleaner and more proper, but sometimes the emotions go away.) 

There is no separation between Elhé the dancer and Elhé the singer-songwriter. He proudly wears both these hats at the same time, and it’s molded him into the unapologetically expressive artist he is today. 

Bold and unique movements make up the vast majority of a krumper’s dance vocabulary. It’s a style of dance that requires confidence to soldier on despite criticism, and Elhé has mastered that. 

“Marami kasing nakakamisunderstand sa krumping. Dahil more on expression siya, sasabihin ng mga tao ‘pag napanood nila, ‘Baliw ba ‘tong sumasayaw na ito?’ Pero ‘di kasi nila naiintindihan ‘yung expression na pinapakita sa style na ‘yun,” he said. 

(A lot of people misunderstand krumping. Because it relies more on expression, people usually say, “Is this dancer crazy?” But it’s just because they don’t understand the form of expression you see in that style.) 

Pressure, self-doubt, and the choice to keep going

In his lyrics, he writes whatever he wants to write, too, and pays no mind to what people have to say about it. 

“They’ll say it’s too explicit or sensual. But for me, that’s the essence of art: to express and be unfiltered. So it shouldn’t matter if it’s explicit,” he told Rappler in a mix of English and Filipino. 

Elhé is a storyteller through and through. Ask him where he gets the inspiration to write his lyrics, and he’ll make it clear that he knows how to build a world of his own. He takes the movies and series he consumes, mixes these scenes with his own experiences, and fashions entire new narratives to put in his songs. 

He isn’t one to stay put, though. The “Bihag” artist has long operated on the mindset that he always needs to release music better than ever before. It’s been a great way to push himself out of his comfort zone, but he also admits that it hasn’t been easy dealing with that pressure. 

“May mga fans na nang-di-DM na ito raw ‘yung favorite song nila na galing 2023 or 2024 pa. Nakakapressure siya kasi in the span of 2024 hanggang 2025, marami na rin akong narelease pero sinasabi nila na ‘yun pa rin’ ‘yung favorite nila. ‘Yun ‘yung pressure sa akin – na kailangan kong higitan ‘yung old songs ko,” he confessed. 

(Some fans DM me telling me that they have a favorite song of mine from 2023 or 2024. I feel pressured because, from 2024 to 2025, I’ve released a lot of songs, but they still say that’s their favorite. That’s where the pressure comes from – the need to release even better songs.)

Still, he doesn’t let these self-imposed standards bog him down too much. When self-doubt creeps in, all it usually takes for it to go away is for him to circle back to why he fell in love with music in the first place: because it makes him happy. 

“Ayokong mawala ‘yun sa akin, na dumating sa point na gumagawa ako ng music for the sake of impressing someone. Ginagawa ko siya kasi masaya ako, kasi mahal ko siya,” he asserted. 

(I don’t want to lose that, or to reach the point where I’m just making music for the sake of impressing someone. I do it because I’m happy, and because I love it.) 

Even then, Elhé is humble enough to acknowledge that he couldn’t have done this all on his own. He credits his longtime girlfriend — whom he’s been with for 12 years — for being the very first person to believe that he could succeed. 

Whenever he wanted to quit music and dance, she’d come in to remind him that this is his calling, and it’s a path he’s meant to follow. 

As early as now, it seems that she’s right. – Rappler.com

Listen to the Spotify RADAR Philippines playlist here.