Popolo Music Group bets on Cebu teenager Angele Lapp, hoping patient development turns local buzz into global pop

Popolo Music Group (PMG) has officially signed Angele Lapp, an 18-year-old Filipino pop artist from Carcar, Cebu. Her rise has been quick, but it has also felt earned, the kind that builds from real performances and real listeners.

Lapp first surfaced for many people through a standout set at a local festival in Cebu. Her voice carries feeling without overreaching, and she has a calm command onstage that reads as natural rather than rehearsed. After that, online clips began to spread. The videos picked up traction across social platforms, the industry took notice, and what started as grassroots momentum turned into national visibility. Before long, multiple local labels were interested, and the chase for her signature got competitive.

PMG signing her at this point signals a preference for development over a quick spike. The company is presenting the partnership as a long game, built on disciplined training, modern production, and strategic branding. Just as important, PMG says it wants to protect creative freedom and artistic integrity while that structure gets built around her.

On the music side, Lapp’s appeal is rooted in emotionally resonant vocals and contemporary pop melodies, delivered with a youthful sincerity that makes sense given her path. She can sound vulnerable and self-possessed in the same breath. That balance gives her performances an authenticity that listeners tend to trust, and it hints at the global crossover potential PMG is clearly banking on.

Paul Pooh Lunt, PMG’s founder, president, and CEO, puts it plainly: “Angele embodies the kind of talent we believe in, authentic, hardworking, and globally relevant.”

The label’s public stance is that it wants to help artists build sustainable careers. PMG points to transparency, fair participation, and giving artists the tools to grow internationally while staying grounded in who they are. Those are big promises, and the music business is full of slogans, but they also reflect what many young artists are asking for right now.

This deal lands in the middle of a broader industry shift. Emerging artists increasingly look for partners who offer creative freedom, equitable business practices, and a long-term plan that does not depend on burning bright for one season. Independent labels with global connections have been winning these conversations by offering flexible, development-driven models instead of traditional major-label structures. PMG’s pitch sits squarely in that lane. While specific contract terms were not disclosed, sources close to the agreement describe it as highly favorable and aligned with PMG’s artist-first philosophy.

Co-Founder Huong Kim stresses that timing is a major part of the story. She describes Lapp as unusually disciplined and emotionally open, and says she is at the right stage to be developed carefully without being rushed or molded into something artificial. Kim adds that PMG wants to help her build great songs and a lasting career. How about that!

Lapp’s background makes the emphasis on patience feel more than cosmetic. She built an early following through consistent online covers and regular live performances at local festivals, earning admiration for her emotional delivery and work ethic. That groundwork now moves into a more formal phase. She is currently in PMG’s structured training program and is preparing for her first official releases under the label later this year.

One upcoming song, inspired by her recent journey, is described as a reflection on the move from local discovery to national artist, and on her decision to sign with Popolo Music Group. It aims to hold the excitement and uncertainty of stepping onto a larger stage, along with the resolve to stay rooted in where she started.

From Carcar, it is easy to understand why this moment feels so big. Lapp is proud that PMG believed in her potential and her vision at such a young age, and she is eager to learn, grow, and share her music with a wider audience.

With Lapp joining a growing roster, Popolo Music Group continues to frame its mission as redefining the future of pop, reggae, dance, and genre-defiant music through fairness, discipline, and long-term thinking. If the early signs hold, her next releases will show how far that promise can stretch.

For more information, visit popolomusic.com.