Concordia University’s Filipino student organization is turning up the volume this May—not just with music, but with meaning.
On Saturday, May 16, 2025, the Filipino Organization of Concordia University Students (FOCUS) will launch “SHOWPAO: The Album”, a one-day cultural event and album showcase at Imagemotion at 370 Rue Guy, Montréal, Que.
The event kicks off with a Filipino market at 4 p.m., followed by the main program at 6 p.m., and an afterparty to close the night.
At the heart of it all is Kinaiya: a seven-track album and music videos written and produced by Filipino students and artists in Montreal.
But this isn’t just about music. It’s about telling stories that often go unheard.
A Student-Led Project, Years in the Making
“SHOWPAO is our big, main event of the year,” said Mea-Anne Distor, co-president of FOCUS, who co-led the project alongside a full student team.
“We’ve actually been planning this since the summer. It’s really a year-long production.”
FOCUS is built around three pillars: connect, celebrate, and challenge.
Through events like SHOWPAO, the group aims to uplift and celebrate the Filipinx-Montrealer community.
SHOWPAO itself has been a long-standing tradition dating back to the early 2000’s, but it reinvents itself every year.
Past editions have included a documentary, a two-day festival, a gala, and even a full musical production.
This year, they’re taking a different approach.
Kinaiya the Album
Kinaiya is a Cebuano word that describes one’s state of mind—the complexities and qualities that make a person who they are.
The album features seven original songs, each exploring a different theme:
- So It Goes – resilience and identity
- Kanlungan – family, gender, and expectations
- Hangarin – culture and tradition
- timezones – love across distance
- Pasensya – identity and mental health
- On My Way – homecoming and belonging
- never too far – friendship and growing apart
All songs are written and produced by Filipino students and emerging artists in Montreal, many of them first-time songwriters.
“It gives them a platform to showcase their talent, and an open space for creative freedom,” Distor said.
In the second track Kanlungan, the artists behind the song explained that it tells the story of two siblings carrying the weight of family expectations.
“An eldest daughter and youngest son trying to be who everyone needs them to be, until that pressure begins to break the bond between them,” the artists shared.
“We’re most proud of how honest this piece feels, because many families carry struggles that are rarely spoken about.”
They hope listeners see themselves in it and remember that even when family feels complicated, healing is possible.
Music as Storytelling
The album doesn’t shy away from real, complicated topics.
Pasensya touches on mental health: still a sensitive subject in many communities.
timezones captures the emotional push and pull of long-distance relationships.
“You’ll feel the longing, vulnerability, and uncertainty from both sides, but also the hope that keeps love alive through distance and doubt,” the song’s writers said.
“We are proud of how it tells both perspectives, because real love isn’t one voice—it’s two people trying to understand each other.”
Across all seven tracks, there’s a shared thread: identity.
The album will also be released on streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music, extending its reach beyond Montreal.
For a group of students balancing classes, part-time jobs, and creative work, it’s an ambitious project. But it’s also deeply intentional.
Because sometimes, the most powerful stories don’t come from big studios or record labels.
They come from students, sitting together, asking: What do we want to say—and who needs to hear it?
