I celebrate my 25th year in the business this year, and this is my "passion project" to mark this milestone in my life. Please give it a listen. (Click HERE to access via Spotify, or just search this album if you are a Spotify listener.) Or even better, click HERE to download the album on iTunes. And for an enhanced listening experience, allow me to share with you tidbits and stories behind each of these songs (below). Enjoy! 1. REALLY OVER YOU*
Arranger: Jay Durias Guitars: Noel Mendez Background vocals: Zion Aquino *WINNER, Best R&B Recording at the 30th Annual Awit Awards Zion has always liked soul as a genre, and he has always been described to have this “soulful” voice, so I felt this was the best way to open the album. This song has been previously recorded, but I added a new bridge and intro, and had him sing several tracks to highlight his voice. Sexy, groovy arrangement is by no less than South Border’s Jay Durias, who has been a friend of ours for years, and I’m so glad we got him to arrange this track. It took him a while – we waited for about 3 months! – but the wait was SO worth it! --------------------------------------------- 2. EVER MY ONLY LOVE* Arranger: Arnold Buena *WINNER, Best Ballad Recording at the 30th Annual Awit Awards Our first independent single. We had no plans for a full album at the time we released this. Purely experimental. We just wanted to put his voice out there and see what would happen. The single climbed to #6 on Home Radio, played against mostly foreign songs. I believe a big part of this song’s appeal is its being a relatable positive love song. It makes for a great wedding song and has in fact, already been used by some for their wedding videos. -------------------------------------------------------- 3. GIVE YOU MY HEART AND SOUL Arranger: Noel Mendez All guitars and blues harp: Noel Mendez Background vocals: Allan Feliciano, Noel Mendez, Jhett Baroma, Eugene Cailao, Brenan Espartinez, Jay Marquez, Oliver Conda, Zion Aquino Second single we released, another positive love song (which from my experience has always had greater potential for income and placement), but this time with a more stripped-down arrangement so that Zion’s voice is focused on. Also wanted something with a more acoustic and livelier feel to it, as opposed to just another slow ballad. Noel Mendez, arguably one of the best guitarists in the country and who has been playing for my recordings for the past couple of decades, also plays blues harp. Had him do it on this arrangement of his to give the track a touch of soul. --------------------------------------------------- 4. FOR LOVE (WHAT PEOPLE WOULD DO) Arranger: Arnold Buena Background vocals: Trina Belamide, Eugene Cailao This song started it all for us. I asked Zion to record it for submission as my Philpop entry in 2015. We didn’t make it to the Top 12 (apparently we were #13). Zion and I had become so attached to this recording that we decided against re-entering the song the following year and including it in this album instead. The song is about the extreme lengths people go to for the sake of love, any kind of love. It’s becoming a favorite among friends of ours who have listened to all the album tracks. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 5. DEFENSELESS* Arranger: Arnold Buena Strings: Dino Decena, DJ Salonga, Claudia Berenguer, Gerry Graham Gonzales *WINNER, Best Performance by a New Male Artist at the 30th Annual Awit Awards I had always liked the dark string lines in Britney Spears’ “Toxic” and thought I’d incorporate something like that into an uptempo track, so I came up with this 8-bar intro and had it reoccur after the bridge. I’ve also really liked songs with this kind of a groove that had a heavy, steady, pulsating kick. This is Zion’s 3rd single from this album. ------------------------------------------------ 6. BRAVE FOR YOU* Arranger: Arnold Buena Strings: Dino Decena, DJ Salonga, Claudia Berenguer, Gerry Graham Gonzales NOMINEE, Best Performance by a Male Recording Artist at the 30th Annual Awit Awards A totally “hugot” song from personal experience. I literally wept while writing this. I wanted no less than something that would come across as authentic, so I did what I had to do and revisited thoughts and emotions from a past relationship. Emotionally challenging, but absolutely worth it. This track brings out Zion’s vulnerability and best demonstrates what he can do with his voice. It’s one of our favorite cuts for that reason. Plus who doesn’t love real strings on a piano-and-strings arrangement? ------------------------------------------------- 7. UNYIELDING Arranger: Arnold Buena Background vocals: Dada Supnet, Niner De Pano, Trina Belamide, Jonel Mojica, Jay Marquez, Oliver Conda A somewhat anthemic and driving “we can do this” song. Zion has been through so much in life, and he was my inspiration in writing this. It’s also my rah-rah song for him and me as a team, as we continue to face the challenge of putting our sound out there and growing his audience. ------------------------------------------------ 8. ONLY I Arranger: Arnold Buena Drums: Michael Alba I wanted to include a song that would sound like an old standard to show how versatile Zion is. This was originally recorded by Gary V – his version had a pop/RNB flavor. I edited and updated some of the lyrics (this was written almost 20 years ago and there were lines I was no longer happy with), and had Michael Alba play live drums as this was the only way to get that real brush sound I wanted. -------------------------------------------------------- 9. EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS (featuring KidWolf) Background vocals: Trina Belamide I have lately been enjoying listening to some EDM tracks and feeling quite envious of their creators, so I collaborated with renowned EDM artist KidWolf on this track. After hearing his initial instrumental output, I was inspired to do some pad vocals to play up his melodic passages. He took my vocal tracks and did an amazing job with it on this track. It has become one of my favorite cuts in the album. I think it’s also an effective tool to get Zion’s voice heard by a broader audience, as this will get played in clubs. Some of our DJ friends have already started playing it. ------------------------------------------------------------------- 10. SO GRATEFUL* Arranger: Arnold Buena Background vocals: Gail Blanco, Elke Ortiz, Suy Galvez, Suey Medina, Yosha Honasan, Arla Concepcion, Trina Belamide, Eugene Cailao, Jay Marquez, Oliver Conda, Brenan Espartinez, Zion Aquino NOMINEE, Best Gospel Recording at the 30th Annual Awit Awards A gospel waltz song. I was fortunate to bank on several individually-great-sounding powerful singers to lend their voices for this recording – each of them strong soloists in their own right - to give this recording a black gospel feel. This track took the longest time for Zion to record because of the range and stylizing required. Challenging for sure, but we’re happy with the outcome. I wanted a song written from his perspective, too, after everything he has gone through in life. He cried when he first heard the demo I forwarded to him, said it sounded like he had written it myself. --------------------------------------- More behind-the-scenes… Most of the arrangements were done by Arnold Buena, my arranger of more than 20 years. He has become one of the best in the biz and I’m so glad he was as passionate about this project as I was. No less than Angee Rozul mixed all the tracks (except for Kidwolf’s), and this is the first time I’ve had tracks mastered in the US. Jett Galindo, a former choirmate, was summa cum laude at Berklee and now works for The Bakery in Los Angeles, CA. She has mastered many foreign works and I’m so proud to have had her on board with this project. I am grateful for all the help I got from my friends. Studio owners Allan Feliciano, Brian Cua and Paulo Zarate allowed me to record for little to no studio charge. Same thing with my arrangers and singers. I would have had to spend double or triple what I did if not for having been able to bank on social capital I have been able to build up in 25 years. This is the best album I've produced so far. Very proud of this and I thank all of you who have taken the time to listen to it, allowing me to share a big part of me with you.
1 Comment
|
Author
My name is Trina Belamide and I'm a songwriter and record producer.
GreatSongsToSing is my online store and I thank you for dropping by! Do comment on my blog posts. I'd love to hear from you! Learn more about me on www.trinabelamide.com. Archives
March 2018
Categories
All
|