Nica del Rosario on teaming up with BINI and creating P-pop hits | ABS-CBN News
00:41.1
Tapos, ayan, so medyo parang danceable na house yung genre and everything.
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Tapos, meron naman talaga kami history ni Bojam na mag-produce siya ng dance beat.
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Tapos yung lyrics ko medyo either may hugot or malungkot or bittersweet or serious topics.
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Pero hindi ko naman siya sinadya.
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More of parang, I think yung mindset ko at that time was I was dealing with my anxiety
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and how parang feeling ko.
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I think everyone naman nakakaroon na once in a while na yung feeling ko na pag-iwanan na ako
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or feeling ko parang wala akong masyadong naka-accomplish at this time.
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Or parang minsan naisip ko rin what if ito na yung wala na akong magawa after,
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wala na akong ma-accomplish after what I accomplished.
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So stuff like that.
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I guess yung lyrics that came out parang naging message ko rin siya to myself na parang
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yun nga parang we all have our own, we set our own pace.
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And kung ano man yung dinictate ng society na dapat.
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Kasi may diba mayroong mga lists na like dapat by the age of 25 ganito ka na,
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Dapat before 30 ganito ka na.
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And I think at this day and age parang hindi na siya productive or
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nakakatool helpful to people lalo na with what happened during the pandemic and everything.
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Parang the message that I want to put forward is yun nga it doesn't,
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it's never too late to start over, it's never too late to start new things.
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Or if madecide mo na you wanna take a break and everything,
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ikaw lang magdidictate kung ano nung gusto mong mangyare in your life.
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And nobody can tell you if it's right or wrong.
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So ayun, yun yung lumabas na lyrics.
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Tapos yun, ito yung song na pinitch namin to Beanie.
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And si Bojam was saying na yun nga, nagustuhan niya yung lyrics is parang
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when he first heard my demo, yun din yung unan yung isip.
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Tungkol sa anxiety to and he found it amusing.
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So yun, dun nagstart yung song.
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Okay, after naman po yung buo ng lyrics,
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kamusta naman po yung pag-pitch nyo with Beanie?
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And ano po yung naging reaction nila when they first read yung song?
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And ito yung kakantahin nila about siya sa mental health,
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sa anxiety, and sa career nila as a group member?
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Wala kasi ako nung pinitch yung song.
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The pitching was between Star Music and sila Bojam and the rest of Flip Music.
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Tapos confidential yung...
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Okay lang po, okay lang po.
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So hindi ko rin masyad.
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So parang nakikiano lang ako, nakinukulit ko lang sila.
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Alin yung nagustuhan nila? Alin yung nagustuhan nila?
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Because they weren't allowed to show.
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Pero sabi nila, sabi nila nila Bojam, parang,
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hindi, nagustuhan nila yung karera.
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Yun, sure yung karera.
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And wala rin kasi akong recording kasi kinasal yung sister-in-law ko.
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Pero I think the girls really appreciated the message of, yun nga,
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prioritizing self-love and mental health.
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And from what we've seen upon release, I think a lot of young people,
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I mean, I love that Binnie was the one who was able to interpret this song.
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Kasi they're very young, very talented people.
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And I'm pretty sure na parang they would also experience the pressures of
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accomplishing things.
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And kailangan makisabay sila kung ano yung sabihin ng society, yung pressures nun.
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Staying nyo po, ano po yung importance na even yung mga P-pop groups,
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they discuss these kinds of issues sa mga songs nila?
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I think it's very important that they, kasi I think with K-pop, they do this already.
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Parang I think with BTS, they like writing about depression and anxiety.
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And I like that P-pop is following this trend kasi they really do have a very,
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very wide audience of young people.
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And I mean, young people go through a lot of pressure and especially young people in school.
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And I mean, Karera hasn't been out for a long time yet.
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Pero I've been seeing messages and tweets na about how ang daming nakaka-relate na
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students na irig, students na delayed, students who have to repeat.
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So, I think it's amazing that P-pop groups have the opportunity
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to spread positive messages like this to their young audiences
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and that they're taking this opportunity.
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Actually po, parang na-observe ko maski sa music video na parang meron din pong pinapakita
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dun yung every struggle ng bawat member ng BIN sa life nila.
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And ask ko lang din po, kasi po you've done a lot of other songs with BIN.
