The Clash alums Psalms David, Jennifer Maravilla impressed by new batch of Clashers

The Clash alums Psalms David and Jennifer Maravilla have expressed admiration over the singing skills of The Clash 2023 contestants.

Psalms said he watched the pilot episode of the latest edition of GMA Network’s singing talent search and found the vocal power of each aspiring singer praiseworthy.

“They were all amazing. I can say that all the Clashers are ready to give their all when it comes to performing. Masasabi mo talagang sobrang palaban sila,” shared Psalms, who was a finalist in The Clash Season 1.

“The Clashers now are so different (compared to previous batches) probably because they have already learned the different techniques from the past seasons kaya napaghandaan na talaga nila ng todo. ‘Yung iba ang babata pa magaling na, kaya sabi ko, ‘Wow, ano pa kaya ang igagaling ng mga ‘yun,’” he added.

Season 2 finalist Jennifer, on the other hand, admitted to having only seen the show’s first few episodes yet the contestants’ level of performance did not escape her.

“I told Julie Anne (San Jose, one of the hosts) during our break na parang nakakakaba naman yata ‘yung The Clash ngayon because during our time, (the competition) started out with 64 contestants. But this time around, after the pandemic, only 30 were chosen,” narrated Jennifer, who also dabbles in acting and whose first character portrayal is one of the friends of Julie Anne’s Maria Clara-Clarita role in GMA’s hit historical portal fantasy series, Maria Clara at Ibarra.

What makes The Clash 2023 more nerve-wracking for contestants, Jennifer and Psalms added, is the added twist in the show. One writer observed that new contestants will even come out in the latter part of the contest.

“That’s why it seems to me that the set of challenges in this new season of The Clash (has) become a lot tougher,” said Jennifer.

In fact, she found it hard to answer her friends who wanted to know if she would be willing to audition again in the said contest. “Nag-dalawang isip ako kung sasali ba ulit ako if given a chance. Siguro buwan (inabot) bago ako nakasagot,” she amusingly recalled.

Looking back on her The Clash days, Jennifer said they were the most rewarding, most fulfilling and most memorable moments of her life.

“Nothing was easy during my whole journey in The Clash. Hindi talaga naging madali kaya nakaka-proud if you’re a ‘graduate’ of The Clash.”

Psalms expressed his gratitude to the show that opened more doors of opportunities for his music career. He has also become motivated in honing his songwriting skills. His latest single, Ride, is a self-penned ditty that kept him busy during the lockdown.

“It came out as a conclusion of the songs that I’ve written when we were all just inside our homes due to the pandemic. My plan now is to really focus on my music career, wishing that the day will come for my songs to be sung by other music artists,” said Psalms.

Ride, he further described, is a feel-good song that is designed to keep one company while on a road trip. “Ito ‘yung song na masarap pakinggan sa biyahe because it gives comfort to the mind and you’ll feel relaxed,” he explained.

Jennifer also has a new single titled Alimuom, released under GMA Playlist, which, according to reports, is now on the top spot of iTunes Philippines charts.

She confessed that when they were still in the process of selecting one from a list of songs given to her, she saw the title Alimuom, and without knowing what alimuom means, she told herself, “Ito gusto ko ito parang pang matalino, mysterious, hahahaha!”

The track is an inspiring song with a soothing sound that evokes an ethnic vibe.

“It’s a kind of genre that I’ve been longing to have since The Clash days because that’s when I realized that it’s nice to listen to songs that have our own music instruments as accompaniment just like the kudyapi that you will hear here. Plus, ‘yung hugot ng song ay pwedeng pang acoustic version also. I enjoyed the process of doing this (song),” she declared.

Psalms shared that only a few know that it was Jennifer who did all the arrangements of her contest pieces in The Clash.

Asked about the qualities an aspiring singer must possess to succeed in the music scene, Jennifer said one must have an ability to create an impact on listeners “because even if all the contestants sing the same song, their way of interpreting that one song will still vary.”

(Psalms and Jennifer’s respective new songs Ride and Alimuom can be downloaded from and streamed on all digital music streaming platforms.)