March 3 ------ SB19 is aware of the comments where they sometimes come off as too angry. Their latest single “DAM” — part of their third EP “Simula at Wakas” — is a powerful entrance into their new era, with the members having moments of portraying anger in their respective lines. Yet they would rather define it as having “overflowing passion.” “People would hear it as galit. It’s not galit but overflowing passion,” Pablo said when asked how music helps them in handling anger. “Alam namin na mahirap ang tinatahak namin and there are some na mapapagod or malalaylay, ‘yun ang battlecry namin. Hindi siya galit. Encouragement siya. Pinaglalaban namin na kaya namin siyang makamit.”
Pablo, Josh, and Stell were seated on a couch while Ken and Justin were perched on high stools. Their interview with INQUIRER.net and other media outlets took place on the day of “DAM’s” release, kicking off their return to the music scene. It was clear their schedules were getting packed, but each member held a quiet confidence within themselves. After focusing on their solo activities in the past year — which they noted as a time of “soul searching” — they said it helped them find themselves as individuals, making them stronger to return as a full unit. “Malaking tulong [siya] kasi mas na-hone ang skills namin,” Ken said, explaining how focusing on their solo activities was crucial in the quintet’s journey. “Alam namin na naging better kami as artists and ‘yung creativity namin, nag-sharpen pa. Nag-iba rin ‘yung [perspectives] namin in life and sa pag-gawa ng music, so pagbalik namin at nagawa ang ‘Simula at Wakas,’ naging iba,” he continued, seemingly holding himself back from giving a spoiler of their third EP.
Meanwhile, Stell said their solo activities allow them to figure out their respective strengths. “Siguro for me, na-realize ko na performer talaga ako. I tried writing songs pero nakikita ko na mas performer talaga ako (I guess for me, I realized that I was more of a performer. I tried writing songs but I saw myself as more of a performer),” he said, noting it helped them gain fans and establish connections beyond the group.
‘DAM,’ ‘Simula at Wakas,’ and pressure
SB19 projected intensity and “gigil” in DAM throughout its three-minute run. “‘Yung experiences siguro ng SB19, doon hinugot. ‘Yung gigil na maipaglaban, makarating dito, and sa pressure na meron kami all throughout, [as well as] paano namin ginapang na makuha ang iba’t ibang bagay,” Josh said, explaining how they channel “gigil” into their creative process. “We’re competing with our normal activities including brainstorming within the company, and naging challenging siya for us. ‘DAM’ itself, is very challenging, the concept, and ‘yung mag-isip ka ng genre na babagay sa tema na pinaglalaban namin. Overall, d’un nanggaling ‘yung gigil,” he continued.
As they countdown to “Simula at Wakas’s” release, Josh said the EP is meant to be a bold declaration of what the group truly is. “Before, we used to introduce SB19. For this one, this is SB19. We don’t have to explain ourselves,” he pointed out. “We’re at a point in our lives where [we] exceeded ourselves. Personally, there is a plateau. How will you surpass that? This is why we’re doing this not only for us but also for the entire community who will benefit from it.”
The upcoming record, according to Justin, sums up the trilogy of their two EPs “Pagsibol” and “Pagtatag!” Deciding to release an EP instead of a full-length album is for the sake of being consistent with their storyline. “We’ve been collaborating with different producers and songwriters. For this EP, you will hear a lot of new sounds because we’re collaborating with different people.” The quintet is also aware that “DAM,” as well as their upcoming record, is a follow-up to “Gento,” arguably one of their biggest hits. “In all honesty, we never expected something big. We never expected ‘Gento’ to be a global hit,” Stell said. “With ‘DAM,’ it’s sort of the same. Enough said. Let’s see [how it will turn out] because we have an EP that is a total banger.” Josh picked up from his point, saying: “And how do you measure success? It’s not the views. It is not the basis all the time. Different people have different ways to measure success. For us, it is what we can do for everyone.”
Source: inquirer.net
Comments