Cueshé

{{short description|Filipino pop rock band}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Cueshé | image = | caption = | years_active = 1998–present | origin = Cebu, Philippines | genre = {{hlist|Alternative rock|pop rock}} | label = {{hlist|BMG|Sony Music Philippines}} | associated_acts = | current_members = * Ruben Caballero * Jovan Mabini * Fritz Labrado * Cesar delos Santos | past_members = * Jay Justiniani * Mike Manaloto * Jhunjie Dosdos }}

'''Cueshé''' is a Filipino pop rock band from Cebu, Philippines, currently based in Manila. The band was formed in 1998 and hit mainstream in 2005. They are known for hit singles such as "Stay", "Pangako", "Ulan", and "Borrowed Time".

==History== Formed in 1998 in Cebu by Fritz Labrado, Jovan Mabini and Mike Manaloto, the word Cueshé is a portmanteau of "Cue", from banana cue; a snack delicacy in the Philippines, which are skewered bananas coated with caramel, and the pronoun "shé" (pronounced shay) is a reference to their former vocalist, a female, who joined in 1999. After the female vocalist left with their songwriter in 2001, she was replaced by Jay Justiniani. They started out performing covers at small gigs such as debuts and weddings, sometimes even bringing their own sound system if their venues didn't have any. They covered songs by The Smiths, Soundgarden, China Crisis, Nirvana, U2, etc. They then started learning how to write and record their own songs.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=The story of CueshÃƒÂ© |url=https://www.philstar.com/cebu-entertainment/2005/07/23/287863/story-cuesh |access-date=2026-02-04 |website=Philstar.com}}</ref>

On December 24, 2001, Justiniani was severely injured in a motorcycle accident. To make ends meet, Labrado became a jeepney driver with Mabini as his assistant, Manaloto traded imported cigarettes to local bars in Cebu, while the rest focused on their studies. Still, they continued their weekly jamming sessions.<ref name=":0" /> Jhunjie Dosdos and Ruben Caballero were later recruited in 2002 and 2003 respectively. With the addition of Dosdos and Caballero, the band now features two vocalists, shared between Justiniani and Caballero, with Caballero primarily on lead, while Dosdos played keyboards and contributes backing harmony vocals.

In March 2005, Cueshé decided to move to Manila.<ref name=":1" /> To do so, their manager closed his talent agency to focus solely on the band, some members dropped out of college while others left their jobs.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ladaw |first=Dennis |date=August 5, 2005 |title=The band with the 'Yahoo groupies' |url=https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=UrljAAAAIBAJ&lpg=PA18&dq=cueshe&pg=PA18#v=onepage&q=cueshe&f=false |access-date=August 5, 2005 |work=The Manila Times}}</ref> They were signed to BMG Records two months later.<ref name=":1">{{cite web |title=Cebu Based Band Cueshé (read as q-shay) Signs With BMG Records |url=http://www.titikpilipino.com/news/index.php?aid=479 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060302212931/http://www.titikpilipino.com/news/index.php?aid=479 |archive-date=2006-03-02 |website=titikpilipino.com |publisher=BMG Records Pilipinas |url-status=usurped |access-date=March 2, 2006}}</ref> They were one of the first Filipino artists to be signed under the merger between BMG Records and Sony Music.<ref name=":0" /> Their song "Stay" became Cueshé's debut single.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gil |first=Baby A. |date=August 10, 2005 |title=Cueshe: Several reasons to stay |url=https://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2005/08/10/290740/cueshe-several-reasons-stay |access-date=2026-02-04 |website=Philstar.com}}</ref> The group then achieved hit singles ("Stay", "Sorry", "Ulan", "Can't Let You Go" and "24 Hours"), a double platinum album (''Half Empty Half Full''), and multiple accolades within the span of a year.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cueshe to hold fans day on May 25 at SM North EDSA |url=https://www.pep.ph/guide/music/660/cueshe-to-hold-fans-day-on-may-25-at-sm-north-edsa- |website=pep.ph |publisher=Rommel R. Llanes |access-date=11 August 2022}}</ref> Their style of music led them to be associated with the slang term ''pogi rock''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Albay |first=Cheekie |date=July 18, 2013 |title=A Pogi Rock Playlist: Truly, Madly, Crazily in Love with You |url=https://www.spot.ph/entertainment/53928/a-empogiem-rock-playlist-truly-madly-crazily-in-love-with-you |access-date=May 1, 2026 |website=spot.ph}}</ref> The band also contributed to The Eraserheads' tribute album, ''Ultraelectromagneticjam!: The Music Of The Eraserheads'', on which they sang their own rendition of "Hard To Believe" (originally from the album Sticker Happy; released in 1997).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chan |first=Shyr |date=February 14, 2006 |title=Reviving the Eraserheads spirit |url=https://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2006/02/14/321611/reviving-eraserheads-spirit |access-date=2026-02-04 |website=Philstar.com}}</ref>

