What’s the story behind Amgo

MANILA, Philippines — There is no particular time of day for John Roa to best translate his thoughts into potential lyric lines.

The 19-year-old former Ex-Battalion member and now Viva solo artist said that there is just a sudden spark of inspiration every time he feels like writing a song.

“Whenever an idea pops into my head, mananahimik ako bigla o hindi na ako makakausap ng maayos,” John told The STAR about the release of his five-track EP titled Amgo. “I also tend to become restless because I feel like my brain wants me to accomplish so many things. That’s why I could not exactly tell what’s the best time for me to write a song. It always depends on what’s coming into my head.”

John added that he feels blessed for having a hit single titled Oks Lang. But the pressure of creating a much bigger hit does not seem to go away knowing how music fans give their all-out support to the kind of music he first introduced to them.

“Listeners know me as a hugotero so I am pressured about creating another one that would truly touch their hearts, ‘yung bang mararamdaman talaga nila. There was also this moment of uncertainty about my music.”    

Apart from trying to discover his own sound after he left the hip-hop group, John revealed he has also been diagnosed with severe anxiety disorder. That’s why it took him almost a year to complete Amgo, produced by Viva Records.

In fact, he only finished two singles, titled Taguan and Pagitan, on his initial attempt to come up with an EP after the release of Oks Lang.

The biggest factor in the delay of the completion of his EP is his condition in which he was totally unaware of.

“I was clueless that I already  had an anxiety disorder because I thought it’s just normal to suddenly feel nervous or for people to have palpitations. Besides, I don’t believe that such condition exists.”

His blood pressure also shot up to as high as 160. “And then I had this severe attack that led me to tell my mom about it. We sought medical help and I was diagnosed to be suffering from anxiety disorder.”

John bares his vulnerability in his songs that include personal narratives as he struggles with life, love and anxiety. No wonder, he considered the EP as part of his journey.

Other tracks include Andiyan, a melancholy tale about remaining steadfast about overwhelming odds; Itutuloy, which sees John going back to his rap roots; the acoustic driven Muli; and the catchy, playful pop jazz-tinged Natatangi.  

John wants music fans to listen to the songs as if they are actually listening to their stories “like nakikita nila ‘yung sarili nila sa kanta ko.”