Pagod Na Ako is Janine Berdin’s ‘song of release’

MANILA, Philippines — Tawag ng Tanghalan alumnus Janine Berdin acknowledged life’s pains and struggles through the self-penned single Pagod Na Ako, a collaboration with former The Voice Kids semi-finalist Juan Karlos (JK) Labajo.

The new Star Music track is Janine’s “song of release” as she pondered on the realities of life, reminding us to take a break whenever you feel overwhelmed. The title of her latest musing speaks for the song’s meaning where “it’s super simple and everyone feels it really. Most of the time, nao-overlook kasi natin that we feel tired. Hindi natin naa-acknowledge ‘yung struggles natin. Hindi natin naso-solve ‘yung problem,” explained Janine in a virtual call.

Pagod Na Ako is about admitting those personal struggles and that is very vital, she said. “We are only human. We need a break. To have a break, we need to acknowledge first that we feel tired.”

“Setting big goals and high expectations for yourself is good, yes, but if it starts stressing you out too much and becomes a huge threat to your overall well-being, you have to realize that,” shared the 19-year-old singer-songwriter.

Prior to her win at Tawag ng Tanghalan of the noontime variety show It’s Showtime, the Cebu pride joined the talent show Star Circle Quest: Search for the Next Kiddie Superstars. She has also appeared in several ABS-CBN series at a young age. She is now a regular on ASAP Natin ‘To alongside other New Gen Divas.

Janine did not specifically detail which particular event in her life where she felt exhausted, but mentioned that it is a general feeling that one goes through.

In the music video, Janine can be seen as a puppet and a puppeteer controlled by strings on stage. She is smiling yet her eyes say otherwise.

She revealed that her wearisome expression was real because she was not feeling well that day. “Pero OK lang naman kasi ‘yung music video is ‘pagod ako’ kaya nagmukhang pagod talaga ako. ‘Yung ibang shots dun, totoo po ‘yung pagod ko dun,” she told The STAR.

Moreover, the entire music video experience was memorable for her and she commended director Gelo Yellow for the incredible concept and set.

“Direk Gelo came up with the idea about puppet because I talked about being tired, parang I got tired because I can’t be myself. We did the marionette tapos parang puppeteer ka din,” which represents the cycle of “control.” “At the end, where you get freedom, kasi kinu-cut ‘yung strings tapos may big reveal sa dulo na even though you let go of that parang meron pang ibang nagco-control pa sayo.”

“’Yun din yung parang isa sa nakakatakot na realities sa buhay. I like how we touched on that. Hindi man siya nag-end on a good note, I still like na parang pinag-usapan ng music video ‘yung concept na ‘yun,” she furthered.

On other hand, the producer of the song, JK, also from Cebu, shared his own Pagod Na Ako moments.

“The only time that I feel tired is when it comes to moving out, (it’s a) family kind of situation. You can’t pin it to a specific thing eh kasi it’s some sort of thing that accumulates throughout. That’s why I do all of this social media break thing,” related JK.

He finds comfort in music. “What I do is kumanta at mag-gitara. I guess it’s hard to explain but I find comfort in making music or listening to music. When it comes to taping, I find comfort in watching movies. I find comfort in also not doing anything,” said the 20-year-old actor-musician.

The collaboration started while JK was doing his “social media kadramahan” (break). He was looking around the internet and came across Janine on Instagram and he sent her a direct message. The music project took off after that.

“I know in my lifetime na pagsisihan ko na if we are not going to work together. That’s why we are here now,” said JK.

Impressed by Janine’s talent, JK described her as “special.” “It’s not necessarily about the song, it’s the person behind the song that really matters for me. The song wouldn’t exist without the person that made it in the first place,” he told The STAR.

He also cited Janine’s “unique voice,” as well as “kind and humble” attributes.

Janine’s other compositions are The Side Character and Wala Ako N’yan, about self-love and acceptance. Pagod Na Ako is out now on various digital music platforms.