Longevity, not virality, fuels Jesse Barrera and Albert Posis

For Jesse Barrera and Albert Posis, there’s instant gratification from seeing their music trend online.When their 2023 hit “Strawberry Soju” had a “viral moment” last year, seeing the numbers rise every time they opened the apps, gave them a “boost of dopamine.”

“As soon as you post something, people start commenting right away. We’re just human, after all. If you see a lot of people watching what you created, it’s going to make you feel good,” Jesse told the Inquirer in a one-on-one interview on Zoom.

But as thrilling as scoring a viral hit is, the two rising Filipino-American R&B artists know that trying to replicate that kind of success is ultimately “unsustainable.”

“If you choose virality, you do feel that rush. But I don’t think that’s sustainable. We’re here to build our catalog because we’re in it for the long haul. It’s cool to get a moment of virality, but at the end of the day, it feels like such a short win,” Albert pointed out.

True enough, there was a point after “Strawberry Soju” when they felt that every single release from then on should be just as big. They soon realized that they shouldn’t lose sight of the reason they do what they do. Streams and algorithms don’t—and shouldn’t—dictate the kind of music they put out.

“We were like, ‘Oh, damn, everything has to be up to that caliber. But then, we got back to reality and were like, ‘Dude, let’s just keep doing what we’re doing,” Jesse said.

After all, virality is something that can’t be forced or manufactured. “With the algorithm nowadays, it’s a lottery. Sometimes, you think you have a single that would go viral, then it flops. Or you post something that you thought wasn’t as good, and then it goes viral. No one has cracked the code yet,” he added.

Thankfully, staying true to their message and sound—melodic R&B bops and ballads with soulful grooves and catchy choruses—have helped Jesse and Albert attract more fans and grow their following around the world.

There’s the sleek, feel-good jam, “Maybe We Could Be a Thing”—the duo’s biggest hit yet, with more than 22 million streams on Spotify alone—and the syrupy sweet “Hold On Tight,” which inspired the title of their concert tour.

Presented by Live Nation Philippines, their upcoming Manila stop on May 25 at the Podium Hall is a homecoming of sorts for Jesse and Albert, who have yet to perform in the Philippines. Visit www.livenation.ph. “This is the motherland…where my people are, so it’s going to be a lot… It’s insanely special,” Jesse said.

Is this your first time performing in the Philippines? When was the last time you visited?Jesse Barrera: I haven’t been back home since I was 5 years old. A lot has changed over the years. I didn’t even know what was going on back then, so it’s pretty much my first time going. I’m just excited to soak everything in.

Albert Posis: It’s both our first time. We’re excited to be in front of the Filipino people—our people—and family out there, whom we don’t see enough. So, for them to watch us do what we do is going to be everything.

I was just there this December-January. I try to go as often as I can to visit family. But it’s all just for leisure, never for music.

Are there nerves, too?JB: Oh my God, the butterflies! There are butterflies right now just talking about it. The fact that we get to go back home and play our original music for our people, in front of family, friends and fans is really special.

So, what took you guys so long to perform here?JB: I think it’s just the universe. Sometimes, the logistics of touring is a little crazy, especially post-COVID-19. Even four years after the pandemic, things are just slowly getting back to being regular again. And for me personally, my career really started to take off during the pandemic. So, it’s just the stars aligning. I feel like it’s the perfect time for us right now.

You have known each other for about a decade now? How did you guys meet?

AP: Before we even knew each other, I covered one of the songs he had with AJ Rafael (“She Was Mine”)…One day, we ended up going to an acoustic show in San Diego. That was the first time I met Jesse, who usually performs that song with someone. But AJ wasn’t there. He saw me and asked if I wanted to do the song with him. Crazy! It was the first time we met and we’re already up onstage singing. We have been friends since then.

How has your friendship shaped the way you make music together?AP: Later on, as our friendship grew and started linking up more, we realized that we listened to a lot of the same stuff, which is why a lot of the songs we write are inspired by the music we grew up listening to, like The Bee Gees and other classic bands. We have similar tastes. So, the chemistry when we make music together…it just works.

JB: Making music is a pretty intimate thing. When you write and create with someone, you have to have a certain type of chemistry. Through the decade, we have built this insane bit of chemistry with each other as far as music is concerned. We’re friends, family. Our wives know each other. And I feel like us being so tight-knit, like a family, shows in how our songs sound like. It has been a fun ride together.

You have created a number of hits together like, “Hold On Tight” (2021), which is a personal favorite. What’s the story behind it?AP: At the time, we hadn’t been collaborating as much in terms of putting out coleads in singles. He’s more on the production side, while I do my own thing. One day, during the pandemic, we were in the studio while our wives were in the living room watching TV. And that inspired us to make a song about them. Why not? They were watching K-dramas, thriller films. They go on movie marathons as Jesse and I write together.

As they were screaming, yelling at the TV, we thought, “Man, we love our girls. We have to hold on to that.” So it’s a super lovey-dovey song that you can slow dance to…something super sentimental. We didn’t know it would take us where we are right now.

And you named this concert tour after it.AP: We feel like it’s our first song that took off. It’s the song that made me and Jesse realize that we have to keep doing this. And the fans started to realize this, too, that the Albert and Jesse sound was becoming a thing. It’s a full-circle moment. Now, we’re doing a tour in Asia called “Hold On Tight.” The song brought us to where we are now.

JB: After we released that song, we had a lot of comments mentioning Silk Sonic musical duo (composed of Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak). So maybe people were seeing us as a little duo, and we kept at it. The records that followed did really well.

“Maybe We Could Be a Thing” is your biggest hit so far. How has the song impacted you?JB: I don’t think we ever expected success with anything we do. We just put it out there in the world. But there was definitely a feeling in our hearts when we wrote the chorus that the song could be timeless.

We shot the lyric video on an iPhone. Everything was low-budget! We did it in my backyard, set up a really cheap Amazon tripod and just hit record. Pretended we were in karaoke visuals. And a lot of people resonated with that vibe.

That just goes to show that it really is about the music. JB: We have shot videos that were super high-budget with insane cameras only for the song to flop. Sometimes, you shoot with an iPhone and the song explodes. It really is the music that will transcend the gimmicks or TikTok videos. Obviously, it’s 2024; we still have to post content. But the song will always be king, the chorus will always be king.

What are your thoughts on content creation as part of the entire creative process?JB: In the beginning, it felt like a bit of a chore. “Ugh, I have to post content.” But it has become a fun part. When I write a song, I immediately think of what I can do visually to make it resonate with people even more…sIt’s part of the gig now. And I’m starting to have a passion for it… These days, you have to be a multimedia artist. You can’t just put out music and think it’s going to explode overnight. AP: We’re in an age where everyone’s on their phones and you have to put out visual content. It doesn’t have to be crazy. It could be raw. But it has to be honest and authentic. At the end of the day, our music is a reflection of us as people. And that’s what keeps us doing what we do. INQ