It took him a while, about two years, to come up with his eighth studio album “Kapit,” but Christian Bautista is very pleased with the finished product.
For the singer dubbed as Asia’s Romantic Balladeer, the record marks a turning point in his illustrious career. Here, Christian takes complete creative control over the recording process, producing and writing (or co-writing) most of the album’s original material.
“I’ve always been known as the guy who sings other people’s songs. But when I did the musical ‘Jersey Boys’ last year, I was influenced by the character I played, Bob Gaudio. He was the guy who wrote and later produced most of the big hits of the Four Seasons. Playing him inspired me to write and produce my own songs,” Christian told InterAksyon in a recent interview.
He admits that while the experience was both exciting and scary at the same time, it was a learning curve that he very much enjoyed.
Not adept at any instrument other than his voice, Christian thinks he should have heeded his parents when they were prodding him to learn the piano and, later, the guitar at an early age. But as someone who lives and breathes music, he has found a rather creative way of writing songs.
“I would hum the melody, record it in my phone then send it to my brother who will then translate it to music by playing it in his guitar. As for lyrics, I would write random lines on my phone, which I would connect when I need to start writing the song,” he shared.
In the new album, Christian co-wrote the title track (also the carrier single) and “Huling Harana” and solely wrote “Ikaw Lamang,” which is a duet with Morissette Amon, and “Musika,” which features Gracenote’s Eunice Jorge on violin.
As for his inspiration for these songs, Christian said most of them contain “hugot” from past and present experiences in his musical journey so far. Most, however, revolve around the theme of “giving up” and its related questions.
“Do you give up or not? Do you hope or not? Do you quit or not? Do you fight or stay quiet? Do you do the normal things that you do and just be comfortable? Questions like that,” he pointed out.
“The song ‘Kapit’ in particular is about a phase that just about everyone, mostly creative individuals go through. Just when you thought that you’ve reached the end and should stop doing what you’re doing, you got fans, family, friends and the music itself to remind you to keep going and push yourself some more.”
“Sometimes it just stops. The creativity, the drive. You just have to find it again,” he concluded.
Christian Bautista’s “Kapit” will be formally launched this Friday, September 29, with a special concert at the Music Museum in Greenhills, San Juan. Fans can pre-order “Kapit Album Launch” exclusive concert pass and CD bundle now for only P500 via Ticketworld outlets (891-9999) and online at www.ticketworld.com.ph.
Released by Universal Records in physical CD format, “Kapit” is also available for download and online streaming on iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Spinnr, Deezer and Amazon Music.
Watch the music video of Christian Bautista’s “Kapit” here:
