Proving to be worth every single bit of praise and acclaim from both music industry pundits and peers, singer/songwriter ZILD is finally unveiling his aptly-monikered release Huminga, which is precisely just that: a much-needed breath of fresh air, both musically, and for listeners and everyone else who has been through tumultuous times this past year.
Preceded by the release of three smash singles received very well by music fans (the infectious debut single “Kyusi,” the organic and melodically soaring “Apat” and the most recent release “Bungantulog” which seemingly has “vintage OPM” written all over it…), Zild’s full-length album promises to be a collection of songs that different people can come to not just appreciate, but really connect-to, sound-wise and lyrically.
“My first goal was simply to keep writing music and share it once it was done,” shared the 23-year-old musical wunderkind, when asked how his second official full-length follow-up to 2020’s Homework Machine came to be. If his debut full-length - hailed by NME.com as the second-best album in Asia of the year 2020 - was characterized mainly for being inspired by electronic music, this new album finds Zild going back to basics, exploring more organic sounds and well, playing more to his strengths by digging deep and writing about more personal themes.
“As I was in the process of completing this record, I realized I wanted to be more honest with the songs, without over-thinking it,” he continues, and reveals: “so the inspiration of the album was to remind me of my life outdoors… so the album can be soft, piercing, heartwarming, heartbreaking, funny, sad and nostalgic all at the same time… it’s a sunshine-y, warm and fuzzy experience within a nightmare - but these are definitely songs that any normal human being can relate-to.”
Without question, the new collection is anticipated by music fans of all ages and preferences, mainly because Zild has proven to be a musical force to be reckoned with, beating the odds brought about by the times and the ever-changing musical landscape, having not just released music these past months, but videos and exclusive performances on online streaming platforms (incidentally, a music video directed by renowned photographer Shaira Luna for the fourth single and title track “Huminga” will be debuted shortly after the album is released…). No less than critically acclaimed songwriter - and Balcony Entertainment CEO - Rico Blanco has since expressed his admiration and respect for Zild, seemingly passing the proverbial torch to the artist as he was quoted saying that Zild was - creatively – “on a whole new level, and playing field.”
When asked how he feels about the whole experience of creating Huminga now that it is finally complete, Zild reveals that it is truly a body of work that he is proud-of, and describes it in a way only he can uniquely pull-off: “in the language of Filipino food, sometimes you appreciate a dish like kare-kare even more when you have it with say, crispy pata,” he smiles, but further explains: “the songs feel more complete now – now that they are collected together as a full body of work; each individual song – I feel – will define each other, and the stories are made clearer as you listen to the album in its entirety; it’s 100% human… and it’s all about a person’s life in 2021,” he adds, and finishes: “whether or not they can directly relate to the subject-matters in the songs, the goal – and hope – is that people can create their very own memories with this record… that’s really all I want.”
Released under Balcony Entertainment and distributed by Warner Music Philippines, Zild’s new album Huminga is now available on Spotify and all digital music platforms.