After building an international following through social media, Cebu-based family band Missioned Souls is set to embark on its first concert tour in the United States.
Producer and promoter Lerma dela Cruz said the group’s blend of musicianship and family values will resonate with audiences abroad.
Organized by Birth Enterprises, the September tour will include three performances in Texas, two in New Mexico and one in Rancho Cucamonga, California.
Cebu-based family band Missioned Souls is composed of parents Secan and Sheena Alipio and their four children, Naces, Neisha, Stacey and Isaiah. PHOTO FROM BIRTH ENTERPRISES
According to dela Cruz, demand for the band came from an unexpected audience.
“The first five cities they’re going to perform in were all requested by venues with mostly non-Filipino audiences. That made me curious because it’s very rare. They were the ones asking for Missioned Souls first,” she said during an online press conference.
A US-based concert producer who has been bringing Filipino artists to America since 2002, dela Cruz first heard about the group while mounting concerts for other performers.
“I honestly didn’t know them at first. People in Texas asked me, ‘Have you heard of Missioned Souls?’ They showed me their YouTube videos, and I was amazed. Then I kept hearing about them in California and San Diego. That’s when I decided I had to bring them here,” she said.
She described Missioned Souls as part of a new wave of Filipino artists who have built loyal audiences online instead of relying on traditional television exposure.
“These are not the usual singers we bring to America. They don’t have a hit recording yet and mostly perform cover songs, but the demand for them is already very strong,” dela Cruz said.
“What makes them unique is that they’re a real family performing together. You rarely see parents and all their children sharing one stage,” she added.
Missioned Souls is composed of parents Secan and Sheena Alipio and their four children, Naces, Neisha, Stacey and Isaiah. The Cebu City-based group is known not only for its music but also for promoting faith, family unity and wholesome entertainment.
The family describes its mission as encouraging love and respect among family members while using the musical talents they believe were given by God to bring joy to audiences.
Without the backing of a major record label, the group has built an international following. Its YouTube channel has more than 328,000 subscribers, while its TikTok, Facebook and Instagram pages attract audiences across Asia, North America, Europe and Australia.
The band said its journey began unexpectedly at home.
“We were just gathered in our living room where all our instruments were. We realized there was a spark and that we could become a family band,” Sheena shared.
She added that the name was inspired by the children’s missionary grandmother and the family’s desire to encourage faith-centered lives.
Before returning to the Philippines, Secan and Sheena worked as nurses in the United States and performed together in a band they formed after meeting in college in Cebu.
“I was looking for a vocalist for our college band. That’s how we met,” Secan recalled.
Their children grew up watching them perform and eventually developed an interest in music.
“We used to bring them to our gigs when they were very young. We never forced them to learn instruments. They simply wanted to do it themselves,” Sheena said.
Today, Secan plays bass and serves as the group’s sound and mixing engineer, Sheena is the lead vocalist, and their children perform on keyboards, bass, lead and rhythm guitars, and drums.
Sheena credited the band’s appeal to its family dynamic and wide-ranging repertoire, which includes pop-rock, jazz and songs from the 1950s to the early 2000s.
Dela Cruz believes that versatility has broadened the band’s appeal beyond Filipino audiences.
“The kind of music they perform, especially pop-rock, is something Americans really enjoy. Now I also want the Filipino community in the US to discover them,” she said.
The tour opens in Dallas at a venue with a capacity of about 1,000, followed by shows in Houston and San Antonio, two performances in New Mexico and a final stop in Rancho Cucamonga, California.
IZA IGLESIAS
