6-piece indie band from Manila, Philippines
The Ransom Collective are a six-piece indie rock band from the Philippines. Returning to the city of Manila after studying in Los Angeles, singer-songwriter Kian Ransom formed the band with his high school friend and drummer Hunny Lee, joined later by percussionist Jermaine Choa Peck, bass guitarist Leah Halili and the sisters Lily and Muriel Gonzales who play keyboard and violin.
The band's initial break came in 2014 when they placed first in the Wanderland Music and Arts Festival competition. Later that year they released their self-titled debut EP featuring the singles 'Fool' and 'Run'. They recruited drummer Redd Claudio to replace Hunny Lee after he returned to South Korea for military service and then in 2015 they were featured on the Pinoy compilation album 'Fresh Filter Vol.1' released by the online record store Satchmi and the Manila-based radio station Jam 88.3. The following year the band released the singles 'Settled' and 'Open Road' in anticipation of their debut album 'Traces' (2017). They also collaborated on the single 'Caution to the Wind' with Gabby Alipe and John Dinopol from the Filipino rock band Urbandub. In 2019, they signed a record deal with Mustard Music and released the single 'I Don't Care.'
