The Juans and ALAMAT's New Track Isn't Your Typical Heartbreak Song

"New hair, new me." It's a cliche on social media for a reason. People like to flaunt their hair for different reasons, after all. But sometimes—because of the heightened self-referentiality of social media these days—we assume the new 'do is because of, well, a breakup. By now, it's become a sort of tradition to do something with your hair in the aftermath of heartbreak, right?

From new hairstyles and pop culture phenomenon comes rock band The Juans and P-Pop group ALAMAT's latest track: “Gupit.” This marks the two groups' first-ever collaboration, one that was built on the premise of moving on and building yourself back up.

ALSO READ

SB19's Josh on the Rise of P-Pop: 'It's All About Authenticity'

Is Regine Velasquez's Legacy Worthy of National Artist Distinction?

“It talks about moving forward na: ‘Gagawin ko ba ‘yung haircut para sa sarili ko o para [ro’n] sa tao na ‘yun kung [kanino] ako nasaktan?’ So, may struggle na gano’n (Like, am I getting the haircut for myself or for the person who hurt me? So, there’s a struggle like that),” RJ Cruz of The Juans says.

“[It's a heartbreak song], but it comes from a different perspective,” adds The Juans’ Chael Adriano. “‘Gupit’ shows the facade of saying, ‘Ito na ‘yung bagong ako’ (This is the new me). But often, it’s just a way to mask true feelings.”

The thing about “Gupit” is that it’s not like the usual “hugot” songs. Rather, it offers a brand new treatment for the often tear-jerking hits—a synergy of the The Juans and ALAMAT's music. Think OPM-inspired lyrics, but with the vibrant sound of P-Pop. More than just being "experimental," the groups want to show their fans a "different side" of them.

“There can be many expressions to heartbreak. It doesn’t have to be a piano instrumental all the time, [you know],” The Juans’ leader Carl Guevarra says.“‘Pag pinakinggan mo siya, nandu’n pa rin ‘yung truth na, ‘Ay, nasaktan ‘to.’ Pero ‘yung music [and] the vibe will help you deal with the pain that you’re having (When you listen to the song, you’d still feel the hurt. But the music and the vibe will help you deal with the pain that you’re having).”

For ALAMAT, “Gupit” is one way of comforting their supporters and the people who may be dealing with heartbreaks, while shining the light on how important having a support system is to be able to “overcome difficult times and [find] strength within.”

“We want to remind everyone that every end brings a new beginning, even though, [sometimes], it can be hard to understand kasi hindi mo alam kung saan magsisimula (because you don’t know where to start). We want to hug our fans through the song, letting them know na hindi sila nag-iisa (that they are not alone),” says Alas of ALAMAT.

“Gupit,” promising to be a treat for Juanistas and Magiliws, is slated for release on streaming platform Spotify this June 14th.