Christian debuts as music producer

Christian Bautista does something interesting in his new album. He opens with the title track Kapit, a song about holding on to a dying love no matter what. Then he follows it up with what he refers to as the sequel, Huling Harana. It is a goodbye song, the final serenade, an admission that parting hurts but in any case, he will definitely be all right. Both tunes are very well done and selling very well. And take note, Christian not only performs them both, he also wrote them.

In a way, those songs mirror what the balladeer had been feeling these past few years. After all, it has been almost 15 years since he was discovered as one of the finalists in the talent show Star In A Million and he was starting to feel the effects of changing trends in his career.  In fact, he seriously considered giving up show business and building a new life on what he initially dreamed of doing. He has a major in landscape architecture. But the music pulled him out of the rut and he is back in the music scene, more committed than ever.

The commitment comes with the new album Kapit. Christian is launching it in a special concert at the Music Museum on Sept.  29. This is a special treat for his fans. All they have to do to is pay the P500 admission price and they will get a copy of the album and the chance to watch the show where Christian will perform songs from Kapit and his big hits like The Way You Look At Me and Hands To Heaven. And not to forget, featured guests will be The CompanY. Those interested can pre-order the Kapit Album Launch exclusive concert pass and CD bundle via Ticketworld outlets, 891-9999 and online at www.ticketworld.com.ph.

Kapit marks Christian’s debut as a music producer and his big venture into songwriting. He has written some songs some years before but not like what he did this time. He drew on real-life experiences for his works and with these found renewed and certainly deeper meaning in his life as an artist. He is no longer the singing idol with The Champions. That was fun but he is now over that. He is now a singer, songwriter and producer in total control of his material. Maybe one day, he can be like his idol Jose Mari Chan, a successful businessman but also a big-selling recording artist and composer.

Helping Christian along in his present endeavors and the new tweaks to his sound are his collaborators. One is Brian Lotho with whom he composed the R&B-tinged pop tune Kapit, which is the album’s first single. Kapit is the theme of the Koreanovela Innocent Defendant. There is also Ryan Capili Sarmiento, who co-wrote the melancholy acoustic love song Huling Harana, which will soon drop as the second single release. Sarmiento also gave him the dreamy ballad Luna.

Christian on his own composed Ikaw Lamang which he sings with The Voice champ Morissette Amon and Musika featuring Eunice Jorge on the violin. The latter is Christian’s reaction to the belief held by some people that Original Pilipino Music (OPM) is dead. He thought then that if it is dead, then it is our duty to revive it. And that is where he is right now, doing his bit to create new sounds for Filipino music that will be future classics.

Rounding out the album are the cuts: Close Enough composed by Matthew Marston; Two Forevers by Andrew Fromm, Giles Goddard, Nicole Witt and Nick Carter where Christian duets with American Idol runner-up Jessica Sanchez; Who Is She To Me by Michael Shepstone and Clive Lukover, which was released in the UK; the theme song of the Encantandia TV series, Maghihintay composed by Allan Feliciano and Isaac Garcia and which features Gabbi Garcia; cover of Suddenly by John Clifford Farrar as a duet with Jennylyn Mercado;  and to close, an acoustic version of Kapit and the full version of Harana.

Kapit is Christian’s seventh album. It comes after Soundtrack, his collection of movie theme songs from three years ago. Before these were X-Plus, Outbound, Romance Revisited, Completely and the self-titled debut, Christian Bautista.