EZ Mil On Trading Hype For Honesty With His Upcoming Album

In an industry where viral moments can come and go within the blink of an eye, EZ Mil has proven that he’s built for something far more enduring. 

This 27-year-old Filipino rapper, singer, and producer first cut through the noise with a fearless blend of razor-sharp lyricism, technical precision, and genre-defying ambition, which turned internet buzz into international momentum. Eventually, what started as viral traction quickly turned into something bigger, such as prolific co-signs, major-label attention, and a growing international audience that watched an artist from the Philippines step confidently onto a world stage that rarely looks outward for its next breakout voice.

Though as his profile expanded, so did the scale of his ambition. EZ Mil has spent the last few years proving he can compete bar-for-bar with the best of them, but the conversation around him is now shifting. Instead of chasing only impact and visibility, he tells Billboard Philippines in this exclusive interview that he has begun leaning into something far more intentional — crafting songs that dig beneath the technical flexes and genre-blending experimentation that first defined him online. It may be considered a subtle pivot, but one that signals an artist thinking less about proving himself and more about revealing himself.

Now, with new music on the horizon, EZ Mil stands at a different kind of inflection point as he joins the UMG Philippines banner. The global spotlight is already locked in, but what comes next from his new material isn’t solely focused anymore on volume or viral moments. With aspirations to delve deeper into material centered on honesty, clarity, and creative risk, he’s ready to utilize this next chapter to tell his truth, fully and without hesitation — no matter what anyone else has to say about it.

Billboard Philippines: Congratulations, EZ, and welcome to the UMG Philippines family. How does it feel to be back here in the Philippines performing here tonight? 

EZ Mil: Honestly? [I feel] grateful, and it’s revitalizing. 

I’m glad to hear that. Because I heard you’re going to be performing a series of unreleased songs from your upcoming album here tonight. How does it feel to preview these songs for the first time in the live setting? 

Definitely, it’s going to be refreshing because I haven’t done them live just yet. I’m really excited. [I’m] also very keen to see and hear what people say or see how their reactions are afterwards, because these are never-before-heard songs. 

What are you most excited to see from that, considering how much of yourself you put into the work?

[I’ve put] my whole self and nothing else, because there’s nothing else to do when you’re really into this music stuff, you know? You record, and you do it as a full-time thing, and I’ve always treated it as such. It’s my 9 to 5, so I put my life, heart, and soul into the music. 

I think that’s evident when looking back at your discography. As it is, it has been three years since the release of your last album, Duality Redux. How much has changed for you as an artist, songwriter, and performer since then?

I mean, I would say a lot has changed, but also not that much. I guess it’s just like more of an inside thing — an internal thing — whereas [it seems like] maybe not a lot has changed for people who don’t really know me. So with my upcoming stuff, it’s gonna be this showcase of material that goes to show more of what I’ve tried to hide about myself before. It’s very telling in a way.

Since you mentioned that, how do you feel about expressing that vulnerability within your music this time around?

That’s why I said it’s gonna be refreshing, especially because it might just be a breath of fresh air for people to hear this type of material from me. I feel like it’s really the type of material I’m now a lot more comfortable with, though you’ll have to see what that’s like once the music comes out.

I’m also curious to know what lessons you have learned over these past few years in the scene, especially since you’ve taken your music to a new level globally. You’re dominating global charts, you’re working with some of the biggest names in rap. 

Yeah. It’s been a blessing, and it’s also been a wild ride, but I feel like it’s just about to get wilder. I’m definitely here for it.

Does that come with a sense of nervousness or more like a willingness to just face any challenge that’s ahead of you? 

You know, that’s a very interesting question — especially with those feelings of nervousness. I’m truly blessed to be an artist and a performer who has kept my sense of integrity, while still getting nervous before a show. It’s a real feeling that’s always there, and I think it feels good to just have a beating heart that’s capable of still experiencing such things. I think that if there wasn’t that feeling of being nervous, it’s like you don’t really care about it. Or it’s like you’re not invested in it. 

I think it’s nice to know that a lot of your music comes from that real place — and it’s a show that your craft does feature a lot of intentionality. Whether it’s through the production or the songwriting, everything feels like a very deliberate choice for you. How do you think that’s going to manifest even further with your upcoming record? 

That’s a good way of putting it. I think it’ll manifest itself [on its own], because I’ve only just tried to bring out that side of me with Duality, like at the upstart of the record, like opening it up. But I still went back to what everybody views as like for everybody, like a quote-unquote “for everybody.” I still went back to that after the first song. Yeah, so there’s going to be a lot of honing in on that side of me, sharpening that sword, and just letting it shine. 

I think that so many people — not just here in the Philippines, but around the world, the United States, everywhere — are so excited to see this new side of you in your work. And, with how long your fans and listeners have been waiting for this record, what do you want this album to kind of say about who you are as an artist? 

What do I want it to say? Man, forgive me for saying this. I don’t really give a damn what people say. (Laughs) It’s like that’s what’s refreshing about it. It’s just me. It’s what I want to do. I finally found it, because I kind of fell out of love with music because of a certain way I’ve been trying to do it.

I’ve been trying to break this mold. I’ve been trying to kick that door down. Like, I feel like I just reached the point where I don’t care if the door breaks down. I’m gonna shoot that shit with an RPG. (Laughs)

Yeah, do it your own way, right? 

Yeah. I don’t want to have to conform or anything because, I mean, as it is, I realized I really do have that spirit for the music.

What led you to that realization after feeling conflicted with how you’ve tried to make your way into the scene, and even how the industry has been going?

It just took some time because I didn’t know how to present a more honest version of myself, because I didn’t make it as that.

It’s so refreshing to see that your approach moving forward with this record is really just like you don’t care what others would say, and it’s more authentically you. 

Exactly. I’m not trying to please anyone anymore. 

Is there any impression or impact that you think fans can take away from this once it’s finally out? 

I don’t know. That’s what I’m waiting to see. But I’m excited to see what they can get from it. That’s all. 

Lastly, is there anything you’d like to tease about it, or would you say everything’s still shrouded in mystery? (Laughs)

Yeah, you’re right about that. (laughs) I can’t tell you much right now, but just be prepared to expect the unexpected.

As we anticipate EZ Mil’s upcoming album, listen to his latest single “Leon (KA)” below: