Ben&Ben dedicates ‘Courage’ to a little cancer warrior

May 8 ------ Music is powerful. It lifts you up when you’re feeling down. It rekindles the fire within you to keep fighting amid life's challenges. But perhaps the greatest power that music holds is healing. A testament to this is the impact Ben&Ben has made on the life of a little girl who, at an early age, has faced a daunting battle.  

For Ben&Ben, “Courage” is not just a simple motivational song — it is a tribute to a precious fan who fought for her life.  “We want to dedicate this song to a little girl named Maxelle [who] shared her story,” Ben&Ben vocalist Miguel Benjamin told entertainment reporters. “A bit of a story back in 2023, si Paolo and si mommy, they visited this little girl who was [facing] a very difficult battle with cancer. And that was the time when it was very difficult for their family dahil they still didn’t know kung anong mangyayari, kung anong way nila out of that very dark period,” he elaborated.  

Two years later, Ben&Ben received good news from Maxelle’s family that she had already completed her chemotherapy journey. “Hindi pa naman siya cancer-free pero nag-graduate na siya [from her chemotherapy], which is already a big step kasi galing siya ng stage 4 cancer. [With this development], makakapag-regular school na siya,” Miguel delightedly shared.    

Music as inspiration  

A Facebook page named Jaine Maxelle & Family has been actively sharing updates about a little girl’s fight against Rhabdomyosarcoma. According to Cleveland Clinic, it is a “rare soft tissue cancer that is common to children and teenagers, and typically targets muscles in the arms, legs, head, neck and abdomen.”   

In a couple of posts, the page shared how Ben&Ben’s music has played a crucial role in the child’s battle against the disease. Just recently on May 1, the page posted an inspiring video about the Maxelle’s journey which included a clip and a photo of Paolo, the other half of “The Benjamins,” and Maxelle together. The video also used “Courage” as the background song. “Stage 4C cancer didn’t break her — it made her braver,” the page captioned its post.   

In November 2024, the page also shared a photo of Paolo and his mother’s visit to the ailing child. “Last year, Kuya Paolo Benjamin of Ben&Ben; Tita Val, his mother; and Ate Mads, his sister, visited our little warrior. Thankful to their music kasi isa ‘yun sa mga naging inspiration namin to fight this battle,” the page captioned its post. A TikTok video of Paolo and Maxelle was also shared on the said Facebook page in May 2024. “Favorite songs ni Maxelle ang mga kanta ng Ben&Ben,” the page detailed. “Since 3 years old, favorite niyang kinakanta ang 'Branches.' And noong nilabas nila ang 'Courage,' ‘yun ‘yung time na may pinagdadaanan kaming family dahil sa nangyayari kay Maxelle. “Saktong lumabas ang kanta at naka-relate agad kami, at naging sandalan namin ‘yung kanta every night. Naging pambatulog na rin siya ni Maxelle at mas nagiging strong pa kami tuwing naririnig namin ang mga songs nila,” it added.      

‘Real stories’  

"Courage" is one of the 12 songs in the band's third studio album The Traveller Across Dimensions, which was released on November 29, 2024. Branding itself as a concept album, it highlights the story of a character named Liwanag who navigated three dimensions: light, energy, and feel. 

Liwanag’s story will be brought to life through a unique concert experience that the band offers to their fans worldwide. “This tour is a tour where we’re gonna try to present a visual universe, an animated visual universe about a character named 'Liwanag' which goes through the phases of learning, struggle and growth," Miguel said. “People have often asked us the past few months [kung] bakit namin sinulat [ang] ganitong kwento, at ang sagot namin ay gusto naming gumawa ng kwentong sumasalamin sa nangyayari sa totoong buhay,” he added, explaining how they were able to come up with the story. Dedicating “Courage” to Maxelle was their way of honoring her “personal story of struggles." “Itong kanta [Courage] ay isang napaka-powerful na halimbawa ng isang nangyayari sa totoong buhay,” Miguel stressed.   

Meanwhile, Paolo shared that her story is just one of the many stories they heard from their a bunch of people. “It’s honestly something we didn’t sign up for noong naging band kami,” he admitted. “But from 2017 until now, parang every year, meron kaming several deep encounters na ganon. Either mag-me-message [sa amin], asking if pwede kaming mag-visit, or as in na-e-encounter lang namin. Minsan nag-go-grocery lang kami [tapos] may lalapit, [tapos] biglang i-o-open up ‘yung life story niya.”  

As time went on, the nine-piece band realized that they have a responsibility that they should carry on. “So, we learned to embrace it as part of our duty and our calling as a band,” Paolo stressed. And it definitely inspires the work that we do.” In 2023, an acoustic version of the song "Courage" was released. According to a press statement released by the band, it was meant to inspire people who are struggling through life. “The past few months have been mentally tough for the band, with challenges surrounding us and driving us to low points and times of discouragement,” Ben&Ben said in the press statement. “These valleys have been the inspiration for 'Courage.' We realized that, as visceral as the feeling of being hopeless may be for us, we wanted to channel it into an uplifting piece of music because it is something a lot of people are going through now but have a hard time verbalizing,” it added. Bringing their experienced-based and relatable songs closer to the people, the band is truly a testament of how music can change lives.   

Source: news.abs-cbn.com