Paco Pastor says it took him only about an hour to finish “Keep It Moving.” Finding his footing as a young musician has taken considerably longer.
The 19-year-old Manila-based singer-songwriter released the track on September 4, marking his first release under independent Philippine label Offshore Music.
It arrives a year after Pastor began putting out music independently — and at a point when his career is beginning to look markedly different.
“At the time, I wasn’t validated for my art in music at all, and I was just an independent creator,” Pastor said of his earlier experience.
Rather than turn that frustration into something heavy, Pastor built “Keep It Moving” around rhythm and motion. The soul-pop track uses dancing as a metaphor for pushing forward when circumstances feel uncertain.
Pastor is credited as the song’s lyricist, composer, producer and engineer, underscoring the hands-on approach he has taken to developing his sound.
“I was lost in the sauce,” he said of the unusually quick creative process that produced the track.
Pastor began releasing music in 2025 with “There Somehow,” followed by the four-track Gotta Be EP and the Christmas release “Hey Dear.”
His sound has drawn heavily from soul and pop, with Pastor previously citing Sade, Nectar Woode and Olivia Dean among his musical influences.
The past year has also brought changes beyond the recording studio.
Pastor signed with Offshore Music in 2026 and joined artist management collective Waddle House Manila while continuing to develop his experience as a live performer.
Offshore Music A&R manager Dani Mendoza previously described Pastor as an artist the label wanted to “develop and explore,” pointing to his ability to produce, write and perform his own material.
For Pastor, that backing carries weight after starting out without the same level of industry support.
“To be recognized by a label, have a manager willing to put up with my schedule, and have praise from people after I get off stage means so much,” he said.
At 19, Pastor is still early in the process of defining what his career will become.
That makes “Keep It Moving” less of an arrival than a snapshot of an artist in transition — from releasing music largely on his own to finding a wider platform for it.
The song may have taken an hour to finish. Building everything around it is the longer project.