Miguel Escueta turns comeback album into call for unity

In a span of five months, singer-composer Miguel Escueta made three career milestones: making a comeback with singles Summer Dream and Pangako ng Bukas; recording a cover of Bakit Ba Ganyan?; and combining them with four other tunes for the album titled “Stand In The Fire.” They are Handa, Honey My Love, Stand In The Fire and Summer Dream, the unplugged, acoustic version.

This paper witnessed all that and chatted recently with Miguel, who shared tidbits about each ditty.

“(It) is a song about coming together for something,” said the artist, also the owner of Frank & Dean Coffee, about the carrier single Stand In The Fire and also the album’s title.

For its video, he and his creative collaborators chose to show “what’s going on in our nation today. It’s about coming together and standing up against corruption,” Miguel added.

As for Summer Dream, he looked at it as the “song that brought me back (to music). It is your typical alternative love song,” said he. Since it inspired him to resume his musical career, Miguel described it as a “comeback” and “a very special” single.

His take on Bakit Ba Ganyan?, an ‘80s anthem for love, is having “overdriven guitars and with a lot of love,” said Miguel. “This is the song that we got to launch at MOA (Mall of Asia Arena) during the Miss World Philippines.”

The idea of doing a cover, which evokes nostalgic feelings in those who grew up with the song, was pitched by ALV Talent Circuit executive Arnold Vegafria.

“Handa is actually a single from 2008 that was never put on Spotify,” shared Miguel. “So, we re-recorded it and since it’s not included on (the music streaming platform) ever, we included it (on the album).”

Honey My Love, on the other hand, is another revival or cover in his latest music project.

In a statement, he said that initially the artist had doubts when Arnold suggested it.

“I didn’t think we could do justice to such a big hit from the ‘90s because it was so far from our style,” said he, who did a demo that sounded promising.

Then, he and his team recorded it at the studio, and they were pleased and proud of what they came up with.

Released last year, along with Summer Dream, Pangako ng Bukas was a collaboration with friend Champ Lui Pio of the band Hale on vocals.

“It’s about making it through tough times and being there for those who matter to you,” shared he, whose publicity team added that the track was made with Mental Health Philippines for last year’s Mental Health Awareness month.

With Summer Dream as the song that made him revisit his musical roots, Miguel said that he wanted to wrap up and complete the album with its acoustic version.

What’s in the pipeline after the release of the seven-track album?

The artist said that there’s a plan to have a deluxe edition with more new tracks.

The album “Stand In The Fire” offers a variety of songs a listener can enjoy. Among them is the single, Stand In The Fire, which somehow reflects the sentiment of many these days. It reminds one of the importance of being socially aware and asserting one’s rights.

“We’re leaning towards accountability in general, and I think regardless of your political views, we can all come together,” he said of its social tone.

“Because if we don’t come together, nothing will happen, I believe, parang that has been the case when it comes to corruption, everybody gets away with it,” added he. “The flood control scandal is just too big… I feel our nation would be in such a better state economically if not for all the stealing.”

The “standing-together-for-something” theme, which also means working together for the common good, can also be applied “to sports, teams at work, relationships, business” among other situations, as Miguel said in a statement.

Please give the album “Stand In The Fire” a listen starting May 29 on streaming platforms.