Paco Pastor never imagined himself onstage. Music had always been part of his life, but for years, he was content to listen, write and absorb the details that make a song work.
“Being on stage or performing was never one of my dreams,” the 19-year-old artist says. “I always knew I loved music. But performing up there? Not a chance.”
That changed after his best friend, Alysha, encouraged him to take his music beyond the privacy of his own creative process. Within roughly a year, Pastor began performing live, working with other musicians and eventually signing with Offshore Music, the independent Philippine label founded by Eraserheads frontman Ely Buendia in 2016.
A year of firsts
Pastor’s shift from private music-making to live performance happened quickly. He made his full-band live debut at one of Offshore Music’s self-produced gig nights and began jamming with more experienced musicians through his management team at Waddle House Manila.
The turning point, he says, began with Alysha.
“Until this girl Alysha came into my life,” Pastor says, recalling how her encouragement pushed him to try something he had never pictured for himself.
His parents, both artists, also supported the decision, but not without being candid about the demands of pursuing music professionally.
“If you didn’t make good music, we wouldn’t have let you go this path at all. Good thing you really are our child,” Pastor recalls his mother telling him.
That mix of encouragement and scrutiny helped shape a young artist who had already spent years listening closely before deciding to step in front of an audience.
Soul, pop and a wider palette
Pastor describes his music as rooted in soul with a strong pop sensibility. His influences include Sade, British soul singer Nectar Woode and Olivia Dean, whose 2023 debut album, “Messy,” was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize.
Those references point to an interest in restraint, atmosphere and emotionally direct songwriting. Pastor also speaks openly about the feminine energy he draws from some of the women who influence his music and artistic identity.
“There are so many aspects to me as an artist that it really isn’t just one color,” he says.
Rather than treating those influences as something to explain away, Pastor sees them as part of the range he wants to bring into his sound, image and performance.
On the shift to Offshore
Offshore Music has built its identity around artist development and a music-first approach. Founded by Buendia in 2016, the label relaunched in 2018 after an early pause and entered a strategic partnership with Sony Music Philippines in 2023. The agreement expanded global distribution for Offshore’s catalog while also covering artist promotion, development and brand partnerships.
Its roster has included artists such as ena mori, ALYSON, Pinkmen, Ligaya Escueta, Carousel Casualties and Elton Clark. In 2025, Offshore released “Cutterpillow: Tribute Album,” featuring reinterpretations of songs from the Eraserheads album by artists from the label’s roster. In 2026, the label marked its 10th anniversary with a five-part documentary series chronicling its development and artist community.
For Offshore Music A&R Manager Dani Mendoza, Pastor fit the label’s direction because he already had a clear hand in several parts of his own creative process.
“He was someone we wanted to develop and explore. He is his own producer, he is his own songwriter, his own performer. He is the full package in terms of his brand, performance, and music. To Offshore Music’s very core, we have always been music first and champions of those who need the support to put their music out there. It was easy to make that decision then and there,” Mendoza says.
The signing gives Pastor a larger platform, but it also places him inside a label that has made artist identity and creative development central to its positioning.
Pastor’s story is still at an early stage. A year ago, performing was not part of the plan. Now, he has a growing live résumé and a record label behind his next phase.
What remains consistent is the part that came first: the songs. His path to the stage began with a love of music rather than a desire for visibility, and that distinction continues to shape how he talks about his work.
For an artist still defining his place in OPM, signing with Offshore Music is less a finish line than a starting point.
Paco Pastor is now signed to Offshore Music Philippines. Follow @offshoremusicph for updates.