Inspired by the migrant Filipino musicians who perform in hotels, bars, and cabarets around the world, Eisa Jocson launched The Filipino Superwoman Band in 2019. The project takes Karyn White’s 1989 pop song “Superwoman,” which describes the sacrifices of a lovelorn female, and reworks the lyrics into different languages, presenting varying interpretations through music videos, performances, and other media. While borrowing from the Filipino music industry and popular culture, the band also expands the context of the original song—in which the narrator sings that she is decisively not a Superwoman—to offer a biting critique of government policies to promote the export of labor and the effects they have on local identity. The band’s new project Superwoman: Empire of Care highlights how frontline medical and essential workers in the Philippines have been heralded as national heroes while being denied basic job security during the Covid-19 pandemic. A mash-up of Blackpink’s 2019 single “Kill This Love,” the project’s music video references the choreography and costumes of Korean idol bands in a creative reflection of the global reach of K-pop.
