Some bands are spontaneously formed, while others feel like they were always meant to find each other. And for the up and coming The Red Strings, the concept of  being destined to be in a band is their foundation. Born out of ABS-CBN’s The Next Big Band, the group takes its name from the “red string” theory, the belief that people who are meant to meet will inevitably find their way to one another.

It’s a fitting origin story for a band formed in public, through a YouTube docu-reality series by ABS-CBN. The goal was beyond creating a band from ground up, its aim is also to create a lineup that has a working dynamic and deep artistic connection that would transcend into their discography.

At the center of that connection is vocalist Gello Marquez, whose presence ties the band together, both sonically and emotionally. Around him, each member feels like a thread pulled from a different place—somehow landing in the same knot.

Nicholas De Rosales on bass carries a lineage that already runs through OPM. Liam Barba, the band’s electric guitarist, balances music with architecture studies, bringing structure into something as fluid as sound. Llana Catudio moves between keyboard and violin, adding both texture and contrast to the group’s dynamic.

Cedryck Guda is  on drums and splits his time between music and photography, having worked gigs with Angela Ken—capturing moments as much as he creates them. Meanwhile, Risen Santos, the acoustic guitarist, comes from a busking background, grounding the band in something raw, immediate, and lived-in.

What makes the process of their forming stand out is how it framed the process. Instead of focusing solely on competition, it leaned into collaboration and growth. Viewers saw how a band learns to listen, adjust, and stay together beyond the performances.

Different paths, different rhythms, somehow, the show became a middle point for their aspirations and musicality. That sense of connection carries into their music, especially in their first releases.

At their official launch under ABS-CBN Music’s DNA Music label, The Red Strings introduced original tracks like “Asado” taps into the frustration of liking someone and hoping (maybe a little too hard!) to be noticed. It leans into that slightly delusional kind of yearning, matched with polished, catchy production that makes it an easy repeat. It’s honest, a little chaotic, and undeniably a bop.

“Kupido,” on the other hand, leans into the softer side of that story. It captures the kilig of early attraction with the glances, the yearning, the quiet hope that something might happen. Bright and bubbly, it feels like the moment right before everything becomes real.

With The Red Strings, the narrative is clear: love, in all its forms—is at the center. And if their name is anything to go by, this is only the beginning of a story that’s still unfolding, one connection at a time.