Thursday, March 31, 2022

Flict-G teams up with fellow rappers Smugglaz, Skant Vee, Hakob, and A$tro for the star-studded track “Bawal Sumuko,” considered to be PUBG MOBILE’s biggest collaboration of the year. Watch the full music video here.

Familiar PUBG MOBILE characters are brought to life in the music video, interspersed with Battle Royale scenes in-game. The artistic direction also features vibrant blues, pinks, and yellows hinting at the game’s 4th-anniversary celebration.

Flict-G is a Filipino rapper known in hip-hop circles for his patriotic rap and lyrics of resistance and inspiration. He encourages everyone, especially the youth to become the best version of themselves in the PUBG MOBILE story-inspired music video. The Microphone Mechanics and Cursebox production connect real-life adversities to in-game competition faced by gamers. “Naniniwala ako sa kakayahan ng kabataan, at lahat ng Pilipino (I believe in the ability of the youth, and of all Filipinos, to surmount any obstacles),” said Flict-G. “Iyan ang mensahe ng

pakikipaglaban at pag-asa na gusto ko ihayag (That’s the message of the fight and of hope that I want to share.)”

Together with fellow rapper Smugglaz, he broke into the music scene with the hip-hop/rap track hit “Nakakamiss“. The rap masterpiece became 2015’s most downloaded song, recognized by the Philippine Awit Awards.

In the Philippines, PUBG MOBILE marked the milestone with flying colors, starting with the launch of the 1.9 update, the release of the game’s first-ever Tagalog Voice Pack featuring Moymoy Palaboy’s Rodfil, and gearing up to travel the country with the emergence of the anticipated Pop-Up Crates. Limited-edition mountain bikes painted in PUBG MOBILE 4th-anniversary colors are up for grabs.

The music video for “Bawal Sumuko Dito” is a collaboration between Sony Music and PUBG, and is out now on Flict-G’s Youtube channel and the PUBG MOBILE Philippines Facebook page. Listen to the track here.

Wednesday, March 30, 2022



Shopee, the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, celebrates the growth of the region’s digital economy and shares the impact that e-commerce and digital financial services had on local communities in 2021.


Southeast Asia continued to see accelerated technology adoption, with 40 million new digital users added in 2021. As adoption continues to grow, Shopee is powering digital inclusion by empowering more people and businesses to capture new opportunities online. 


In 2021, more were able to access and benefit from technology through Shopee. Across the region, 1 in 6 Shopee orders were made by first-time users, while the number of sellers outside of big cities grew 70% from 2020. Shopee also delivered more fun and convenience for shoppers, and groomed talents to thrive in the growing digital economy.


Shopee Philippines Director Martin Yu said, “In 2021, Shopee stayed true to our mission to benefit our local communities through technology, especially the underserved. With more people and businesses coming online, we continued to innovate and serve their needs better, adapting to the new ways people live, work, and shop. As we become more connected, we can make a bigger impact on one another and more importantly, uplift others so that no one is left behind. This is how we forge new opportunities and create value for our communities. Let’s work towards a more vibrant and inclusive digital economy together.”




Fostering inclusion and growth


In 2021, more local communities and businesses were able to access and benefit from the digital economy with Shopee. 


  • Widening access: Shopee continued to make buying and selling online easier for all. Across the year, it introduced localised campaigns tailored to meet shoppers’ evolving needs, and expanded its delivery network so users can shop and receive purchases reliably, even in more rural areas. It also stepped up its outreach to help more MSMEs digitise, especially local producers and farmers at the heart of local economies. Highlights include:


  • 70% year on year growth in the number of Shopee sellers outside big cities

  • 1 in 6 orders in 2021 were made by users new to Shopee, while the number of Shopee users outside big cities grew by 40%

  • The number of ShopeePay users outside of big cities surged 2.5 times, as more people enjoyed the convenience of digital payments, while ShopeePay connected online and offline merchants to new customers.