Less than a year later, the band released their second album, ''Back to Me''. The new album contained ten new tracks, all of which were written by the band members themselves. The first single from the album was of the same title, followed by three more singles "Borrowed Time", "Bakit?" and "Pasensiya Na".<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 28, 2006 |title=Cueshe's 1st single off sophomore album premieres on MYX |url=https://www.philstar.com/cebu-entertainment/2006/07/28/349813/cueshes-1st-single-sophomore-album-premieres-myx |access-date=2026-02-04 |website=Philstar.com}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=September 14, 2010 |title=Cueshe returns with Pangako |url=https://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2010/09/14/611492/cueshe-returns-pangako |access-date=2026-02-04 |website=Philstar.com}}</ref> Being fans of The Beatles, they also did a cover of the John Lennon hit single "Jealous Guy". In 2008, a third album was released entitled ''Driven'', which spawned the three singles "BMD", "There Was You" and "Minsan".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Llanes |first=Rommel R. |date=April 7, 2008 |title=Cueshé releases third album titled "Driven" |url=https://www.pep.ph/news/local/1791/cuesh-releases-third-album-titled-driven |access-date=2026-02-04 |work=PEP.ph |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=October 29, 2008 |title=Cueshe releases new single "There Was You" |url=https://www.pep.ph/news/local/2834/cueshe-releases-new-single-there-was-you |access-date=2026-02-04 |work=PEP.ph |language=en}}</ref> In 2010 the band released their fourth and latest album ''Life'', containing the singles "Pangako", "Lupit", and "Sana".<ref name=":2" />

The band also recorded the theme song of the Philippine television series ''Asian Treasures'' entitled "Walang Yamang (Mas Hihigit Sa 'Yo)", which is included in the repackaged version of their album ''Back to Me''.

In 2015, the band released a new single titled "Ikaw Lamang" and announced they were to release a new album soon. The music video premiered in September 2015. Since 2015, they have focused on their live performances, performing at regional music festivals and other events.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 16, 2025 |title=Rock band Cueshé to headline Labangon Music Fest |url=https://www.philstar.com/the-freeman/cebu-entertainment/2025/10/16/2480312/rock-band-cuesh-headline-labangon-music-fest |access-date=2026-02-04 |website=Philstar.com}}</ref>

In 2025, the band was chosen to perform the theme song for the 2025–26 PBA season entitled, ''Solid''. They performed the song live on the opening ceremony of the season on October 5, 2025. <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6PFa0HSLuM</ref><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWfT-O5UJcg</ref>

==Members== *Ruben Caballero — lead vocals, rhythm guitar (2003–present) *Jovan Mabini — lead guitar (1998–present), backing vocals (2012–present) *Fritz Labrado — bass guitar (1998–present), backing vocals (2015–present) *Cesar delos Santos — drums (2012–present)

===Former members=== *Jay Justiniani — vocals (2001–2015) *Mike Manaloto — drums (1998–2012) *Jhunjie Dosdos — keyboards, backing vocals (2002–2012)

