By Ash Villa
Last Friday, Latina-Filipina indie dream/pop duo The Two Lips came to “play”, performing at Anisq’Oyo’ Park in IV.
A quick introduction for those of you who aren’t familiar: The Two Lips, formerly known as The Tulips, was formed back in 2023 and consists of best friends Andrea and Jewlz. They engaged with each other online and officially met up at a Lizzy McAlpine concert, sparking the beginning of something big for the two. The duo first gained traction online through posting TikTok covers and ‘day in my life’ content, documenting their journey of balancing day jobs and their pop star ambitions. This all eventually led to their signing to Island Records in June 2025 and the full launch of their music career. Just before hitting up SB, The Two Lips had their debut performance at Coachella, sharing a lineup with artists like Blood Orange, Sexyy Red, KATSEYE, Ethel Cain, and Sabrina Carpenter. They currently rack up 1,673,279 monthly listeners on Spotify with just an EP and a few singles under their belt.
I walked up to the Anisq’Oyo about 40 minutes before doors, and the crowd was already brewing, a great sign. Slowly but surely, a line started to form and trickled down all the way to Teddy Rice and Deja Vu. Everyone was fitted up in polka dots, pink and black, skirts, dresses, and accessories that matched the Two Lip aesthetic. Anticipation was building, and even the Two Lip girlies were excited! Posting about their journey to SB on socials and even vlogging their experience backstage.
6:30 finally came around, and doors opened. I was lucky to snag a front row spot in the crowd. After the 30ish-minute wait, the fog machine was turned on, and a familiar back track was playing through the speakers. A few moments later, the Two Lips walked on stage, opening their set with blossom, a standalone single from 2024. They came up with so much energy, immediately urging the crowd to stand.
Although a majority of their set relied on just vocals and a backing track, it was still highly engaging and entertaining. They had some cute choreography to songs like “clue”, “kiss goodbye”, and “play”, along with amazing crowd interaction. Before performing their song “SICK!” they made sure the crowd was prepared, teaching us a chant that we were meant to scream after the chorus, and the UCSB audience did not disappoint.
After performing “enemy” (one of my personal favorites), they slowed down their set, stripping down to just vocals and an omnicord for their song “happy for me”. Before performing their ballad, “Joel” explains that this song stemmed from a friendship breakup, also mentioning that this friend was a UCSB student. Throughout the night, they kept calling out our school’s ‘party reputation’ whenever the energy dipped, encouraging the crowd to live up to it. Jewlz mentioned some IV lore of her own, sharing that one of her first times performing was at the Biko House, down the street from where they were performing now.
They spiced up their set with a cover of No Doubt’s “Don’t Speak”, which hyped up the crowd, especially concertgoers who weren’t as familiar with the Two Lips and their music. Even shouting out OC, which I personally appreciated since it’s where im from.
They ‘concluded’ their set with two new releases, “brb” and “kiss goodbye”, followed by an EP track “if you said”. The Two Lips walk off stage, but the crowd isn’t finished. Two different chants break out. The crowd split into two different chants of “otra!” and “one more song!” Moments later, the backing track kicked in through the speakers and the Two Lips were back onstage to play their biggest hit, “i still love you (todavia),” sending almost every phone flying into the air. They finally wrap their set with a fresh release, “In Every Lifetime,” a vibrant, high-energy track that strays from their usual soft, dreamy sound. It was an explosive note to end the night on.
Although the girls had walked off, the night was far from over, as ASPB had one more surprise up their sleeves. The Two Lips were set to do a meet and greet with the crowd after the show, offering a photo op and a signed poster as well. Of course, I was one of the many eager fans to hop on the opportunity.
This was my very first Two Lips show, and it definitely won’t be my last. This fresh LA duo is on the come up, and it’s not looking like they’re gonna slow down any time soon, and well, I’m very glad I can say I saw them for free in my college town before Ticketmaster becomes my biggest obstacle… iykyk
Relive the night with this setlist playlist!