CONVEYING one’s emotions can be done in different ways. Singer/songwriter Jewel Villaflores uses the art of music as a form of self-expression through her album titled “Bahandi.”
The album made its digital debut on July 22, 2018, followed by physical copies released last Dec. 11, 2018. It contains nine tracks, seven of which she wrote herself, and two cover songs (“Gugmang Giatay” by Iping Amores and “Langit” by Lorenzo Niñal). The physical album includes bonus tracks, one of which is the crowd favorite “Duyog” which she performed at the first-ever Vispop (Visayan Pop Songwriting Campaign) held last May 2013.
Comprised of songs written way back and those written recently, “Bahandi,” to Jewel, is a collection of different emotions unraveled.
“Reality, for me, is drastically different than it was in my teenage years. This is like a celebration of different emotions from different mindsets,” she shared.
“Some of the tracks included in ‘Bahandi’ are songs that I wrote even before Vispop 2013. So technically, it took a lot of years. I just wasn’t really serious about putting it all together until a few years ago.”
Of all the tracks, it’s the song “Kiliran” she considers her favorite and one that means a lot to her as she shared that the song is about loving and being loved in return.
As someone who leads a private life, Jewel recalled how sharing something personal through her songs didn’t come easy.
“But I talked myself into doing it. I had the responsibility to think beyond myself. After all, I love all my supporters and all the people who believed in me,” she recalled.
Jewel shared that she took inspiration from a lot of things both good and bad. In the end, it was about letting her emotions flow.
“The writing process became a means of catharsis for me. I went through different emotions with everything I was writing. Emotions are beautiful. They give me the strength not to shy away from creating art to externalize my feelings.”
When asked what message she wanted to convey to her audience she said: “It is okay to be emotional. It makes us human. Let yourself feel your emotions. If you ignore sadness and pain, you will never know what real happiness and joy feel like. Experiencing sadness and pain is part of what makes it so incredible to feel other things.”
The digital version of “Bahandi” is available in over 100 digital stores including Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, Deezer, YouTube, Shazam and Amazon in over 150 countries. The physical copy is available at Music Lab and can also be purchased at her gigs. Jewel is also associated with rock act Duende and folk act Silingan ni Felicity.