Composed of six Filipino-Canadian university students, STUDIO MAHILO specializes in giving unforgettable performances and turning shows into friendly gatherings where everyone is encouraged to relax and have fun. Matthew Ventura (Singer/Bass), Sam Arellano (singer), Derrick Tahamid (drums), Miko Reyes (Guitar/Bass) and Gabriel Suba (guitar) met during the winter semester of 2025 at the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus (UTSC) through Paolo Cabral (keyboard). In need of fostering community, Paolo decided to bring together all the Filipino musicians he knew to form a band for UTSC’s “Small Ensembles: Digital/Amplified” course. The group’s bond was immediate, and soon after completing the course with a bang, they began doing local shows around the GTA for friends and family. Not too long after, they began making waves at numerous communal events like Fiesta Extravaganza 2025, Taste of Manila 2025, RadioFwd’s “City Pop Night” 2025 and, recently, headlined at RadioFwd’s “Live!@1265Bistro” in 2026. Their unique compositions, dynamic stage presence and undeniable chemistry garnered a tight-knit community across the GTA. Their original music spans genres, ranging from heartfelt indie pop to dark R&B-rock. In 2025, they recorded and produced their first single, “waiting4u(demo),” in Sam’s living room and since then, it has garnered 8000+ streams on Spotify. In 2026, they released their new single, “Bleed,” which they wrote in their Discord server. From jamming in their garage to selling out shows, STUDIO MAHILO welcomes you to their authentic and chaotic group.
Name:
STUDIO MAHILO
Genre:
Indie Rock
Founded:
2025
Latest Single:
Bleed
Latest Video:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVYnijsAkNw/?igsh=bDRyem1tdDkwZDk=
Favourite musician growing up:
Growing up, we listened to what our parents listened to! This includes a lot of 70s and 80s music like the Bee Gees, Stevie Wonder, Led Zeppelin, the Eagles, the Police, Chicago, etc. On the other hand, Paolo grew up listening to a lot of Pokémon music, and Sam also grew up listening to a lot of video game soundtrack music. More specifically, Derrick listened to a lot of Charlie Puth, and Gabriel listened to a lot of Ariana Grande and Tracy Chapman. However, one artist we all grew up listening to was Bruno Mars.
Favourite musician now:
It’s hard to decide our favourite musician right now because we listen to so much music. Sam doesn’t really have a favourite artist at the moment, but she is a huge fan of Lil Hero. Matthew is also into a lot of electronic pop right now, including TIFFANY DAY and underscores. Derrick is a big fan of Mac Ayers and Jeff Bernat. Miko’s favourite musician right now is Gia*, and Gabe still listens to Tracy Chapman and Ariana Grande.
Guilty pleasure song:
Paolo’s guilty pleasure song is the song “enormous penis” by DaVinci. Sam’s guilty pleasure song is “Hooligan” by BTS, only because it’s seriously catchy and she can’t get it out of her head. Gabe’s guilty pleasure song is “Break Free” by Ariana Grande, and Miko bumps “Gangnam Style” by PSY. Matthew’s guilty pleasure song is “Sticker” by NCT127. But deep down, we do not feel guilty for loving music, and no one should feel bad about whatever they listen to!
Live show ritual:
We don’t really have many live show rituals other than warming up and preparing our instruments, but recently, Sam has been making the crowd sing nursery rhymes while the band tunes and sets up on stage. We try to eat food beforehand, but sometimes we don’t get too… Sam also gets really nervous before live shows, so you could say one of our live show rituals is calming Sam down.
Favourite local musician:
We love a lot of local musicians! We often hang out by going to local shows. If we had to pick our top three local musicians, we would pick: Bianca Espino, Chad Avi, and Duck Society. They’re so awesome and cracked, and we bump these guys so hard. They deserve all the love they get!
EP or LP?
We prefer LP just because it usually has more content, artistry and intent compared to an EP.
Early bird or night owl?
Derrick, Sam and Gabe are definitely night owls and often persuade the other members to stay up late with them. Miko, Paolo and Matthew are early birds and Miko and Matthew often get persuaded to stay up late on Discord calls. Sam tries to be an early bird but fails every time.
Road or studio?
All of us prefer being on the road and gigging, except Miko, who prefers being in the studio. This makes sense because he is our producer! The rest of us like playing live because getting to perform and share our music with others is the reason we started playing together in the first place. We also get to meet a bunch of awesome people and musicians whenever we play live. But, being in the studio and making music is also fun because we often record in unconventional places, like in Sam’s house or on campus. This makes the process of recording really fun and chaotic, which is always entertaining.
Any shows or albums coming up?
We are playing on May 29th at Scarborough Bluffs United Church for Springboard to Music, which is a charity organization that provides music education to low-income families. It’s for a great cause, and we hope to see you there! We also released our new single “Bleed,” and it’s available on all platforms.
Where can we follow you?
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Rapid Fire Local Questions:
What is your favourite local restaurant?
Our favourite local restaurant is Popeyes and Cocos bubble tea, specifically at UTSC. After practices, we always go there to hang out and debrief after a long day. Studio Mahilo has had many band meetings at Popeyes, some of them ending in tears and some of them ending in laughter.
What is your favourite street in your city and why?
Our favourite street is probably Yonge Street, just because it has a lot of food places and so many things to do and check out!
What is your favourite park in your city and why?
Matthew actually rates parks in his free time, so this question is perfect for him. Paolo and Matthew’s favourite park is Don Valley Brick Works because it’s very pretty with a lot of places to walk. Sam and Derrick love the Port Union Waterfront because the view of the lake is beautiful and it’s nice to bike through in the summer!. Gabriel’s favourite park is Adams Park! Which is nice because Sam and Derrick introduced him to it. The band often goes there after practices in the summer to play on the swings or sit on the hills.
What is your favourite music venue in your city?
Our favourite music venue is probably Massey Hall because it’s really big and cool-looking. We also have seen some of our favourite artists there like Rex Orange County, Lamp, Mac De Marco and Charlie Puth. But a close second would be 1265Bistro at UTSC! We started playing shows there in 2025 thanks to Zach from RadioFWD, and we always have a great time there. We have seen some of our favourite local artists there, like Santo, Chad Avi and Duck Society.
What is your favourite music store in your city?
Our favourite music store is definitely Long & McQuade Musical Instruments because we are there literally all the time to rent and buy gear. Matthew likes the one in Ossington, and Sam likes to go to the one in Scarborough. Sam and Miko actually go there so much that the staff know our faces.
