British-Norwegian pop group a1 performed at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino on Oct. 16, 2026, as part of their Love in the Philippines Tour.
Band members Christian Ingebrigtsen, Mark Read, Ben Adams, and Paul Marazzi highlighted their deep connection to Filipino fans and their original single dedicated to the country.
The group expressed gratitude for their music reaching new generations, recalling local memories such as custom instruments from Alegre Guitars in Lapu-Lapu City and overseas Filipino supporters.
For British-Norwegian pop group a1, arriving in Cebu is never just another stop on an international tour; it is a full-circle homecoming. The quartet performed at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino on October 16, 2026, for the Cebu leg of their Love in the Philippines Tour, nearly three decades after hits such as “Like a Rose,” “Caught in the Middle” and “Heaven by Your Side” became fixtures on local radio.
Composed of Ben Adams, Mark Read, Christian Ingebrigtsen and Paul Marazzi, the group continues to maintain an enduring romance with the Queen City of the South. That affection found its clearest expression in “In Love in the Philippines,” an original single penned as an ode to their Filipino audience.
“We wrote the single basically as a love letter to the Filipino people,” Christian shared during their press conference. “It’s the first time we’ve ever written a song about a country, and we couldn’t think of a more special and more important country to us to write a song about... than the Philippines,” Mark added.
A second home in Cebu
For the band, the most poignant realization is how their music has bridged eras: “By looking at some of the fans, some of them weren’t even born when we came here the first time, which is an amazing thing for us to see that our music has transcended into new audiences as well, and new generations.”
In the Philippines, where ballads and karaoke classics soundtrack daily life, the band’s catalog has grown beyond album liner notes. Ben observed how their discography now breathes on its own across the country:
“Our songs exist on their own, even without people knowing that it’s done by a1. You think of a song like ‘Like a Rose’... it’s played at weddings, or kids singing it on the street. It’s like these songs have their own life out there, outside of us.”
Christian echoed the humbling nature of that longevity: “To us, as artists and songwriters, it’s the greatest compliment we can get that our songs actually mean something in people’s lives. That’s the best feeling in the world, because it means it was worth something to someone.”
A love letter to Cebu fans
For many in the crowd, the concert was less a nostalgia trip than a long-awaited reunion.
“Hearing a1 again feels like opening an old photo album. Their songs take me back to a simpler time — school days, long rides, and moments I didn’t realize would stay with me this long,” said Michael Villosomo.
Ladylin Alfaro described the moment as magical, noting that the music still felt alive years later, with audiences singing every word as if no time had passed.
If the audience carried a1’s songs into weddings, road trips and childhood memories, Cebu had also left its own mark on the band.
Beyond packed concert halls, a1’s affection for Cebu is anchored in quiet, personal memories scattered across the island.
Mark recounted an earlier detour across the Mactan Channel to explore the famed artisan scene of Lapu-Lapu City. “The three of us actually went to Alegre Guitars here in Cebu, and they actually made us our own custom guitars... they made me a ukulele, and I’ve used it on so many shows... which is such an honor.”
It wasn’t just the woodwork of local craftsmen that left a mark, but the musicality woven into local culture. Christian looked back at a moment early in their touring days when they were stopped in their tracks by a local lounge band nailing Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” note for note.
“It was like hearing the record,” Christian smiled. “It was a Filipino cover band, and we thought, ‘Wow, what musicians!’ But it’s not only the musicians — just the love for listening to music, I think, is unmatched around the world. You guys have a special place in our hearts for that.”
Ben pointed out that this kinship isn’t confined to local venues, noting the strong Bisaya and Pinoy presence in audiences around the world: “We don’t just play for Filipino fans in the Philippines. Most of the concerts we do anywhere in the world have a large percentage of Filipinos in the audience... It’s not just the country, it’s the people wherever they are on the planet.”
As talk of an upcoming 30th-anniversary tour begins to take shape, the quartet remains grounded by the simple joy of sharing a stage and harmonizing live. For a band that grew up under the blinding pop lights of the 1990s and 2000s, returning to Cebu offers something raw and rare: genuine connection.
“We stay inspired by what we’re doing just because we still get the opportunity to do it, and there’s still people that want to hear our music,” said Mark. “It never really feels like work. It’s a real gift that we can do what we do, and if it’s a gift back to our fans, then that’s the ultimate kind of achievement for us, to know that something that we’ve done has moved other people and been a part of their lives.”