Believe it or not but the monster OPM song “Kahit Kailan” took four years before it hit the airwaves.
This was revealed by Jay Durias of South Border who will share onstage with Top Suzara in a pre-Valentine show called “Valentine Playlist” at the Kia Theater (formerly New Frontier), Araneta Center in Cubao, Quezon City on February 12.
“‘Kahit Kailan’ is my first composition. I was in second year high school back in Davao and I had this long-time crush and lagi ko s’yang nakikita. If you are inspired, there’s music in the air,” said Durias during a press briefing for their concert.
“I came up with simple a verse and when I arrived in Manila, nabuo na ang South Border nun and pati ’yung bridge ng kanta. Bale mula Davao hanggang Manila, nabuo ’yung kanta in four years. Swerte lang siguro ako at naging big hit s’ya,” he said.
“Ganun talaga ako, matagal gumawa ng kanta. Years bago makabuo ng mga songs unless it is commissioned,” Durias added.
Asked about his playlist, Durias said:”I listen to old songs these days. I went back to basics. The likes of Stevie Wonder and Burt Bacharach. I admire the music of Bruno Mars among the present crop of musicians.”
Suzara, former front man for the popular OPM band Freestyle, came up with a big hit called “Sabihin Mo Na” after he went solo in 2006.
“The song was based on the experience of a friend of what he was going through. It wasn’t intended to offer it to him. Actually, the song came late as a single. I like writing stories that I know,” said Suzara.
His performance for “Sabihin Mo Na” earned him nominations in Awit Awards such as Best Performance by a Male Recording Artist and Best Engineered Recording.
Asked about his personal playlist on cellphone, Suzara said: “The playlist I have includes Earth, Wind and Fire and my recent fave Ole Borud, a Norwegian singer-songwriter.”
“His (Borud) songs are into funk and soul but everything is spiritual and it’s not preachy,” Suzara said. “I’m blown away with his music.”
Suzara also said that he could already come up with a new CD because he had enough new materials. But he said that he was not rushing it.
Suzara also gave an unsolicited advice to future musicians who want to make it big in the music scene.
“There’s so much competition now. My advice is to vare your soul a little bit and maybe the right years will come upon and you will get the chance to be heard on a bigger stage,” he said.
“Many singers who became well-known didn’t think that they should be popular. What they did as that they excelled in what they do kaya sila sumikat,” Suzara said.
Fans of Suzara and South Border can look forward to an evening of nostalgic love songs and hit music that dominated the 90s local music charts.
Suzara will perform home-grown songs and his originals such as “Before I Let You Go,” “This Time,” “Para Sa ‘Yo,” “Once In A Lifetime” and “Sabihin Mo Na” among others. The singer is ecstatic about the upcoming concert and sharing the stage with his friends from South Border.
“It’s always great to be with the band. Some of the members of South Border are very close to me on and off stage so I’m very excited to be onstage with them!,” said Suzara.
Joining Suzara and South Border on the show is another OPM powerhouse – R&B Princess Kyla. They will perform on a stage designed for indoor 3D mapping.
The “Valentine Playlist” will be directed by Treb Monteras and musical direction will be by Durias himself.