The beauty of Bohol Island in the Philippines shines brightly in the music video released by the Filipino-American artist Elijah Daniel Perkins, better known by his stage name Elijvh.
The California-based singer-songwriter and record producer has captured the picturesque landscape and the natural charm of the Visayan island in his ‘Ghost’ music video released in June 2024.
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In an exclusive virtual interview with Good News Pilipinas, Elijvh revealed his dream to shoot his music video in the Philippines, specifically in Bohol, where his Filipina mom Inocencia Bucog was born and raised.
“I had this idea in the back of my mind, I want to shoot something in the Philippines, specifically, you know, where my mother was born, in Bohol. And, you know, I just had a song that was inspired by, you know, Visayan sounds, Visayan culture mixed with my style,” the 31-year-old music artist shared.
“My mother is from a town in Bohol called Loboc and she was born and raised there. And I guess they’re known as the music town,” he added.
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Even though he was receiving encouragement from his friends working in the industry to create a music video in the country, Elijvh said he just waited for the perfect timing and an appropriate song to realize this dream.
“Over the years, I have been going back and forth to the Philippines many times. And I used to always be told by some of my friends in the music industry in the Philippines, ‘How come you don’t shoot a music video in the Philippines?’” he recalled.
“And, you know, I’m the kind of person that does things with a purpose, and something needs to be made where it makes sense. You know, I don’t like to just be overly spontaneous because I feel like you can create something that may not be as impactful to people and I love making things that you can feel,” the Fil-Am recording artist explained.
Elijvh shared he wanted a music video for his song ‘Ghost’ with Bohol as its backdrop. He considered it perfect – combining it with his inspiration from his Filipino roots.
“Basically, I just thought to myself, I was like, you know what? I have a song that had just been released at the time in December [2023] called ‘Ghost’, which was, as I said, inspired by the Philippines and Visayas. And so I thought, you know what, why don’t we do a video there?” Elijvh shared.
“So I put my money together. I contacted my cousin. Her name is Earllane Bucog and she lives in Bohol. So I told her, ‘Why don’t we do something with this?’” he went on.
“We had a kind of like a meeting and it just basically blossomed naturally into this, you know, a celebration of Filipino culture, Visayan culture. And then it also mixes my American heritage as well. So it became this big, ambitious project.”
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Filipinos who watched his music video on YouTube would have been delighted to see some of the familiar images that are unique to the Philippines, especially to Bohol, such as the iconic Chocolate Hills, the Philippine tarsier, and the Loboc River, among others.
However, Elijvh did not take all the credit and gave it to all the people he worked with on this project.
“I work with people that I’m very proud of. They’re very talented. You know, they really had experience with knowing imagery, iconography, as well as storytelling. So, you know, I really give it to them,” he said.
“My cousin Earllene, she basically knew, like, ‘Okay! Let’s make it so that when the viewer watches it, they’re feeling something from the shot of the tarsier, the shot of the little boy, the shot of, you know, people walking through the city in Tagbilaran,” the singer-songwriter added.
Known for his cinematic videos, Elijvh said that he and his team carefully planned everything to make sure the viewers could easily understand the message they wanted to convey in his music video.
“We made sure that the shots were so meticulous that in the Philippines, the Filipinos watching it, our kababayan, they go, ‘Oh, okay. Yeah, I get it. I get it,’” he shared.
“You know, I can even and you can be from anywhere in the Philippines… you can be from Iloilo, you know, and you recognize the rice fields and the man walking with carabao. And you know what I’m saying? So it all was just very meticulous planning. It took us six months.”
WATCH Elijvh’s full exclusive interview by signing up for our e-newsletter.
Here’s Elijvh’s Ghost music video that showcases the beauty of his Filipina mother’s hometown in Bohol:
Read more Good Show stories showcasing the Philippines and Filipino culture and cheer on artists like Elijvh who champion their heritage!
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