THE POP ROCK band The Juans is dropping their latest album, Tawid, to celebrate their 10th year in the OPM scene. Ahead of its release on digital platforms on Sept. 12, the band performed a live showcase of the new songs on Aug. 29 at the SM North EDSA Skydome.
The album extends beyond their reputation as a “hugot band” that specializes in songs about heartbreak. It contains songs about love, self-reflection, happiness, and moving on. Tracks include “‘Di Na Masakit,” “Naiwan,” “Ako Na Lang,” “Tanda,” and “Magaan.”
At Tawid Live, fans were treated to collaborations onstage — with Janine Berdine for “Ano Ba Talaga Tayo?” and Rhodessa for “Missed Call.”
For band members Carl Guevarra, Japs Mendoza, RJ Cruz, and Chael Adriano, Tawid is the culmination of a long process of elimination from a pool of 20 to 30 songs. The album contains 10 tracks.
“Halos kalahating taon o higit pa namin pinaghandaan ‘yon (We’ve been preparing for this for almost half a year or more.),” said Mr. Adriano at the album’s press launch on Sept. 4 in Quezon City.
“Some of the songs were written years ago. When we performed them in Tawid Live, we were happy with the response of the Juanistas. We’re excited for them to hear the studio album this time,” he explained.
The Juans frontman Mr. Guevarra added that song selection was indeed the most challenging part of the process.
“It really showed our maturity as artists, as band members, and as songwriters. Many songs couldn’t make the cut because we had to commit to the storytelling. We wanted to write from a place where we actually are in our lives,” he said.
As for specific songs that resonated with the audience at Tawid Live, the band said that there seemed to be a wide variety of favorites among fans. “Ano Ba Talaga Tayo?” was among the most popular, since it featured Janine Berdine’s electric chemistry with Mr. Guevarra during the concert.
“Marami rin nag-post online ng kanta na “Ngiti” (Many people posted online about the song “Ngiti”). It feeds their lover-girl era. It’s what they listen to after the heartbreak, ‘pag di na masakit (when they’re no longer in pain),” said Mr. Cruz.
For Mr. Mendoza, the opening song, “Gusto Kita,” was another one that received good attention.
“May mga nag-tag sa amin kasi pasabog daw ’yung opening. Sobrang nagustuhan nila ’yung energy. (There were people who tagged us in their posts saying the opening was explosive. They really liked the energy),” he said.
After the release of Tawid, which means “to cross,” The Juans hope to continue their steady momentum after 10 years in the music business — with the album as the beginning of a new stage of their career.
“Ito ang unang hakbang sa pagtawid namin to our next season (This is the first step of our crossing to our next season). This is our tawid moment,” said Mr. Guevarra. “God will take us to a different place, to a different level.”
Tawid comes out on all digital music streaming platforms on Sept. 12. — Brontë H. Lacsamana
