Apl.de.Ap talks friendship with Fil-Am artists Bruno Mars, H.E.R., and Nicole Scherzinger
Black Eyed Peas member Apl.de.Ap opened up about his friendships with fellow Filipino-American musicians, including Bruno Mars, H.E.R., and Nicole Scherzinger.
In an interview on Fast Talk with Boy Abunda on Oct. 8, the Filipino-American rapper talked about his connections with fellow artists who have made a name for themselves in the international music scene. Apl recalled his friendship with H.E.R., whom he said often calls him “kuya” and expresses interest in working together.
“Every time I see H.E.R., she's like, ‘Kuya, we gotta do another song together, another Bebot.' I'm like, ‘Let's go.’ She's super proud and talented,” he said.
Meanwhile, Apl recalled trying to pursue Scherzinger, a former Pussycat Dolls member, by inviting her over for a home-cooked meal.
“One day, I hit up on her. I'm like, ‘Hey Nicole, you wanna come over? I'm gonna cook you chicken adobo,’” he said.
Scherzinger, however, called him “kuya,” prompting Apl to accept that she saw him as an older brother.
“She's like, ‘Kuya! You're my kuya!’ I was like, ‘Aww!’ You know, when they call you ‘kuya,’ it's over,” he said.
Describing his friendship with Bruno Mars—whom he joined on a European tour—Apl shared an amusing story: after a trip to the Philippines, Mars joked that every interviewer there kept asking about Apl.
“Bruno just came back from the Philippines and was like, ‘Man, if another interviewer asks me about you!’ I'm like, ‘They're just proud,’” he recalled.
Despite the teasing, Apl said he hopes to collaborate with Mars in the future.
On making Bebot and The Apl Song
The Apl Song was written after his brother's passing, he said. The track also pays homage to his roots by featuring a chorus adapted from Asin's classic folk rock song, Balita.
“Asin became my favorite band because [my mom] would play it all the time while she was cleaning the house or singing along with it. She was a little hippie, I think, back then,” he said, adding that will.i.am. encouraged him to include the track in their album.
He added that will.i.am asked him to create another Filipino song, which became Bebot.
“I was very cautious about my grammar, right. I would call my mom, I’m like, 'Mom, how would you call most respectful about a hot chick?’ ‘Dalaga, magandang dalaga.’ ‘Thank you, mom,’” Apl.de.Ap told Abunda.
Apl recently released PPP, a three-track EP whose title stands for “Power of the Pilipino People.” He described the project as a love letter to the Philippines, centered on hope, love, and peace.
“The love letter is about hope, love, and peace, which [are] the core value[s] of the Filipinos. And I want to inspire through music, to encourage, to empower,” he said.
He added that he wanted the music to inspire Filipinos amid the country's challenges, including calamities and economic difficulties.
"I just want to remind Filipinos on our individual power and as a nation coming together, we could really make a a positive longlasting changes in our lives and other people's lives."
Apl, whose real name is Allan Pineda Lindo, is a Filipino-American rapper and member of the Grammy-winning group Black Eyed Peas. He moved to the United States as a teenager and rose to international fame with hits such as Where Is the Love?, I Gotta Feeling, and Bebot.