Dionela

Quick Facts

Photo: Dionela – “Sugal” Visualizer

About Dionela

Raised on Music in Guiguinto

Before the chart records and world tours, Dionela was Timothy Dionela, a kid from Guiguinto, Bulacan, born on March 14, 1999 to parents who both taught music. He was singing by the age of three, and the sound of home was a constant jam session.

The soundtrack of his childhood leaned heavily on R&B. He grew up on Ginuwine, Ne-Yo, Destiny’s Child, Bruno Mars, The Weeknd, and H.E.R., and those silky influences would later shape everything he wrote.

The road was far from instant. He put out his first single, “Tears,” back in 2019, followed by a string of independent releases, while grinding through bar gigs and wedding performances and even falling into debt along the way.

Signing with Universal and Finding His Sound

In 2022, Dionela signed with UMG Philippines under its Republic Records imprint, releasing singles like “Langit,” “Musika,” and “153.” By late 2023 he was sharing bigger stages, joining Zack Tabudlo as a guest on The Morning Tour.

The first real breakthrough arrived with “Oksihina” in September 2023. The song spread across social media, climbed into the upper reaches of the Billboard Philippines charts, and won Best R&B Recording at the 2024 Awit Awards.

By 2024 he had moved to UMG’s EMI imprint, and the pieces were in place for a much bigger moment.

“sining” and the King of R&B’s Blessing

Dionela had idolized Jay R since childhood, covering his songs from the time he was five years old. So when a friend suggested asking the R&B icon to fill the second verse of a new track he was building, it felt like destiny knocking.

That track was “sining,” released on June 7, 2024. It exploded: number one on the Billboard Philippines Hot 100 for four straight weeks, seven consecutive weeks atop Spotify Philippines, a climb to number 60 on Spotify’s global chart, and tens of millions of streams.

The music video, starring BINI’s Stacey, became one of YouTube’s top Philippine music videos of 2024. Jay R himself began talking openly about passing his King of R&B crown to the younger singer, a torch-passing moment fans embraced.

“sining” went on to win Best Collaboration at the 2025 Awit Awards and Wish R&B Song of the Year at the 2025 Wish Music Awards, and even earned nominations at the inaugural Music Awards Japan.

“Marilag,” World Tours, and a Storybook Romance

Dionela proved the momentum was no fluke with “Marilag” in November 2024. The song returned him to number one on the Billboard Philippines Hot 100 and made history in January 2025 as the first ever chart-topper on the newly launched IFPI Official Philippines Chart.

By February 2025 he was the most-streamed Filipino artist on Spotify, with more than 8 million monthly listeners. He kept the collaborations coming too, teaming up with rap veteran Loonie on “Ikigai” and young rapper Alex Bruce on “fall season,” a pairing they brought to Coke Studio Live 2025.

Then came The Grace World Tour, his first full-scale headlining run, with stops across the Philippines, the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates. At its Manila homecoming at the New Frontier Theater on November 21, 2025, he stopped the show to propose to his longtime girlfriend and creative collaborator, Meizy Mendoza. They married in March 2026.

The love story now fuels the next chapter. In May 2026 he announced The Promise Tour, an even wider world tour spanning North America, Oceania, Europe, and Asia.

Videos

Singles

• Tears (2019)
• Akala (2019)
• Agaw (2019)
• Horror (2020)
• Gone (2020)
• Stay The Night, feat. EJ Flor (2020)
• Oo Na, Kayo Na (Agaw) (2020)
• Sugal (2021)
• Bahaghari (2022)
• Langit (2022)
• Musika (2022)
• 153 (2022)
• Oksihina (2023)
• Hoodie, feat. Alisson Shore (2024)
• sining, feat. Jay R (2024)
• Marilag (2024)
• Ikigai, feat. Loonie (2025)
• fall season, feat. Alex Bruce (2025)

Song Collaborations

• Stay The Night (EJ Flor – 2020)
• Hoodie (Alisson Shore – 2024)
• sining (Jay R – 2024)
• Ikigai (Loonie – 2025)
• fall season (Alex Bruce – 2025)

Awards

Awit Awards

• Best R&B Recording (Oksihina – 2024)
• Best Collaboration (sining – 2025)
• Best Performance by a Solo Artist (Marilag – 2025)

Filipino Music Awards

• R&B Song of the Year (Marilag – 2025)

New Hue Video Music Awards

• Collaboration of the Year (sining – 2025)

P-pop Music Awards

• Favorite Streamed Artist (2024)

Wish Music Awards

• Wish R&B Song of the Year (sining – 2025)
• Wish R&B Song of the Year (Marilag – 2026)

Nominations

Awit Awards

• Song of the Year (sining – 2025)
• Best R&B Recording (sining – 2025)
• Best Pop Recording (Hoodie – 2025)

Music Awards Japan

• Best Song Asia (sining – 2025)
• Best of Listeners’ Choice: International Song (sining – 2025)

Myx Music Awards

• Breakout Solo Artist of the Year (2024)
• Song of the Year (sining – 2024)
• Collaboration of the Year (sining – 2024)
• R&B Video of the Year (sining – 2024)

P-pop Music Awards

• Artist of the Year (2024, 2025)
• Song of the Year (Marilag – 2025)

Wish Music Awards

• Wish Breakthrough Artist of the Year (2025)
• Wish Artist of the Year (2026)
• Wish Song Collaboration of the Year (Ikigai – 2026)

Perspective

Dionela writes love songs the way painters approach a canvas: patiently, reverently, one brushstroke of falsetto at a time. There is a warmth to his voice that makes even his biggest hits feel like private serenades. Press play on “Marilag” at golden hour and try not to fall a little bit in love with the world.

Praise for the Artist

Mabait siya, very talented, very driven—yun talagang nag-inspire sa akin na mag-collab sa kanya.

– Jay R (fellow artist and “sining” collaborator)
Is Jay R passing the King of R&B title to Sining singer Dionela?
PEP.ph

Dionela is dramatically romantic, and unapologetically so… His voice, soulful and visceral, carries an earnestness that is in full display on stage.

– Gideon Lasco
‘Big Bang doesn’t make sense’: Deciphering Dionela and his musical universe
CoverStory.ph

His deep connection to his craft is unmistakable and radiates both on and off stage, setting him apart as a true performer.

– Cris Aguasvivas
Filipino Artist Dionela Talks Love, Music, and Inspiration During His New York World Tour Stop
EnVi Media

Contact

• facebook.com/dionelamusic
• x.com/Timdionela
• instagram.com/dionelaofficial
• youtube.com/@dionelaofficial
• tiktok.com/@dionelaofficial

Bookings

• Dionela Music – Facebook

Listen

• Spotify – Dionela
• Apple Music – Dionela

Apple Music

On Instagram

Trivia

• His wife Meizy is part of the show behind the scenes: she designs his single cover art and runs the LED lights at his concerts, and she even has her own fan club called the “a-meiz-ing addicts.”
• The “sining” music video is a short film about memory and loss, with veteran actor Joonee Gamboa playing an old man longing for his late wife.
• After meeting one of his childhood idols in person, he announced a dream collaboration with American R&B star Ne-Yo onstage at the Aurora Music Festival in May 2025.
• Before The Grace World Tour gave him a full crew, he toured in 2023 with nothing but his acoustic guitar.
• In November 2025 he pledged proceeds from his tour to victims of Super Typhoon Uwan.
• He teased The Promise Tour with the line “Is there anyone waiting for me overseas? I’m coming,” and says it won’t feel like “a Dionela show” because of the surprise guest artists joining him.
• His fans are called Dandelions.

Posted: July 14, 2026