==Discography== {{Main|Cueshé discography}}

===Albums=== *''Half Empty Half Full'' (2005) *''Back to Me'' (2006) *''Driven'' (2008) *''Life'' (2010)

==Awards and nominations== {| class="wikitable" ! Year !! Award giving body !! Category !! Nominated work !! Results !Ref. |- |rowspan=4|'''2005'''||rowspan=2| BOMB FM Awards||'''Song of the Year'''||"Stay"||{{won}} | |- ||'''Band of the Year'''||{{N/A}}||{{won}} | |- |NU Rock Awards||'''Rising Sun Award'''||{{N/A}}||{{nominated}} | |- ||SOP Music Awards||'''Breakthrough Recording'''||{{N/A}}||{{won}} | |- | rowspan=6|'''2006'''||rowspan=4| MYX Music Awards||'''Favorite Song'''||"Stay"||{{won}} | rowspan="3" |<ref name="MyxAwards2006">{{Cite news|url=https://www.mukamo.com/myx-music-awards-2006-winners/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070814115438/http://www.mukamo.com/myx-music-awards-2006-winners/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=August 14, 2007|title=MYX Music Awards 2006 Winners|publisher=Mukamo|author=Allan Castalone|access-date=September 12, 2020}}</ref> |- ||'''Favorite Artist'''||{{N/A}}||{{won}} |- ||'''Favorite Group'''||{{N/A}}||{{won}} |- ||'''Favorite New Artist'''||{{N/A}}||{{nominated}} |<ref name="MyxMusicAwards2006">{{Cite news|url=https://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2006/05/01/334347/list-1st-myx-music-awards-nominees/|title=List of 1st MYX Music Awards nominees|publisher=PhilStar|author=Baby A. Gil|date=May 1, 2006 |access-date=September 12, 2020}}</ref> |- |MTV Pilipinas Music Awards||'''Smart Texter's Choice Hitmaker of the Year'''||{{N/A}}||{{won}} | |- |SOP Pasiklaband||'''Band of the Year'''||{{N/A}}||{{won}} | |- | rowspan="2" |2009 | rowspan="4" | PMPC Star Awards for Music |'''Duo / Group of the Year''' |''Driven'' |{{nom}} | rowspan="2" |<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 13, 2009 |title=1st Star Awards for Music to be held at the Skydome, SM North |url=https://www.pep.ph/news/local/4883/1st-star-awards-for-music-to-be-held-at-the-skydome-sm-north |access-date=2026-02-04 |work=PEP.ph |language=en}}</ref> |- |'''Alternative Album of the Year''' |''Driven'' |{{nom}} |- | rowspan="2" |2011 |'''Duo / Group of the Year''' |{{N/A}} |{{nom}} | rowspan="2" |<ref>{{Cite news |last=Reyes |first=William R. |date=September 9, 2011 |title=3rd Star Awards for Music will take place on October 16 |url=https://www.pep.ph/news/local/8888/3rd-star-awards-for-music-will-take-place-on-october-16 |access-date=2026-02-04 |work=PEP.ph |language=en}}</ref> |- |'''Rock Artist of the Year''' |{{N/A}} |{{nom}} |}

*'''ASAP 2nd Platinum Circle''' **2006: Double Platinum ''Half Empty Half Full'' *'''ASAP 24K Gold Award''' **2007: Gold album ''Back to Me'' **2006: Platinum ''Ultraelectromagneticjam''

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *{{official website|http://cuesheband.com.ph/}} *{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20080205111452/http://www.filipinomusica.com/cueshe.html Cueshe Story and Song Lyrics]}} *https://web.archive.org/web/20060212104822/http://www.titikpilipino.com/news/index.php?aid=647

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cueshe}} Category:Filipino pop rock music groups Category:Cebuano rock bands Category:Musical groups established in 1998 Category:Musical groups from Cebu Category:Sony Music Philippines artists