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Ano yung satingin ngayon parang nagsiset apart dito sa Karera?
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Apart from your other songs with them?
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I guess the message of it talaga is yun nga, it's a message that's really close to my heart
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having suffered from anxiety for a really long time.
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Kasi with Nanana and Huwag Muna Tayong Umuwi, the writing process for me talaga is
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it's young love and it's kilig na may konting kirot and stuff like that.
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They're a very young group and I'm not that young anymore.
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So, parang yun yung lagi kong iniisip when I wrote the two songs na parang
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what is something that young people can relate to.
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And lagi ko naiisip it's young love and yun nga and developing feelings for the first time,
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developing feelings for your friend, mga ganon.
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Pero with Karera, what I answered dun sa question that I asked myself which is what do young people
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can relate to, it's not just young love and romance anymore and puppy love.
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It's also yun nga mental health struggles and the pressures of growing up.
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I think that's what sets it apart from the first two songs that I wrote for them.
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Last na lang po before we end.
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Bakit ko sa tingin importante mag-usapan yung mental health even in music?
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Personally, I think kasi for the longest time lalo na in our country,
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talking about mental health has been taboo kasi parang naging source of shame siya especially
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before as in with older generations.
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I see it as a process that's continuously improving.
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Like for example, one of my first therapists when I was in line waiting for my appointment,
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ang dami kong nakikita in the waiting area na older people.
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So, I think with the younger and the future generations being more open about mental health
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and the importance of addressing mental health issues, parang it's not just paving the way for
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the future but it's also showing older generations na it's okay to talk about these
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things and to address these things.
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And unti-unting na na-abolish yung taboo, yung derogatory terms and yung stigma of being
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baliw or may topak or ganoon na parang mga baliw lang pumupunta sa therapist, mga baliw
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lang kailangan ng psychologist.
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Because like what I've always believed is everybody kind of needs a little bit of therapy
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kasi yun nga, we live in a harsh world and life can be hard talaga and when we talk about
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mental health in something as universal as music, I think it brings a sense of comfort
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to everyone na yun nga, whatever they're going through, they're not alone and they
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shouldn't be ashamed or afraid to talk about it or address it or even share it man lang
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to people they trust and care about.
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Sorry, okay lang po I take the opportunity to talk about na na na and huwag muna tayo
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Yung both po, pwedeng niyo po bang mashare sa amin kung paano po yung naging process
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into writing na na na and yung huwag muna tayo umuwi.
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And I can observe din po na parang sa mga different eras ng BINI, parang nandun po
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So pwedeng niyo po umuwi.
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I've worked na kasi talaga with Starr Music before pa and Flip Music and Starr Music I've
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always had a close working connection talaga.
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So when we tried to pitch for BINI and BGYO, they were very open to asking about parang
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meron ba kayong old songs there na naka-bank and one of those was na na na.
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I actually wrote na na na with Bojam very early in my career.
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Siguro I think I was 24 or 25 ganon.
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It's one of the first songs I wrote with Flip Music.
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And yun nga, it was just one of those songs na parang binaan ko lang.
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And yun nga, it was fairly straightforward.
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Parang it's about yung love and nag-wordplay lang ako with the whole night na ano.
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Tapos it was fun.
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We knew that it was a good song.
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Sabi ko lang, I feel like may parang meron akong gut thing na parang it will have its
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time and I was so happy na pinitch namin yun to BINI and they liked it.
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I've actually, I think we've pitched it to other artists before pero hindi siya natatanggap.
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So meron kaming running joke ni Bojam kasi yun nga, we have a bunch of songs na we composed
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together na we would pitch to artists.
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Tapos lagi hindi siya nakukuha.
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Tapos parang nagjo-joke kami na yun, your time will come.
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Tapos pag finally nakuha na siya, we'd be so happy.
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So yun, that was mostly the story of Nanana.
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We didn't actually expect na magiging dance kresya and everything because we were just
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so happy na we got the chance to work with BINI.
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Tapos yung wag muna tayong umuwi, that one we really composed for BINI.
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As in, we were told the deadline for pitching and Bojam created a bunch of instrumentals
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and beats for me and the other writers sa FIP Music.
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And yung funny kasi wag muna tayong umuwi, muntik na siya hindi mangyari because I forgot
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about the deadline.
