Gunita: A song of hope amid the pandemic

“Because we’re all stuck at home, there’ll be more time for us to reminisce, think and reflect. I believe that we all have our share of good and bad memories. We cherish the good ones and learn from the bad,” The Clash Season 1 alum Kyryll Ugdiman explained, in an e-mail interview with The STAR, why her self-penned sophomore single Gunita was released in the time of pandemic.

The 18-year-old Kapuso artist said the song sends a message of hope to people to get through this crisis.

“I hope they can relate to the song that I wrote and that it could touch their hearts. Music is really important during this time to motivate and inspire us. We all have our favorite songs and we know what songs will make us happy.”

Gunita, a follow-up to her debut single Silent Rumblings, tells about one’s melodramatic story about memories people cling onto. The chorus part that says “gunita minsa’y masaya, sana laging masaya” made Kyryll wish she could just keep the happy memories “because we all have our downs and dark pasts that aren’t worth remembering and we just want to forget all about it. But memories last a lifetime.”

Kyryll feels blessed to be part of GMA who gave her the chance to shine. Her experiences in the Kapuso reality singing contest have helped her grow as an artist.

“It has really helped me become the person I am now. I’m really grateful to GMA because they gave me more opportunities and I am living my dream. I hope I can collaborate with Christian Bautista, Julie Anne San Jose, Garrett Bolden and many more,” said Kyryll whose most memorable experience yet was her duet with Mark Bautista.

Kyryll first gained interest in music when she was two years old singing The Power of Love. Her grandfather is her biggest influence in singing and playing the guitar. She loves writing songs and looks forward to releasing an album. She also wants to give acting a try once there’s an opportunity.

She said, “Music is really my passion. My inspiration comes from how I feel at the moment. Whether I’m happy or sad, I want to express myself through music and I just want to sing it all out and sing what’s in my heart. It’s really my comfort zone.

“Because I’m an old soul, I really love classic songs. So it’s more like the country vibe. But this industry taught me to be versatile. I am focusing on soul music, alternative rock, jazz, and sometimes R&B. I want to compose more songs for my album so people will see my musicality.”

Since the lockdown is still in effect, the singer grabbed the chance to spend time with her family in Iloilo.

“I really miss my family when I was in Manila but now I have more time to bond with them so I really cherish these moments. During this ECQ, I discovered I can cook well like my lolo. He’s teaching me how to cook my favorite dishes. I also help selling seafood, which is our business here in Iloilo.”

As a former Clasher, Kyryll wants to share this piece of advice to the aspirants of The Clash Season 3 (online auditions are ongoing until June 28).

“Focus on yourself and in finding your own voice and give your best in every performance. Always have that winning mentality. Motivate yourself and believe in what you can do.”

(Released under GMA Music, Gunita is available for streaming on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music and other digital stores worldwide.)