![\"Woman](\"https:\/\/www.metrosiliconvalley.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/09\/msv2538_RubyIbarra2_creditGinoLucas.jpg\")
<\/a>\u201cI look at the people in my Filipino-American community and how a lot of them often still don\u2019t have the opportunity to share their stories and highlight who they are and where they came from,\u201d Ibarra says. \u201cWho is going to tell their story if not me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A distinct element Ibarra uses to showcase her culture is the multilingual flow of her words, in and out of English, Tagalog and Bisaya. \u201cIt only becomes natural that I do a lot of those language switch-ups in my lyrics to help illustrate those stories even more,\u201d Ibarra says. \u201cIt\u2019s a conscious decision of wanting to highlight these languages on a visible level in hip hop.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Bay Area not only played a part in her finding a Filipino community, but also contributed to her falling in love with hip hop. \u201cWith there being such a vibrant music scene and culture here, that absolutely cultivated and strengthened my love for [hip hop], and also helped shape and develop myself as an artist.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Ibarra, winning the Tiny Desk Contest was a dream come true. \u201cIt was a feeling of validation, that we deserved to be there,\u201d Ibarra says. In her performance, she shared that in 2019 she submitted a video for the contest but wasn\u2019t chosen. However, for the rapper, winning in 2025 felt much sweeter than it would have then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUltimately, it didn\u2019t even feel like winning a contest; it felt more like a reminder to ourselves that we\u2019ve been building the right path, because these last six years the music I created has been authentically me,\u201d Ibarra says. \u201cI\u2019ve never had to challenge or change who I am. Knowing that I didn\u2019t compromise in that entire journey made it a lot more special.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n After her D.C. performance, Ibarra and her band set off on a 10-city tour around the country. One member of her band, June Millington, is no stranger to touring. Millington is a rock and roll pioneer who is known for her trailblazing career with the 1970s all-female band Fanny. Sharing a similar story of immigrating from the Philippines to Northern California at a young age, Ibarra shared what she learned from working with Millington.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen it comes down to it, it\u2019s not about the places that you go or the accolades that you have from your career,\u201d Ibarra says. \u201cIt\u2019s about still remembering why you do what you do. That\u2019s something that I hope to continue to be able to answer as I further develop in my career.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n After a successful summer of touring in cities from Los Angeles to Philadelphia, Ibarra is excited to perform in Music at the Park\u2019s 35th season finale. \u201cBringing the music back home to the Bay Area, and us being able to showcase what we\u2019ve been touring across the nation, is a very special feeling. There\u2019s no place like home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Music at the Park will take place 4\u201311pm on Sunday, Sept. 21 at Plaza de Cesar Chavez in downtown San Jose. For more information, visit <\/em>mitpsj.com<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The local Filipino community drives Ruby Ibarra to tell stories with her music. And she\u2019ll be sharing those stories at Music in the Park.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14789,"featured_media":20184190,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","_expiration-date-status":"","_expiration-date":0,"_expiration-date-type":"","_expiration-date-categories":[],"_expiration-date-options":[]},"categories":[1775],"tags":[3198,4602,20570],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n<\/a><\/a>