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Like the day before the deadline, nag-message siya Bojam na parang, ano, natapos mo na?
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And sabi ko, yung ano?
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Tapos nagpanik rin siya, nagpanik ako.
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Tapos so I sabi ko, hindi, kaya ko ito gawin, kaya ito ako gawin.
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Because I didn't wanna let him down.
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And I know he was really excited about that beat in particular because he worked really
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As in, yun nga, may rain effects sa start.
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As in, he was so passionate talking to me about his beat na parang ito yung peg ko,
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ito yung na-imagine ko na parang yun nga, pwede siyang maging soundtrack na pwede like
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there's a scene in the middle of the song, ganun.
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Tapos nakalimutan ko siya ng sulatan.
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So I sat down and tried not to panic.
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And yun nga, yun yung naging default ko na parang I just, okay, young people, young
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But I didn't want it to be just straightforward lang na young love.
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I wanted the whole yearning factor na may pagka-unrequited love, ganun.
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And na-inspire din ako sa beat niya, parang it was so clear and so expressive na I couldn't
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help but imagine specific scenarios in my head.
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So parang what I imagined was, yun nga, two best friends walking along the beach tapos
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Tapos it was the end of their day and one of them was falling in love with the other.
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And so alam mo yung universal feeling na if you're spending the day with someone you
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really care about or you're developing feelings for, parang ayaw mo pang matapos.
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So meron kang irrational thought na sana hindi na lang matapos tong araw na to and sana
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hindi pa to yung end of it and sana hindi mo na tayo umuwi, ganun.
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So yun, that's where it started.
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Tapos I wrote it and I recorded it.
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And yun, I sent it to Bojam.
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He really liked it.
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And honestly, I felt like he was surprised kasi nakalimutan ko siyang gawin.
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Tapos he actually added a scene during the intro.
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Wala pa yung ooh na part ng girls.
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Parang he added a scene from The House of Us.
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Yung away ni KathNiel habang umuulan.
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So meron, when we pitched it to-
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House of Us mo yun.
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Yeah, yung sa House of Us.
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Basta yung scene ni KathNiel na umuulan tapos nag-aaway sila.
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Nag-aaway sila ni Primo.
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O, nag-aaway si Krippy tsaka si George.
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Tapos minura ni George si Primo parang ganito.
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Tapos, as in, funny kasi umawat.
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So yun yung demo when Star and Beanie heard it.
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So, ang funny kasi when we were recording it na,
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memorized na ng Beanie yung scene na yun.
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Kasi inaral nila yung song.
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Tapos yun yung nagpiplay sa intro.
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Kasi yun, I think he just wanted to set the scene when we were pitching the song.
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That's the story of huwag muna tayong umuwi.
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Pero, pati, lumabas po yung huwag muna tayo umuwi before At Inconvenient Love, no?
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Parang sobrang fit po kasi nung song.
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Paano pong reaksyon nyo nung nalaman nyo na it would be part of the soundtrack?
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We were so happy and we were so kilig.
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Kasi Don Bell pa yun.
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Tapos parang yun nga, I was so happy that,
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kasi yun nga, that was Bojang's vision sa song na parang,
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gusto ko, ay, na-imagine ko tong soundtrack ng isang film.
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And it actually happened.
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And we were so happy and we were so grateful that
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star music and star cinema believed in the song.
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And to the point that they actually used it for a Don Bell film.
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We were very happy.
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And sobrang fit po yung story kasi parang nagkikling nga sina Deidre.
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We didn't write it.
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Yeah, hindi naman namin siya sinulat for the film.
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So, parang, I guess, tsamba na rin na yun yung story nung film.
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And sumakto siya dun sa message nung song.
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Ano rin po, kasi na-observe din po namin.
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Na-observe po namin na parang yung mga songs nyo, very ano siya.
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Usually, for example, Beanie.
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Usually, it caters for heterosexual na ano.
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Pero sobrang lutang yung queer undertones dun sa song.
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At talagang nagagamit siya for sapphic and for queer content.
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How does it feel na nagka-come across pa rin yung ganung undertones
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despite na nagagamit po siya for this content?
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I mean, nung bata ko, I've always yearned for representation.
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Lalo na when I was a teenager, I did not actually fully accept myself yet.
