After a decade in music biz, Agsunta doubles down on originals
It was song covers that first helped Agsunta gain popularity on the local music scene. But as the band marks its 10th anniversary, it’s about time, the members said, that they focused their efforts on producing original compositions.
It’s a big gamble, but one they believe is worth taking.
“We talked about it seriously: ‘Are we really going to do this?’ We knew it was going to be a gamble … But since this is a goal that we have set for ourselves, we thought that the hardships would be worth our while. It really is difficult. But it’s not like we didn’t have to work hard before. We just have to do it again,” lead vocalist Jireh Singson told the Inquirer at a recent press conference.
While the pop-rock band—also composed of guitarist Mikel Arevalo, bassist Josh Planas and drummer Stephen Arevalo—has been putting out original material here and there the past decade, it wasn’t until a little over a year ago that the band began taking a more drastic approach by stopping uploading covers altogether.
“This time, we want to promote our own music. We’re thankful for all the views and support we got through the covers and the song requests we do. But as the band matures, we want to offer the fans something we can call our own,” Jireh said.
Dreaming bigThankfully, the members said, some of the original songs they have released so far have been performing well on various streaming platforms. “Alas Dose” and “‘Kung ‘Di Na Ako,” for instance, have been played more than 19 and 15 million times, respectively, on Spotify alone. ‘Di Man Lang Sinabi,” one of the band’s latest releases, is doing well with 2.5 million streams.
While they’re thrilled about those figures and the progress they have been making, dreaming big, they said, wouldn’t really hurt. “We’re very happy about the numbers we’re getting. We’re happy knowing that there are a lot of people who support us and listen to our music,” Jireh said.
“As a band, we always want to do more and step up our game,” he added. “If we do get lucky and score a massive hit, then that would be a testament to our hard work.”
Agsunta spent the past two years touring the Philippines. And there’s no better feeling than hearing fans outside Metro Manila sing their songs.
“Halos nalibot na namin ang buong Pilipinas. And when we do our shows, the crowds sing along with us. The feeling is just different … We hope to experience more of that. That’s what we want,” said Jireh, adding that they already have a number of new songs in the vault waiting to be released.
One of those is set for an April 8 drop, and will feature an entirely different feel from their previous songs of heartbreak. “We were known for hugot songs, mapanakit na music. But our upcoming single will be the opposite of the image people have of us. It’s something for those who are in love. This time, we will bring kilig,” Jireh said.
While the group already has a considerable and established following on YouTube (1.41 million subscribers), it is dabbling with other social media apps to further its reach. They still need to get used to TikTok but the boys said they’re thankful such a platform exists.
“We tried the dancing, pero masagwa!” Jireh said, laughing.
“But it’s great to have these platforms. It provides more opportunities and allows engagement with the fans. Back when we didn’t have TikTok, there was a video challenge that used our cover of ‘Nadarang’ (Shanti Dope). The challenge went viral, hundreds of thousands of users were participating. People kept tagging us. It’s an advantage because it allows people to discover even our older work,” Jireh said.
Stick together
Clashes or artistic differences are inevitable within a band. But the members vowed, from the get-go, that they would always stick together.
“There were a lot of setbacks and unexpected happenings. But whatever happens, we know that we have to stay whole. All bands—even families and friends—experience setbacks. But you will only reach a resolution when you mutually decide that you’re staying together. We’re like brothers now,” Jireh said.
And looking back, they couldn’t believe that a band formed in college managed to break into show biz and last for 10 years.
“We started out in school (De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde) … trip-trip lang, jamming sessions. We had no idea that we would be lucky enough to find our own space in the industry. Time flew by so fast,” Jireh said. INQ