  • Uplifting livelihoods: Through Shopee, local businesses translated their digital presence into tangible growth in incomes and livelihoods. In 2021, Shopee created new tools, features, and campaigns to increase local sellers’ exposure on its platform. One example was its “#TatakPinoy: Shopee Celebrates Local” initiative at its 12.12 Birthday Sale, spotlighting sellers and helping them to reach more shoppers and grow their customer base. 


  • To help local MSMEs digitise their businesses, Shopee also partnered with the Department of Trade and Industry to launch the #TatakPinoy Virtual Trade Fair and the #TatakPinoy: National Food Fair. Through these fairs, Shopee was able to onboard 400 local sellers to the platform and provide them with an opportunity to showcase their products. 


Highlights include: 


  • Over 1,000 local sellers exceeded US$100,000 in sales in 3 days of Shopee’s year-end festivals – 9 September, 11 November, and 12 December 

  • First time online sellers also saw a big boost at the year-end, with sales for new-to-Shopee sellers surging by up to 18 times on 11 November

  • ShopeePay Near Me, a new feature that helps users discover deals for offline merchants around them, created 5 million in-store transactions for partners


  • Unlocking growth for brands: Shopee Mall continued to power the way forward for its brand partners, pioneering innovative solutions and tools to support sustained growth . Brand partners saw strong growth momentum and reached new milestones, as 42 million users made their first buy on Shopee Mall in 2021, while 5 partners achieved US$100 million in GMV.



Delighting shoppers


Shopee continued to innovate and serve its users better in 2021. As people relied more on e-commerce, Shopee worked more closely with sellers and partners to delight shoppers and deliver better experiences for everyone.


  • Creating billions of smiles: Shopee continued to widen its product assortment with its growing community of sellers and brands, allowing users to meet their needs more reliably and conveniently. Supported by an integrated ecosystem, users left 3 billion 5-star product reviews on Shopee in 2021, 60% more than 2020 as users enjoyed more seamless, enjoyable, and reliable experiences.


  • Delivering fun and joy: Shopee’s in-app features continued to entertain users and bring people together. 400 million hours were spent on Shopee Live, while its in-app games were played over 40 billion times.


Uplifting communities


In 2021, Shopee continued to equip local talents, entrepreneurs, and the community with new skills to succeed in the digital economy of today and tomorrow. 


  • Developing tech talent: Shopee increased its efforts to engage and upskill local tech talents and enthusiasts. More than 20,000 participants took part in Shopee’s tech training initiatives, including its “Tech@Shopee” webinars and the Shopee Code League competition. At Shopee, 8 in 10 employees learned new skills at Shopee Academy, with over 27,000 training hours in total.


  • Levelling up local businesses: Shopee continued to step up its learning resources to help all kinds of businesses upskill for an online world. Its digital Shopee University curriculum allows more sellers to conveniently access vital e-commerce courses and skills no matter where they are, while its online Seller Education Hub offers a wide range of courses catered for all levels, from experienced business owners to aspiring entrepreneurs. As of 2021, 1.3 million sellers have enrolled in Shopee University courses.


Shopee also launched two iterations of the Shopee University Summit in the Philippines to ensure that all its sellers have equal footing to thrive in the platform and the e-commerce industry. Through the virtual summit streamed on Shopee Live and Facebook Live, existing and potential sellers learned about online branding and social media marketing to boost visibility and sales on the platform. Combined, both online events were attended by over 800 Shopee Sellers, and streamed by over 35,000 potential sellers.



Giving back to communities in need


In the Philippines, Shopee used its platform and resources to accelerate pandemic recovery, and support local communities in most need.


  • Supporting communities in need: In December, Shopee launched the Typhoon Odette Support initiative to help provide immediate relief to affected residents and employees in Visayas and Mindanao, and over 2M in donations to on-ground efforts of its partner charities. The platform also utilized its Shope Xpress network to distribute relief kits in far-flung communities.


  • Contributing to pandemic recovery: In 2021, Shopee also launched initiatives to aid in the country’s pandemic recovery efforts. To provide frontliners with exclusive vouchers for their personal needs, Shopee launched the Shopee Bayanihan: Frontliner and Frontliner Holiday Packages. The platform also launched a #FullyVaxxed package to encourage more Filipinos to get vaccinated. Moreover, Shopee partnered with the Department of Health for the latter’s Resbakuna initiative to promote vaccine education through in-app and social media promotions. In partnership with several brands, Shopee also provided snacks, essentials, and refreshments to over 3,900 residents and frontliners in different vaccination centers in Metro Manila.


