Earl Agustin isn’t taking any of this for granted
Writer’s note: We’re not related, at least we don’t think so.
“Tibok” may be the surprise OPM hit of the year, but make no mistake, Earl Agustin did not make it overnight.
At just 24 years old, Agustin, who just released his debut album, “Himig at Pag-ibig,” was a fish out of water in the big city. Born in Ozamiz, Misamis Occidental, he moved to Laguna in 2022 to pursue his music career.
He was only to visit for a week, sign a contract with Vicor Music, then go back. But what began as a brief stay turned into weeks, months, and eventually years, until he eventually got his big break: when his 2023 single, “Tibok,” was included in the “Ang Mutya ng Section E” soundtrack, shot up the charts, dominated the TikTok algorithm, and seemingly shot him up to overnight success.
Now with hundreds of millions of followers and streams across several social media sites and streaming platforms, it would have been easy to chalk it all up as the fruit of his efforts—hell, maybe even dumb luck. But for Agustin, eternally grateful for the rare opportunity to live out his dream, thanks his fans for their patience and support, and most importantly, God, for being by his side.
In HIS time
“I’ve experienced his greatness, I’ve encountered his holiness. Ever since knowing Jesus and having a personal relationship with him, I would not be here in the first place if it weren’t for the Lord,” shares Agustin, describing his experience as a born-again Christian.
He explains that his faith had a huge part in his discovery and pursuit of music. “When I converted to Christianity, natuto ako tumugtog ng instruments and even to sing at my church.” When he moved to Laguna, he also stayed with fellow churchmates he wasn’t even close to.
“Although hindi super successful yung career ko as a musician when I first started, it wasn’t as rough for me because I got to really grow as a Christian.” In those two years and in between gigs and recording sessions during his early years here, he deepened his faith in a church he frequented in Laguna.
“I’ve seen what happens when fame gets into a person’s brain. Although I’m not super famous myself, I’m just grateful na nakilala ko si Lord before I got into music, before I got into anything in life.” And if he’s permitted, Agustin hopes to release an album of worship songs as his way of thanking the Lord for everything he’s done for him.
“I won’t allow myself to get used to this. Everything I have right now is from the Lord; none of this is mine.”
A debut years in the making
Matters of faith aside, Agustin is simply happy enough to live the dream.
“I used to just enjoy doing covers or playing with my friends. To even think about writing an album is something I know I would not have thought about before. Now that I’m here, sobrang fulfilling and surreal.”
But while he’s still grappling with the reality of his sudden rise, his music is anything but fantasy.
“I want to be known or remembered for writing songs about love that are real and honest—the kind of songs people struggle to find the words for.” And for a songwriter who draws inspiration from his personal life and the relationships of other people he knows, his first album delves into the ‘seasons of love’ we’re all familiar with.
Akin to the stages of a relationship, in songs like “Aya” or “Dalangin,” he writes about the fresh type of love—the crushes and the faraway admiration. Meanwhile, for “Minamahal” and “Pag-ibig ng Ikaw at Ako,” it’s the happy middle, where a budding relationship is stable and almost too good to be true. And for “Tayong Dalawa” and “Tibok,” he portrays the all-too-familiar experience of a relationship ending, or one that’s in the middle of a conflict.
As for why he specifically writes about love songs, for Agustin, it’s because it’s mostly what he listened to growing up.
“Very seldom lang ako nakakarinig ng songs na hindi tungkol sa pag-ibig. So, a lot of my influences really came from love songs and being a fan of rom-coms, everything just fell into place.”
He adds, noting favorite films such as “Notting Hill” and “The Fault in Our Stars,” and writers like Nicholas Sparks and John Green, “I’ve tried naman writing songs about other stuff na hindi tungkol sa pag-ibig, pero iba talaga yung tama sa akin kapag love songs.”
While he’s still in the middle of promoting his album, Agustin is also looking ahead, listing down dream collaborations with the likes of IV of Spades, Rob Deniel, Arthur Nery, Dionela, Zack Tabudlo, and Amiel Sol.
Where he’s meant to be
Agustin admits “Tibok,” his biggest hit to date, was the song he least expected people would like.
“I’ve written songs with this intention or wish for people to like them—na sana magustuhan nila, sana maka relate sila. Pero yung ‘Tibok,’ I wrote that one just for myself, just pure honesty with my feelings, my emotions. I really was not expecting that it would blow up the way it did.”
Call it fate, dumb luck, or even divine intervention, I’d say even without the support of the “Ang Mutya ng Section E” soundtrack, he would have eventually found his way to where he is today, one way or another.
And just as he was once inspired by the love stories of his childhood, he now stands with the rare opportunity to do the same for a new breed of songwriters. For him, that may just be the biggest feat one can ever accomplish.
“That’s art. I consumed art from these artists, and because of that, I am inspired to create my own. And siguro, if that happens to other artists or aspiring artists, I’ll feel like I’ve contributed to the universe, to music.”
