Ben&Ben

History

Paolo and Miguel Benjamin Guico, twin brothers, first played music together in a high school cover band called Deadline during the 2000s. After finishing high school, they studied engineering at De La Salle University. While there, they tried out for a Battle of the Bands contest but were eliminated in the first round, which led them to step away from music and concentrate on their schoolwork. Later, Paolo saw a Facebook ad for Elements Music Camp, a songwriting workshop run by Filipino artists like Gloc-9 and Noel Cabangon.

The brothers found the experience cathartic and said it changed how they saw music and life. They graduated from De La Salle in 2016 and formed the band the Benjamins, named after their middle names.

That same year, they entered the Philippine Popular Music Festival as the youngest finalists at age 21. Their song "Tinatangi," a folk piece with kundiman-inspired lyrics about life’s different stages, was a collaboration with singers Bayang Barrios and Cooky Chua. It won third place and also took home the Best Music Video award.

Artistry

Ben&Ben have named British rock band Coldplay as their main influence and biggest inspiration, admiring their diverse sound and holistic approach to music. The brothers grew up listening to folk, rock, and jazz musicians such as Urbandub, Paramore, Joey Ayala, Johnoy Danao, Cynthia Alexander, and Franco. They acknowledged Filipino songwriters Noel Cabangon, Jungee Marcelo, Jazz Nicolas, and Ebe Dancel as mentors and primary influences for their early material.

Individual band members draw from a range of artists: Barretto, De Pano, and Muñoz have covered songs by John Mayer; Villanueva cites Nirvana, Radiohead, and the Foo Fighters; Lasaten looks up to Hayley Williams; and Cabugao was drawn to the calm moody sound of Ethan Gruska. During production of Limasawa Street, the band collaborated with producer Steve Lillywhite and were impressed by his mixing and creative treatment. For Pebble House, Vol. 1: Kuwaderno, they drew inspiration from musicians who are also band members, including Chito Miranda, Zild Benitez, and Juan Karlos Labajo.

Advocacy

Ben&Ben's music addresses issues concerning mental health, feminism, social justice, and individualism. Their 2021 songs "Kapangyarihan" tackles abuse of power, corruption, and police brutality, while "Sabel" amplifies women empowerment; "Lunod" and "Magpahinga" discuss struggles with mental illness. The band supports the LGBT community and has spoken out against discrimination and outdated gender norms. Their 2018 single "Maybe the Night" was inspired by a lesbian couple and celebrates all kinds of love.

Ben&Ben advocate for recycling and oppose single-use products, and in 2019 they were named National Geographic Asia's ambassador for its Planet or Plastic campaign, recognized for their involvement in Pasig River rehabilitation and plastic pollution reduction. After the ABS-CBN broadcast cessation in May 2020, they donated proceeds from their single "Nakikinig Ka Ba Sa Akin" to affected employees. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they organized virtual benefit concerts for frontline workers, teachers, students, and COVID-19 testing efforts.

In partnership with Google, they released "Mag-Ingat" in February 2022 for Safer Internet Day to promote digital safety and address online misinformation and cyberbullying. On September 21, 2025, they performed "Kapangyarihan" at the Trillion Peso March at the People Power Monument in Quezon City.

Accolades

Ben&Ben first made waves in 2018 when they took home the Aliw Award for Best New Artist – Group. Their debut album, Limasawa Street, was named Favorite Album of the Year at the 2020 Awit Awards. That same year, their hit "Pagtingin" won Awit Awards for Best Performance by a Group Recording Artist and Favorite Song of the Year, plus a Star Award for Duo/Group Artist of the Year.

The band also earned a nomination for a MTV Europe Music Award. Their second album, Pebble House, Vol. 1: Kuwaderno, racked up 21 Awit Award nominations and won Album of the Year in 2021. With over two billion streams, Spotify has crowned Ben&Ben the most-streamed Filipino artist ever, and they held that title for 2020, 2021, and 2023.