FEATURE: BP Valenzuela’s coming of age
It’s frustrating how the public has viewed music authorship as some kind of a Boys' Club. We’ve seen it before: women denied due credit for taking full control of their work, their credentials constantly being questioned. Even artists with an impressive body of work have had to endure this. Take Björk. In an interview published in Pitchfork a few years ago, the Queen of Experimental Pop slammed the media for fostering a lazy assumption about the process that took place in making her records, where her male peers and collaborators get primary credit for something that she mostly wrote, produced, composed and sang. “I did 80 percent of the beats on ‘Vespertine’ and it took me three years to work on that album, because it was all microbeats — it was like doing a huge embroidery piece,” confessed Björk. “(Electronic duo) Matmos came in the last two weeks and added percussion on top of the songs, but they didn’t do any of the main parts, and they are credited everywhere as having done the whole album,” she said.
Sexism does creep into every aspect of women’s lives. In music, it’s being sexualized as some kind of a commercial commodity or being relegated as vocal muses to serve a producer’s creative vision. Like Björk, young Pinay electro-pop producer/singer-songwriter BP Valenzuela has had to witness and experience music industry sexism firsthand before realizing the importance of standing up against any preconceived role of women in music and busting the myth in her own little way. “Just being a woman and not having anyone to talk to about certain things really pissed me off,” BP tells Supreme. “And every time I tried to talk to another woman, they’d tell me, ‘It’s just the way it is.’ I can’t accept that way of thinking; you have to figure out how to change that. And if you see the system is in place, there’s always an option for you to get out and forge your own path. There was even a time when a guy friend asked for help and told me, verbatim, ‘I need chicks for hooks; can you sing one for me?’ I eventually learned to say no to projects that would box me in a certain category and limit my worth as an artist.”
Self-discovery and Personal Growth
At 21 years old, BP Valenzuela has written, arranged and produced her own songs; scored original music for independent films such as the Glaiza De Castro starrer Sleepless; and made homespun beats for other projects. Her debut full-length album, “Neon Hour,” allowed the pop wunderkind to write gripping confessionals that a lot of teenagers could relate to, chronicling the highs and pitfalls of young love and shedding one’s inhibitions for something that leads to self-discovery and personal growth. Nicholas Lazaro guided her in the production process, but it was BP who took full artistic control and vision of “Neon Hour,” taking it to a place of startling self-reliance amidt its wallflower tendencies. But while the record proved to be a great addition to the canon of local pop records with coming-of-age themes, it somehow lacked confidence and sense of ownership, qualities that BP herself pointed out during our interview with her. “A lot of songs on ‘Neon Hour’ were about being cautious and keeping things to myself, not just for self-preservation because that was the kind of person I was before. It’s stuff that I wouldn’t say in person.”
Her upcoming album, “Crydancer,” aims to break that mold, its wings ready to fly high and show its true colors. It’s a record that revels in personal truths, unafraid of judgment and free of pretense, a risky move that BP is willing to take because it’s her story to tell. “Crydancer” is the sh*t that I can say to a person,” she says. “I realized it’s okay to be scared, to be vulnerable, and to be honest. I’ve gone through a lot of rough times on a personal and professional level, and that motivated me to make something as personal as this. Now, I’m more open to failure, more receptive to people’s influence.” BP takes pride in her role as the major creative force behind “Crydancer,” but more than that, it’s also her most collaborative effort yet. As the record’s head honcho, BP enlists producer and beatmaker friends CRWN, Felipe, Similarobjects, JP Del Mundo and frequent collaborator Nicholas Lazaro as part of her dream team. The result is a genuine piece of work that isn’t afraid to tackle embarrassing eff-ups in life, a record teeming with various emotional flavors — both the good, the bad and the indescribable in-betweens.
Crydancer’s Sonic Diversity
Stylistically, it’s also a welcoming display of sonic diversity, with the album’s first single Bbgirl scratching the lines between cosmic funk and good old summery pop jam. “That was a track that my friend Felipe and I made on Kalaw in Malasimbo, Puerto Galera for three hours,” BP reveals. “Felipe and I had been jamming the entire time. He would make three beats that day, and one of the beats that we were working on inspired Bbgirl. Abs (of neo-soul outfit Chocolate Grass) sang on it at night, then I sent the track to No Rome for additional vocals. Then I sent it to JP for mixing. Everything just came together through friendship.”
Aside from the song’s easygoing groove and languid charisma, what strikes the most with Bbgirl is its carefree video helmed by her friend, producer/singer-songwriter Rome Gomez a.k.a. No Rome. The vid, which recently racked up more than 20,000 views in less than a week, features a bunch of happy friends chilling at a skate park with a laid-back summer afternoon as backdrop. BP is seen flirting with a girl, kissing her gently with no inhibitions. Somehow, we are treated to a raw and honest portrayal of girl-on-girl infatuation, not created for the male gaze, but rather depicted in a way that feels sweet and charming like any normal relationship should be. “After going through emotions, siguro I just figured out: f*ck it, I just wanted to do what I want and whatever makes sense to me and what is my truth,” reveals BP. Not everyone has the courage to challenge long-established standards and break free from society’s expectations. In a male-dominated music business, there will always be an outsider willing to take risks DIY-style, and prove to the rest of the world that it is possible to reign supreme against odds, despite the world not being used to the idea of women taking charge. BP is taking artistic baby steps, one project at a time. It’s exciting to think where it will lead her next.
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Produced by
Ian Emmanuel C. Urrutia
Photos by Chealsy Dale
Special thanks to Unit 27 Bar+Café
