At 6 years old, most kids are preoccupied with learning subtraction and what games they will play at recess the next day. For little Andre Oliver (12), his days were spent standing at a keyboard, playing along with his band, Jam Fusion, in preparation for their shows all across San Diego. Oliver joined Jam Fusion, alongside five other elementary-schoolers, as the band’s keyboardist.
As Oliver grew up, music was an integral part of his culture, and his family’s love for music first sparked his interest in learning how to play instruments.
“My family really loves music,” Oliver said. “As Filipinos, we feel like music is something that brings us together, and that’s why there [are] so many people talking about how Filipinos are the best singers and really musically talented. You see people around in the Philippines or even here, we really just love singing [and] playing music.”
Oliver began taking piano lessons at 5 years old. As his skills grew, Oliver joined Jam Fusion with his cousin and friends. Together, the kids played across San Diego at weddings, birthday parties, and as openers for Filipino bands like Parokya ni Edgar and Up Dharma Down (UDD). They also performed in competitions and talent shows, where they received awards and recognition. Oliver said he was nervous his first time playing in front of an audience, but gradually began to grow comfortable as he performed.
“Having [my first] shows, [I] had those nerves, [but] I channeled my inner Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers, [because] of his stage energy, jumping around, and going crazy on the bass,” Oliver said. “I did that on my keyboard, and that was my way of performing by having all this energy and using it to the best of my abilities.”
As Oliver progressed through elementary and middle school, he continued to express his love for music through Jam Fusion. When COVID-19 hit, Jam Fusion was unable to play together and disbanded, giving Oliver the time to focus on himself and develop his skills in playing the piano, guitar, and drums. By pursuing multiple instruments, Oliver was able to strengthen his knowledge and love for music.
“It’s great to be very good at one instrument, but learning how to play [more], not only does it give you more experience with a variety of instruments, but with each instrument, there’s a lot of experimentation you can do and you tend to discover a lot of new things every day,” Oliver said. “[I] wanted to keep going with understanding how music works with each element, [and] I feel like knowledge is the most important thing about each thing in life.”
Through learning the guitar, Oliver said he was able to build a greater connection to his dad through their love of music.
“My dad, when he was younger, used to perform folk songs [on his guitar] in the Philippines [at] local bars,” Oliver said. “[During COVID], my dad showed me the basic chords on the [guitar], and I learned how to play certain songs using those chords. Learning how to play the guitar built a strong relationship between me and my dad, [and allowed us] to play together musically.”
During his sophomore year, Oliver turned his talents toward songwriting, finding inspiration in the R&B genre.
“It was hard for me to write at the start [and] it wasn’t until sophomore year that I, just out of boredom, started playing random chord progressions and figured I could write something out of it,” Oliver said. “That’s where I wrote [my] first song, ‘A Song for Bear.’ That [was] probably the first song that I’ve written that I actually liked, but I didn’t know how to keep going. It was around junior year where I just kept going with [song] ideas. I always listen to a lot of songs just to look at the lyrics and see if I can find some sort of inspiration.”
In his junior year, Oliver was asked to join RakaMK, a band created for Philippine Cultural Night (PCN), as their drummer. As a part of RakaMK, Oliver said he has grown more confident in himself and bonded with his bandmates.
“I was really shy and wasn’t the most outgoing person,” Oliver said. “At first, I wasn’t really confident in [myself], but eventually I was like, okay, you know what? I’ll do it. That really helped me get out of my comfort zone, [and] enable the skills of being able to socialize with people, being more open to people, and being more outgoing.”
By playing during PCN and continuing to learn about his culture by playing Filipino songs, Oliver said he strengthened his connection to his heritage.
“I feel more of a belonging in the entire [Filipino] culture, a connection that’s as strong as if you were born in the Philippines,” Oliver said. “As a Filipino–American, you need to find a way to feel like you do belong, and those connections [through music] can’t be broken.”
As Oliver continues his journey as a songwriter and musician throughout high school and beyond, he hopes to provide guidance to the younger generation.
“The goal for me [is] not only to have a successful career but also to be a role model to the younger generation because I have a lot of nephews, and I love to play with them,” he said. “We all appreciate each other, and I act as [a] role model for certain things, just being very supportive, friendly, and nice with them. I feel like my impact on them has already been great, and I want that [impact] to be much greater.”
For Oliver, music has been one of the most important aspects of his life, helping him grow as a person and providing a safe space for him to always return to.
“Music, for me, is an escape from the stress that I’ve been feeling,” Oliver said. “Those moments of happiness, moments of energy, distract me from everything that’s going on in the background. I feel like I’m not the most confident person in the world, but if I can keep having these performances, feeling more confident about the songs that I write, how I play on stage, and how I sing on stage, all those pessimistic thoughts will simmer down faster until there’s a switch and I think more positively. Music is a major guide to bring me to that area of happiness, positivity, and optimism.”
