Juan Karlos has now spent close to half of his life in the limelight, and he's not even 24 yet. The lights were bright but he shone brighter. Some people, you could argue, are destined to be prodigies, after all. When we look back at that unknown Cebuano kid on The Voice Kids about a decade ago, we could've sworn that we saw fragments of the kind of musician he'd be: relentless, soulful, and bold with the rockstar charisma and marketable humor to boot. He stands today as one of the faces of this new wave of Original Pilipino Music coming through. Where he places among his cohorts, he really doesn't give a damn.
He's launched a couple of studio albums, released some singles, and acted in a few shows and movies here and there. Recently, Juan Karlos followed up the monumental successes of "Buwan" and "Ere" with his latest album, Sad Songs and Bullshit. Here, the musician sits down with Esquire Philippines to talk about riding the wave of young superstardom, separating the mass-market celebrity from the artist, his musical process, and more.
Esquire Philippines: You’re just coming up on your 10th year in the limelight. Can you take us through some of the most pivotal moments in your career so far?
I remember that very moment as a grand finalist in The Voice Kids because I didn't win. I remember going backstage crying because I was like, “Oh, well. I guess this is it. It's done, bye." I didn't know what was going to happen but I got to sign a contract with ABS-CBN, Star Magic, and UMG Philippines.
After The Voice Kids, I tried out different things. I got into acting for TV because I started out portraying myself, and my life story on MMK. From there, I just found myself being on television up until the point I was, I guess, 15. That’s when I started writing songs.
Coach Bamboo gave me a Baby Taylor, a mini-acoustic guitar, on The Voice Kids. For two years, I didn't touch that thing up until that point… And that's when I started writing songs. I started putting out those songs when I was 17.
Can you walk us through your debut albums? There seems to be a shift in your sensibilities, considering you've dabbled in the underground gig scene, as well.
My debut album, they titled it Juan Karlos while my second album, they titled Juan KarlosL. I know, so creative, right? Those albums were traditional albums in a way wherein, the artist is a vessel for these songs that are created by other people. So the artist is known to perform these songs and then put in an album. That's the whole branding and packaging. I did that for one album, but then I realized I didn't like it because I didn't have any direct connection to the song.
So that's why, for my second album, I started putting my (own) songs. Three of them I put in the album. After that, I just went full-on musician mode. I dropped everything, television gigs and all. I went from performing at malls to singing at SaGuijo, 19 East, and Mo's.
I just wanted to go through what the people that I looked up to went through. As a kid, I wanted to be recognized by other musicians. They wouldn't think that I was a musician because I was coming from a different place. I was coming from showbiz. And this was the gig scene.
So I entered that world. And then I did all the things that I wasn't supposed to do as a showbiz personality: Get tattoos, get drunk, do all of these things. In the underground scene, all of a sudden, I just loved this. It fueled so much passion in me. Ever since then, it became a part of me and it solidified my thoughts.
How do you think your music has evolved since then?
I mean, You only evolve by doing. You don't grow by sitting down on your couch. I was putting myself in a lot of these uncomfortable and scary situations. Imagine, there's a mold that's pulling you and you're trying to break free from that mold.
The whole underground scene made me feel more human. It made me feel more connected to everyone around me. It made me look at life from a different perspective.
I'm nothing special, honestly. I'm no different from every other songwriter out there. I'm just someone who writes, as well. That's just it. I don't know what's the big deal, man But yeah, it's just that I'm just put in this situation where the words I write come with melodies.”
"That’s the reason why we decided to split [the album] in half. Naturally, they just have this sort of categorization. These songs are the super depressed heartbroken songs. Then, these songs are more about acceptance and moving on."
What kind of album is Sad Songs & Bullshit Part One (...and Two)?
Well, honestly, the whole Sad Songs and Bullshit album started because I went through a breakup. That's just the main core of it. I mean, shit, you get your heart broken and end up making 180 songs.