Download Shopee for free on the App Store or Google Play Store.



Over the years, female gamers worldwide have had to deal with certain expectations online and offline, including being undermined by counterparts, being subjected to appearance standards and the added pressure to prove themselves in the gaming space. 


But through time, especially with the rising popularity of esports and gaming in the Philippines, Filipina gamers and developers have broken stereotypes and shown that the fields of esports and game development are for everyone, regardless of gender.

For the average Filipina gamer or even newbies to the scene, having female streamers, game developers and voice actors to look up to is a step towards being empowered. However, being part of a local community dedicated to women provides an opportunity for gamers to forge friendships, freely share ideas and be seen and heard. 


Be #GToPlay with some of the safe spaces and collectives made by and for women gamers, featuring several games you can conveniently top up with GCash:


Gamer Girls Philippines

Gamer Girls Philippines was founded by business partners Courtney Sayson and Abby Lampa in July 2020 to cater to the lack of an all-girl gaming community that covers all gaming platforms. Only a month after its inception, Gamer Girls Philippines already gained 1,000 members. Today, the Facebook group has 5.7K members and has established GGP eSports, its own esports team. The community remains a safe space where female gamers can open and join discussions about video games on console, PC, handheld console, and mobile without the fear of being judged and prejudiced against. 

Gamer Girls Philippines has a Facebook page and a community. 

Girls Who Game PH

Girls Who Game PH is a cozy Facebook community where women can freely share their enthusiasm for games, peripherals and gaming setup. Professional gamers and newbies alike can find solace in this community of 4.7k female gamers, which was created in 2020. 

Female girl gamers can share their thoughts here.

All About Keebs - Keyboard Girls PH

For female gamers who have just got into the hobby of customizing mechanical keyboards, there is a community made just for them. The All About Keebs - Keyboard Girls PH provides an exclusive space for girl gamers who are into keyboards, games, and other subjects related to keyboard.

Find your fellow keyboard and gaming enthusiasts here.  

Valorant Girl Gamers PH

Valorant Girl Gamers PH caters to players of Valorant, a free-to-play first-person hero shooter developed and published by Riot Games. The female-only Valorant community has 1.6k members, and is also a safe haven for the queer community. 

Valorant gamers can join the Facebook community.

Mobile Legends ALL FEMALE Community

The Mobile Legends ALL FEMALE Community is a Facebook group that aims to provide an exclusive space for ​​female Mobile Legends players in the Philippines. While fairly new, the community says in its description that it recognizes that women are perceived differently within the gaming community and that it aims to hold a space for women.

Join the Mobile Legends community here.

VVV Esports

For those who want to get on the competitive side, the Veni Vidi Vici Esports, an award-winning team in different mobile game tournaments, hosts all-women tournaments. Recently, the community hosted the VVV Pro Girls Cup for female Call of Duty Mobile players.

Get updates on the latest tournaments hosted by VVV here.

Chikon Club

Founded by an all-woman team (Trina Pagtakhan, Gwen Foster and Gia Canta), Chikon Club is the independent game studio and collective that started out making short games in 2020 during the pandemic. The reception of their virtual culinary game Putahe ng Ina Mo: Sinigang Edition, which highlights improvisation over procedure during cooking, spurred Chikon Club to rework it into Soup Pot!, a chaotic cooking game set to be released via XBOX Series X|S and Steam. Aside from being a game studio, Chikon Club is also a collective where game developers can provide help and support to each other, and collaborate on different projects.


Learn more about Chikon Club through their website


Gaming fearlessly also means confidently powering through your game. Be #GToPlay when you can conveniently and securely purchase your gaming needs hassle-free and uninterrupted! With a safe, convenient and rewarding e-wallet app like GCash, you can top up your in-game currency, buy games, or purchase gaming add-ons, from the comfort of your gaming chair, anytime of the day. 