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Honestly, naingit ako ng slight sa mga kabataan ngayon
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kasi ang dami nilang representation.
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I think a lot, there are a lot less members of the LGBT community sa youth.
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They're more secure with themselves kasi ang dami nilang nakikita sa media.
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I mean, it's still not as much as with heterosexual representation.
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Pero I'm just happy and grateful that I can help, in a way, young queer people
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the way I wanted to be helped when I was a young queer person.
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And honestly, hindi ko naman sinasadya.
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When I sit down to write, hindi ko naman iniisip na parang
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ito ang magiging bagong sapphic anthem naman.
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It's a job and I have to write it for artists.
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So siguro lumalabas lang talaga siya as someone who's in the community.
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And I'm so, honestly, I'm so happy and nakakatua
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na laging nilalagay huwag muna tayong umuwi sa scenes sa films ni Samli.
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Because I love Samli and she is a good friend and she is an amazing director.
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And she is an amazing role model for good sapphic representation.
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And that makes me very happy and it makes me very fulfilled as a songwriter.
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And as someone who creates to help people.
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And that's always been my why in being a songwriter.
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I want to provide comfort for people.
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And gusto kong malaman nila na hindi sila nag-iisa and they are seen and they are loved.
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Yung pangarap ko talagang makagawa ng soundtrack for a sapphic film or a sapphic show.
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After nun, sa tingin niyo po, ano po ba yung importance na even in this sobrang simple
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lang na feeling as kilig, nararamdaman na isang queer person na represented siya dun sa song.
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And sa content na nakokonsume niya.
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I think it's very important talaga.
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Kasi, I think parang nung earlier times, ang usually na, parang I think my wife and I
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talk about this a lot na we really need more art and media na queer na yung feel good lang.
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Parang hindi siya, walang drama involved.
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It's just a regular love story.
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It's just a regular love song.
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Na if you look at it from the outside or if you listen to it, parang it can pass off
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as a heterosexual love story or a heterosexual love song.
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Kasi, I think young queer people need to be reminded or be assured na parang there's nothing
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wrong with being who they are.
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And hindi magugunaw ang mundo pag nalaman ng mga tao kung ano sila.
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Because it's a normal thing to be and loving someone of the same gender isn't the explosive
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dramatic thing that some pieces of media portray it to be.
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And we can live our lives the way straight people do and if they do decide to be open
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about themselves, yun nga.
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Parang maraming mag-eembrace sa kanila and at the same time, they are still the same
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people and they remain to be normal people.
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So, I think that's why I love the fact din na my songs get interpreted as queer love
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songs and as queer undertones.
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Kasi yun nga, I never intended for them to be that way.
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So, if some people see it as straight love songs, then that's great.
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But the fact that other people see it as queer love songs, it just furthers the point na
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queer love and straight love aren't that different from each other.
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So, I'm happy that I helped strengthen that point.
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And now naman po, siyempre, with Karera.
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How does it feel na parang kayo na po yung staple na parang songwriter nakasama ng
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bini sa different eras nila in their music?
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I'm honestly just very honored because I'm not a super dance-y person.
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So, I'm also very lucky that Bojam creates these songs with me kasi he really knows,
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he really embodies the sound of P-pop.
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And I'm just honestly along for the ride.
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I like writing lyrics for such talented people talaga.
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And that's one of my favorite parts of being a songwriter for artists talaga,
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is watching the thing you write come to life.
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And lalo na with Wag Muna Tayong Umuwi and Karera, na imagine mo na silang kinakanta.
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Kinakanta yung song mo tapos when it actually happens and it's there and it's amazing.
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Nakakatua and nakaka-fulfill.
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And I'm so thankful din sa Blooms and all of their supporters kasi they embrace our
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songs and our music and they appreciate the things that we create for bini.
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And yun, sana nandun pa rin ako sa future eras nila.
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Last nalo po, do you have anything to add na hindi po natin na-discuss in our conversation?
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Stream Karera and the music video by Umi As Manila.
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So watch that also if you haven't, or watch it again.
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Thank you so much.
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So may reveal pag bukas na.
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Pagpapatanong sa akin na tropo ko, mag-usulat ka daw ba para sa alamat?
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Hindi pa ako nakakontakt.
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Game naman ako if dumating yung chance, yun yung opportunity.
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Salamat po mga babay po.
