Sila by Sud

You have surely heard the song. In fact, you probably hear it several times a day, on radio, television, somebody singing, around you, wherever you are.

“Matagal-tagal din nawalan ng gana/ pinagmamasdan ang dumaraan/ lagi na lang matigas ang loob/ sabik na may maramdaman.

Hindi ka man bago sa paningin/ palihim kang nasa yakap ko’t lambing/ sa bawat pagtagpo/ di mapigilan ang bigkas ng damdamin.

Walang sagot sa tanong/ kung bakit ka mahalaga/ walang papantay sa ‘yo/ walang sagot sa tanong/ kung bakit ka mahalaga/ walang papantay sa ‘yo.

Walang sagot sa tanong/ kung bakit ka mahalaga/ walang papantay sa ‘yo/ maging sino man sila.”

Curious, you have probably gone on Spotify or any of the streaming sites to find out what is this earworm of a song and who is the band behind it. Well, surprise, it is not by any big-name star. Truth to tell, it was the first time that those who are not active in the alternative music scene heard of the group. It calls itself Sud and the song is titled Sila.

Sud is an alternative band born six years ago when the founding members were students at the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music. This is no garage band. These guys know their music. They are Sud Ballecer, after whom the band was named, on vocals and guitars; Jimbo Cuenco on drums; Mark Reyes on bass; Kohl Aguilar on keyboards; and Carlos de la Fuente on sax. They started out as a cover band and then switched to originals when they went into recording.

As far as I know, Sud writes songs called Smilthy and has albums with titles like Sleep Sex and Skin. Sud can be quite daring and unconventional. Remember that controversial cover pic they did for Pulp Magazine last year? The photo, which was very well done, had the band playing, would you believe, pornographers. They were shooting two girls in bed. The cover production caused quite an uproar. I do not know how that affected Sud but that Pulp issue must be a collector’s item by now given what happened to Sila.

As you have probably deduced by now, Sila is not Sud’s usual stuff. In fact, this is the band’s only song with Tagalog lyrics and only love ballad. It can be likened to an accident or given all that has happened, let us say to serendipity. Composer Jimbo had fallen for a girl and written the song for her. That relationship has already gone pfffft, but aren’t they glad it happened and that they decided to record the song.

Cheers, too, to that clever music editor of the reality show Pinoy Big Brother, who decided to use Sila in a hugot moment featuring finalist Elisse Joson. It was after this that Sila caught fire. No, there was nothing explosive about it. It was like a spark that caught a little fire that caught another and another until about half a year late, everybody was in flames and singing Sila.

Now I wonder. Will Sud go along with what the market demands and do more Sila tunes or will they just savor this moment for future memories and stay with the music their sort of music?

Here now are the Top 20 songs that Pinoys have been listening to these past weeks according to the Philippines Top 50 chart in Spotify. Nineteen of them are by the usual foreign artists and one by a Filipino. Sila by Sud is the only local recording to make it to the list.

Shape Of You by Ed Sheeran; Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay; That’s What I Like by Bruno Mars; Versace On The Floor also by Bruno Mars; Say You Won’t Let Go by James Arthur; Paris also by The Chainsmokers; Stay by Zedd and Alessia Cara; The One, again by The Chainsmokers; I Don’t Wanna Live Forever by ZAYN with Taylor Swift; It Ain’t Me by Kygo and Selena Gomez.

Symphony by Clean Bandit and Zara Larsson; How Far I’ll Go by Alessia Cara; Beauty And The Beast by John Legend and Ariana Grande; Touch by Little Mix; Closer, once more by The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey; Starving by Hailee Steinfield; Scared To Be Lonely by Martin Garrix and Dua Lipa; Fresh Eyes by Andy Grammer; Sila by Sud; and Cold by Maroon 5 and Future.