You cry every night and do it again and the next day, you say ‘Fuck you!’ You hate this person and then the next day, you wish this person would forgive you or come back. “You say, ‘Fuck everyone, I'll move on. And then you start crying again the week. It's a rollercoaster of emotions, like the five stages of grief. The whole album is just a photo album full of moments captured throughout that rollercoaster of mine.
That’s the reason why we decided to split [the album] in half. Naturally, they just have this sort of categorization. These songs are the super depressed heartbroken songs. Then, these songs are more about acceptance and moving on. The 180 songs turned into 18. We just got 10 percent of it out there. Eighteen is still too many for an album. So we decided to split it in half, with the rest going to the second album.
"Making music within the formula of hit songs means making something familiar but also new."
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How does a feeling, idea, or experience go from just that to an actual song?
Usually, the melody comes first. Sometimes, the lyrics come first if I just want to write something down like a phrase or a thought or a topic. Then you start from there. That's like a seed that grows eventually, right?
Most of the time, the song just pops up in my head. I'm like, “Okay, that's something. And then I grab an instrument and try to translate that in real life into something physical.”
Honestly, I don't like putting too much thought into what kind of category or genre I put my music in. For me, I don't have any conformity for music in my head. Music is just music. And that's just that. I could imagine a jazz-sounding melody. But then the finished product could be like a Kundiman. It's quite amazing. It's quite a beautiful process.
Everyone has a different perspective and that's one of the things I love about music, and art in general. There's no rule. There's no guidebook. I guess that's one of the most beautiful things about it...
I also believe that subconsciously, for us to produce, we have to consume. For you to shit, you have to eat. There's that subconscious aspect of everything that I hear around me. Whether I'm in a car, when the radio is playing, or when I'm eating somewhere and the music is playing. Or I'm going to a party and the DJ is playing. All of these melodies and random bits of information stick with us.
It’s like a kid walking down this path full of different kinds of plants and flowers. "Oh I like this one. I like that one." Eventually, down the road, this kid creates some sort of bouquet.
For example, I didn't realize this at the moment but "Buwan" sounds exactly like one of Ms. Jaya's songs. "Sa ilalim ng puting ilaw…" So goes: "Wala na bang pag-ibig?" "Ere," for example, sounds like every other song with the same chord pattern, kind of like "Creep," right?
Making music within the formula of hit songs means making something familiar but also new. For me, once the song is done, it’s only my baby up until that point. After that, it’s not mine anymore. Once it’s out, I’m on to the next one.
"Honesty is closely related to vulnerability and ego and also fear. A lot of people are afraid of being vulnerable and there's nothing wrong with that. People are different. People are complicated."
How do you manage to separate the image of mass-market celebrity from your image as an actor or musician who truly gives a crap about the craft, so to speak?
That's one of the things that's hard to separate for me. Music and film are like cousins in celebrity culture. I'm just trying to separate the music I make for music versus the music that I make for acting or for some. I could be on a movie project and I could write a song specifically for that movie project. That song, I will never probably sing that live as a musician. But then, for this movie project, I will use the songs that I made for an album.
There's really no persona naman. It's just a mode. Sometimes, I wear my musician hat and then I'll think like a musician. If I'm doing acting, I'll think like an actor. It's just really that. They're just really outlets for me. It's fun to portray a character. If a character's crazy then you act crazy. You have that license. They're all basically playgrounds, just in different places.
How does an artist keep their work honest?
Honesty is closely related to vulnerability and ego and also fear. A lot of people are afraid of being vulnerable and there's nothing wrong with that. People are different. People are complicated.
I guess as an artist, it’s really hard to say. Because we all think differently. We all have different goals and different agendas. For some artists out there, If you would ask that question, they would probably say: Is honesty even necessary? If you create something out of thin air, is that a lie? Or is that just us?
Photography: Karl King Aguña
Grooming: Lillian Yeung
Special thanks to: UMG Philippines and Angelo Ramirez De Cartagena
