LuzViMinda (song)

Background and release

Sometime in 2024, Mo Mitchell—a member of the Filipino boy band Alamat—began drafting the song "LuzViMinda". The group later shared their musical drafts with one another in a meeting, and they agreed to develop Mitchell's composition further. In December, at their solo concert Ragasa (lit. 'Rush'), Alamat announced their second studio album Destino (lit. 'Destination'), which was set to be released in 2025.

On October 20, they announced that they would release "LuzViMinda", the title track from Destino, on November 7 and the album itself on November 21 at the MassKara Festival in Bacolod City. In the same month, the Alamat members attended the Filipino Music Awards 2025 wearing T-shirts covering their faces except for their eyes, inspired by the ski masks worn by manual laborers in the Philippines. Deemed a "fascinating stunt" by The Line of Best Fit, this was done to promote "Luzviminda". On October 23, the group began posting teaser images for the album inspired by everyday life in the Philippines, with creative direction and production by Alamat member Jao Canlas. From October 31 to November 2, the group also released handwritten lyric teasers confirming that "LuzViMinda" is a multilingual song containing verses in each member's native language.

Composition and lyrics

The track is three minutes and twenty-eight seconds. It is a hip-hop song that uses the indigenous Philippine instruments gabbang and kubing. It was written by all of Alamat, and produced by member Alas Alvarez.

Lyrically, the song is about being proud of growing up in the Philippines. For instance, in one verse, Alamat's Jao Canlas raps about his Kapampangan ethnic identity. The track contains lyrics in English and each member's native language: Bicolano, Cebuano, Ilocano, Kapampangan, Tagalog, and Waray.

Critical reception

In a track-by-track review of the Alamat album Destino, Julienne Loreto of the British music magazine The Line of Best Fit commended the "richness" of "LuzViMinda", comparing it favorably to "Tokyo Drift" by Teriyaki Boyz for its use of Southeast Asian percussion instruments and "sharp" lyrics; as well as "Pink Venom" by Blackpink for its "delightfully brash" production. Pulp's Andrea Dee and Scout's Pauline Miranda both opined that the track reinforces Alamat's musical identity, as well as their commitment to their advocacy of championing Filipino culture and diversity. Mian Centeno of Art+ called the song a "roaring declaration" of the group's multilingualism and "refusal to dilute Filipino identity" in their music. In their year-end Favorite P-pop Songs list, the staff of Pulp reiterated their love for the song, lauding its use of several Philippine languages as well as native instruments.

Andros Resurreccion of &Asian wrote that the song would be a suitable fit for WWE's event Backlash. He also suggested that the event could celebrate performers of half-Filipino heritage, including Batista and Jeff Cobb. Filipino music magazine The Flying Lugaw included "LuzViMinda" in their "200 Filipino Songs in the Last 25 Years" list in 2026. In the same year, the track won Song of the Year at the 11th P-pop Music Awards.

Music video

The music video was directed by Judd Figuerres and released on November 12, 2025. It features various settings including a computer shop, sari-sari store, basketball court, and jeepneys, with members dressed in sandos and jerseys. Alamat member Jao Canlas choreographed the song's chorus; Eli De San Andres, a member of the boy band Xerenade, also contributed to the choreography.

The initial concept for the video involved a stylized environment blending Japanese and Filipino aesthetics, created with the help of CGI animation; however, it was scrapped due to budget constraints. A lyric in the song, "Lumaki 'to sa Pinas" (transl. Grew up in the Philippines), inspired a new concept more grounded in reality, in which the Alamat members all grew up in the Fort Bonifacio Tenement in Taguig. The Tenement is a public housing complex built in the 1960s; its community has faced eviction since 2010 due to safety concerns. For the video, Figuerres drew inspiration from the visuals in American rapper Kendrick Lamar's 2017 album Damn.

Other uses

In 2026, "LuzViMinda" was included in the soundtrack for Hell University, a mystery horror series.

Personnel

Credits are adapted from an official listing on YouTube.

Alamat – lead vocals; lyrics

Alas Alvarez – production; arrangement; mixing; mastering

Eightkidd – recording

Zeb Zuñiga – vocal coaching