‘The Pinoy singer-composer goes by the name WIMY (pronounced “wy-mee”), an acronym for “When I Met You,” a song by his favorite Filipino group the APO Hiking Society.’
There’s a young Filipino music artist living in Canada whom producers recently flew from Toronto to Bangkok to open a show for Slchld, a South Korean-Canadian R&B singer.
The Pinoy singer-composer goes by the name of WIMY (pronounced “wy-mee”), an acronym of “When I Met You,” a song of his favorite Filipino group, the APO Hiking Society. “For the first time, I was performing for a crowd that didn’t have any of my family or friends in it. So I definitely felt like a real artist for the first time, hearing fans from across the world singing along to my songs,” WIMY said about the show in Bangkok.
Joaquin Carandang (WIMY’s real name) was brainstorming with his manager Reny Lee when APO’s popular hit was brought up. “The Apo Hiking Society’s music is so good. They changed my life,” WIMY shared in an Instagram video. “Something about the song just clicked… You know the double entendre with WIMY (When I Met You). Like the name of it and then, ‘Why me?’ Like why did I have to meet you? It’s a name and a brand that I’m really happy to have cultivated,” he expounded.
WIMY’s musical journey began when he was very young. “I’ve always been around music, even as a young kid. Being Filipino, he said.” WIMY grew up in the Philippines and Vietnam. In Manila, he sang in family reunions and in school in Vietnam, he was often chosen as soloist in programs.
WIMY’s passion for music amplified when he moved to Canada where he studied Mathematics in a university in Toronto. Singing, composing songs and performing became his creative endeavors to break free from the stresses of academic life. Aside from the APO Hiking Society, WIMY credits Peach Luffe, Twenty One Pilots, Boy Pablo, Tatsuro Yamashita, Wave to Earth and Christopher Cross as his musical influences. His music is a mix of pop, indie rock, jazz and R&B.
Around 2023, WIMY began uploading his original songs (all English) on music streaming platforms. In two short years, he’s amassed over 872,000 listeners and his six tracks have gotten more than 70 million streams just on Spotify.
WIMY’s biggest song, “Pages,” which is about struggling over a break-up, has produced more than 31 million streams on Spotify alone. Achieving that feat wasn’t easy. “A lot of trial and error! We conducted a lot of different social media campaigns to try and gain as many different demographics as possible to the song,” WIMY revealed. “Also it got support by a label who helped reach out to content creators to get them to promote the music.”
“Pages” was actually good way to introduce WIMY’s music to the global audience. With painful lyrics such as “How are you sorry? You never called me. Running in circles, I’m struggling to read into our story,” and a melody made more somber by WIMY’s heartfelt vocals, the song was a very relatable anthem for the brokenhearted.
Meanwhile, his new release, “New Light” is upbeat, danceable and hopeful. It’s as if the singer of “Pages” had gotten over his break-up and was now ready to take a leap of faith.
Since WIMY has completed his degree in Mathematics, he is giving more time to his music career. The show in Bangkok could be the beginning of more gigs in and out of Canada and hopefully a show in Manila. “I have my debut project coming out this year,” he happily reported. “I also have been making a music video for ‘Pages’ and some new songs to coincide with that project release.”
In spite of the millions of streams and the global performances, WIMY still enjoys a relative anonymity. It seems that his fans don’t like sharing him. “It’s a funny thing to be ‘gatekept’,” said WIMY. “I love the idea that some of my listeners like my music so much that they want it all to themselves. If anything, it just makes it more exclusive! Haha!” Curious about him? Look for WIMY on Spotify and WIMYMusic on Instagram.
“Song of the Fireflies”, one of seven films vying to represent the Philippines in the Oscars, will have a special screening sponsored by the Rotary Club of Manila Expats on August 21, 2025, Thursday, at 4 pm at Rockwell PowerPlant Cinema. Get your tickets by sending a message to the Rotary Club of Manila Expats Facebook page.
