They say great things take time and often, the right environment. Recently signed to Viva Records, Adrian “Drey” Garcia Requiso found both his voice and his beginnings in the quiet town of Tuburan, Cebu. The town shaped not only his childhood but also the quiet emotional force behind his latest song, “Higayon,” released on his 24th birthday, July 18, 2025.
A pop ballad sung in both Tagalog and Bisaya, “Higayon” is a gentle, aching song about finding every “chance” to love the same person.
“I had released a song before called “Ikaw,” which was fully Tagalog,” Drey shared. “But something about it felt incomplete, like there was more I needed to say. That’s when ‘Higayon’ came in. It’s like the second half of that story.”
Written in stillness
“Higayon” wasn’t planned. Drey didn’t sit down with the intention to write a follow-up. Instead, it arrived on a day when he felt particularly hollow. “I had this unfinished draft lying around. Then I just completed it in one night.”
He borrowed some stylistic elements from “Tugon,” a song by Project Romeo, one of the OPM bands he looks up to. He also leaned on fellow church choir members and friends to shape the song. “I asked people on Facebook to help out too,” he said. “And my friend said, ‘Just keep it natural.’ So I did.”
Letting the language flow
While “Higayon” was initially meant to be written entirely in Tagalog, Drey couldn’t find a word that quite replaced higayon, a Bisaya term that loosely means “moment” or “chance.”
“I kept hearing the word in my head. I thought maybe it wouldn’t ruin the song if I kept it in. When I tried it out, it actually sounded natural.”
The line from his teaser — “Pagkat ikaw na ang hiling, nais makapiling sa bawat higayon” — captures what the song means to him which is a deep desire to be with someone not just once, but in every possible moment.
A quiet rise
Drey was born in Cainta, Rizal, but raised in Tuburan from the age of four. Music entered his life through the church, where he sang in the choir, and later at school, where he picked up the guitar. “Back then, if you carried a guitar around, people thought you were cool,” he laughed. “It started that way, but over time, music became something much more.”
At first, he had no intention of becoming a songwriter. He simply enjoyed performing, listening to his grandfather’s vinyl records — mostly Queen and slow rock — and following whatever musical trends were popular, from TJ Monterde to Ben&Ben to rap. But when he learned guitar in school, something clicked. “You don’t really notice it happening. But after a while, you realize, you’ve fallen in love with music.”
By 2022, he was performing in gigs, and music slowly began to shift from a passion into a source of income. “Now it’s part of my everyday life,” he said.
A band called ‘Tubod’
Drey performs regularly with his band Tubod, named after the spring near the place where they used to rehearse. “That’s where we started, near the stream. So we called ourselves Tubod,” he said.
For live performances of “Higayon,” they reworked the arrangement to make it more dynamic and alive on stage. He recorded the track with keyboard, drums, bass and guitar — an instrument he plays himself when the band isn’t complete. A music video is also in the works.
And the release date? It wasn’t random. “It was my birthday. So the song felt like a present to myself.”
Collaborating with friends
At the launch of “Higayon,” Drey performed with fellow artists The CCLUBB, Crescent and Joshua Gutierrez at Tuburan’s Poblacion 4 Covered Court. These aren’t just names on a lineup, they’re close collaborators and friends.
“The guys from The CCLUBB were my schoolmates in high school. We used to perform in bands together,” Drey said. “They’re really serious about their music, so I’ve always supported them and their original songs. I feel like a big brother to their group.”
Joshua Gutierrez is a friend who also writes music. “I give him feedback on his lyrics. We support each other, and he’s really a good friend of mine.” Crescent, another Viva Records artist, also performed alongside Drey.
“Back then, we were barely noticed. That’s how hard it is when you’re starting out locally, people don’t always believe in you. That’s why I make sure to uplift the people I came up with. I always say: just don’t stop. Because quitting? That’s what really kills your dream,” Drey shared.
When he’s not recording or performing, Drey teaches kids basic guitar and ukulele in Tuburan. “Just the basics for now,” he said. “Because that’s where it all starts. That’s where love for music begins.”
His approach to music is as simple as it is sincere. “What matters to me is that people understand what I write. You don’t have to explain it to them. If they feel it, then that’s enough. That’s what’s important.” Just like the clear, constant springs of Tuburan, Drey’s music continues to flow, steady and full of heart. S