2007–2015: Formation December Avenue began as a college band in their alma mater
University of Santo Tomas in 2007. All students of UST's Conservatory of Music, it featured Zel Bautista on vocals and guitar, Jem Manuel on lead guitar, Don Gregorio on bass and Jet Danao on drums. Their name, December Avenue, is based on the music they want to make, helping people move on in life with December "being the last month" and an avenue "toward a new year". In 2009, they performed at the "Pilipino:Kaya Natin Ito" concert that raised funds for
Gawad Kalinga. Their first song "Time to Go" was released. That single helped them break into the mainstream and they started getting more gigs, mostly in the underground scene. However, in their early years, they earned little from their gigs, and often had to fund themselves.
2016–2018: Breakthrough and December Avenue In February of 2016, December Avenue released their first full-length, self-titled album. One of the songs from that album, "Eroplanong Papel", became one of their most famous singles. They also added Gelo Cruz on keyboards that year and released "Sa Ngalan ng Pag-Ibig", which boosted their fanbase and became one of their most defining singles. During this time, they started writing more songs in Tagalog. In 2018, December Avenue collaborated with Gracenote and Autotelic for the single "Summer Song". The song was used for
7-Eleven's summer campaign. They then released several singles including "Bulong", a song on mental health, and "Kung Di Rin Lang Ikaw", their collaboration with
Moira dela Torre. "Kung Di Rin Lang Ikaw" and their song "Sa Ngalan ng Pag-ibig" were featured in the film
Hello Love, Goodbye. They also featured on the soundtrack for the indie film
Tayo Sa Huling Buwan ng Taon with "Huling Sandali"
. For 2019, they were named as the most streamed artist on
Spotify for the Philippines. They are the first Filipino act to top
Spotify Wrapped, with "Kung Di Rin Lang Ikaw" claiming the top spot as the Most Streamed Track for 2019. At the end of the year, they released their second album
Langit Mong Bughaw on December 20. After the release of their album, December Avenue performed with
Boyce Avenue and
I Belong to the Zoo during Boyce Avenue's concert on February 14, 2020. On April 5, December Avenue launched the single "Bakas Ng Talampakan", which was a tribute to Bautista's dog. They were then featured on
Rico Blanco's tribute album "Rico Blanco Songbook" with a cover of "Umaaraw, Umuulan". On May 19, 2021, the band released their single "Drive", which featured
R&B sounds. It was followed by the release of "Isang Himala" on August 7. They then performed at the Expo 2020 Dubai, then went on a US tour alongside
Zack Tabudlo. After their tour, they released a new single "Saksi Ang Langit", which differed from their previous work due to its more uplifting sound. In February 2023, it was announced that their album
Langit Mong Bughaw had become the most streamed Filipino album of all-time on Spotify, with over 720 million streams. Soon after, December Avenue released a single "Ilang Beses Kitang Mamahalin". They also went on tour in several major cities of Australia and New Zealand. To close out the year, they released the song "In My Arms Is Where I’ll Keep You", a tribute to Bautista's partner. That was postponed to August 30 at the
Mall of Asia Arena. In between dates, they released "Face of God". Another international tour was announced before their anniversary concert. The concert, entitled "Sa Ilalim Ng Mga Bituin : December Avenue Concert", sold out and featured
Barbie Almalbis as a special guest. == Artistry ==