Janessa Geronimo Is Leaving Over October: “I can’t help but feel so much love and gratitude as I reflect on our journey together.”
“To live this dream for the last 12 years has been one of the biggest blessings of my life,” shares the drummer.
JANESSA GERONIMO: Photographed by Iya Forbes
JANESSA GERONIMO: Photographed by Iya Forbes
Janessa Geronimo announces her departure from Over October.
The drummer of the Filipino indie/alternative rock band is saying goodbye after 12 years.
“When (singer Josh) Buizon and (lead guitarist Joshua) Lua asked me to be their drummer for a band they were starting, I immediately said yes. Since I was a kid, all I ever wanted to do was to make music with friends I hold dear. I did not know at that time that Over October would make this dream a reality,” she shares via an official announcement from the band.
“To live this dream for the last 12 years has been one of the biggest blessings of my life. But dreams can change. Mine has,” she adds.
Addressing their fandom, Octobears, with gratitude and emotion, Geronimo says, “More than being bandmates, we have been witnesses to each other’s lives. We have pretty much spent our whole adult lives with each other. You have also been with us throughout everything, our dearest Octobears. You’ve seen us grow into who we are today.”
“This is why this announcement is a painful one. Leaving the band, as well as this community, will be one of the hardest things I will ever do. Nevertheless, it’s a decision I am at peace with,” she explains.
Having been the band’s drummer since she was 19, it has become about much more than the music. Through the years, she has witnessed her own growth — not only as a musician, but also as a person. “I am proud of all the things we have achieved together, all the memories we’ve made, all of the ups and downs in our working relationship as well as in our friendship. All of it. I can’t help but feel so much love and gratitude as I reflect on our journey together.”
In a bittersweet moment, Geronimo looks ahead to life outside being in the band with open arms, though she will still be in the band until October and is set to join them for their upcoming “big event,” which remains under wraps as of this writing, on October 4, 2026, at the New Frontier Theater.
