Claudia Barretto wants to make it on her own in music
Another daughter of Marjorie Barretto and Dennis Padilla is carving a name for herself in the entertainment industry, specifically in the music scene.
The Barrettos as well as the Padillas are more known as actors, but this time around, Claudia, the younger sister of Julia, is pursuing a different career path as a music artist.
“Honestly, it was also something that I used to wonder to myself as well. How come, you know, yung acting, that wasn’t what I feel naturally inclined to do since it was already the environment that I was in,” began Claudia in a virtual call with select press.
The 22-year-old singer-songwriter explained that she would look up to musicians and singers growing up. As such, she just wanted to “naturally write songs” and “felt happy” doing that.
With music, Claudia said she can have “some sort of personal life which is a bit more separate from your art.”
“As a music artist, you can kind of build that brand for yourself so that you can kind of be separated from your work. Like, this is my work and this is what I wanna share with the world.
“Aside from that, this is the personal life that I want to live for my life. I feel like I have more space to kind of do that in the music industry. And because music is really my passion naman, it was not really a conscious effort but more like it was what cards were laid out for me,” she continued.
She acknowledged that there is also pressure in the field that she is taking. But the pressure is stemming mostly from within herself. According to her, it’s “more of encouragement and guiding principles to successfully make it through this industry without… as much as I can, unscathed” and not from the family.
Coming from a showbiz clan, Claudia admitted that it was easier for her to break through in the business as compared to the other aspiring artists who would join reality shows and competitions.
“A lot of people asked me this and I think what I would say all the time (is that) when I’ve been asked the question, the problem with the music industry is there’s definitely a lack of visibility. Not everyone really gets the rightful attention that they deserve. There are so many talented artists and admittedly, so many talented artists are much more talented than I am. So I do recognize that because I am a second generation (artist from the Barretto family), I had it easier than others,” she declared.
With this “privilege,” Claudia felt that she just had to “deserve the attention that I’m getting” and “use it as best as I possibly can.” She elaborated, “I love what I do. I love making music. It’s an honest job and career that I really want to pursue and care about. And I hope that eventually in the music scene, we’re all gonna have that space to be a part of it, have the space to have a voice, and to have the privilege of having our music out there.”
“So I’m gonna try my hardest, work hard, educate myself, do better and hopefully in the future, we’ll all have the platform that we all deserve,” she furthered.
The newbie artist also wants her listeners to feel that they can “make my songs their own.” “When I write my songs, admittedly, I think a lot about how it feels for me. It’s so personal to me which is why I think in the beginning when I started (creating) songs, not really a lot of people understood it, like a broader audience. They didn’t really understand my music the way I wanted it to translate,” she told The STAR.
Now that she is learning more about the industry and has received guidance from her collaborators, she wishes that her songs will “still carry the same kind of substance” and that more listeners can relate to it.
Besides music, Claudia advocates for mental health awareness and she launched an online campaign about it in 2019. She will be graduating this year with an AB Psychology degree and plans to pursue music therapy and working with children.
She will also be releasing a new single soon before dropping an EP within this year.
Meanwhile, Claudia’s Everything, “a vibe-y modern pop track which has a healthy heaping of R&B” with rap elements, courtesy of Because, is her latest single since she became a Viva Records artist.
“It was good working with Claudia,” said Because. “Very, very chill. I don’t think there’s any pressure around when we’re working. (There’s) just that instant connection when we work. I feel that’s what makes Everything, everything.”
Claudia described the Pinoy rap artist as “super cool, swagger personified and very humble.” “When we were writing the song, it’s nice to be with someone talented but humble because you don’t feel intimidated to explore also with your own idea. So working with him was very easy. I didn’t feel conscious or afraid to pitch my ideas. It was very collaborative and easy,” she said of him.
Because is going to release a mixtape this August and has produced a 12-track album for his rap group Flow Minister also under Viva Records. He is currently working on his album due next year.
As an artist, he wants to give an “intimate experience” to his audience rather than be known as an “arena music artist where you want people to sing along.”
“Nandun yung intimate connection na, ‘Oh, I’m alone with myself, I’m in the zone and naririnig ko lang si Because and kaming dalawa yung magkausap,’” he told The STAR of how he wants his music to be perceived.
His friends call him BJ Cas, short for BJ Castillano, his real name. Over time, he contracted it into one word, hence, Because.
- Latest
- Trending