#PayWithGCash for your gaming essentials and play fearlessly like the Filipina gamer that you are. From getting to top up in Codashop, purchasing games in Steam, or linking your account for in-game purchases on the App Store or Google Play, GCash gives you the opportunity to upgrade your purchasing power. Download the GCash app on the App Store or Google Play now!


Monday, March 28, 2022

 


Multi-platinum singer/songwriter/dancer Tate McRae releases her new track and visualizer for “chaotic” today via RCA Records and Sony Music. The emotionally charged ballad continues to showcase more of Tate’s personal lyrics and reunites her with Grammy Award winning songwriter/producer Greg Kurstin. “chaotic” will be featured on Tate’s debut album which is due out early Spring 2022.


Upon its release, “chaotic” garnered positive acclaim from music critics, with pop culture magazine UPROXX praising the track for sitting “comfortably within the sad-streaked palette Tate has already established for getting her emotions out in song form.” ET Canada called it a “heartbreaking new track” with lyrics that navigate confessional fearlessness and depth.


Her debut album will also feature previously released songs “feel like shit” and current single “she’s all i wanna be.” The latter has amassed over 100 million streams and is currently in the Top 15 on the Top 40 chart.


Last month, Tate was announced as Maybelline’s newest brand ambassador and is the face of their new Vinyl Ink liquid lip color.


The Calgary native is one of the most in-demand breakthrough artists with over 3.2 billion career streams, over 700 million video views, a #1 Top 40 hit and multiple #1 dance hits. She was listed on Forbes 30 Under 30 List for 2021 as the youngest musician on the list as well as Apple’s Up Next Artist for 2021, Amazon’s Artist to Watch in 2021, Pandora’s Artists To Watch 2021 list and included on Billboard’s 21 Under 21 and People Magazine’s One’s To Watch list. She was also named one of YouTube’s Artist on the Rise, and MTV’s Push Artist for July 2020. Most recently she was nominated for a People’s Choice Awards for The New Artist of 2021 and three 2022 iHeart Radio Music Awards.

Tate McRaes “chaotic” is out now on all digital music platforms worldwide via RCA Records and Sony Music.

 



K-Pop group OH MY GIRL drops vibrant sophomore album, Real Love


7-member Korean pop group OH MY GIRL returns with their new full-length album and lead track “Real Love.” The delightful 10-track release follows Dear OHMYGIRL EP which dropped last May 2021, and their 2019 album, The Fifth Season.


With lyrical sensibility and colorful storytelling that takes their work to exciting new places, their sophomore album’s centers perfumes and lingering fragrances as narrative motifs in telling stories of young romance and infatuation.

The self-titled single “Real Love” stands out with its sweet, addictive brass sound and pop melodies. Its lyrics unravel OH MY GIRL’s interpretation of what it feels like to fall in love, and how that special moment feels unreal and unfamiliar. Aside from the lead track, the album explores an eclectic range of music styles spanning pop, EDM, R&B, Latin, and hip-hop influences.

OH MY GIRL made their debut in 2015, and steadily climbed their way to become one of the biggest K-Pop girl groups. Approximately seven years into their career, OH MY GIRL charted No. 1 for the first time on Billboard K-Pop 100 with their hit EP release, NONSTOP. In 2020, “Dolphin” garnered greater success by ranking within the Top 10 for 21 weeks, surpassing BTS’ “Dynamite.” Their song “Nonstop” has charted on Billboard’s K-Pop 100 for 77 weeks, while their lead track “Dun Dun Dance” from their previously released EP charted for 45 weeks and continues to maintain its placement even to this day.

LISTEN TO Real Love’ HERE

Real Love’ TRACK LIST

  1. Real Love

  2. Drip

  3. Eden

  4. Replay

  5. Parachute

  6. Kiss & Fix

  7. Blink

  8. Dear Rose

  9. Sailing Heart

  10. Real Love (Inst.)


OH MY GIRL’s sophomore album, Real Love is out now on all digital music platforms worldwide via Sony Music Entertainment Korea.


Follow and visit:

YOUTUBE | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | TIKTOK



Instagram

Klikd2. Theme by STS.