Arthur Nery just certified his hitmaker status with a trending new song.
The new single, titled “Pagsamo” – a slow and relaxed tune that sees Nery’s smooth blending of easy-listening jazz, rhythm and blues, soul and lyrical romanticism – is the latest song from the Cagayan De Oro-based singer-songwriter to hit trending status.
And Arthur has been at it for a couple of times now.
The singer is just fresh off another hit in “Pelikula” which she recorded with Janine Tenoso (from the latter’s own EP “Kwento Sa Silid”). And previous that, Arthur’s own “Take All The Love” solo track did well, as did another track in “Happy w u (feat. Jason Dhakal). But even before that, Arthur has been slowly but surely building steam. His 2019 album, “Letters Never Sent” was a slow build success that took a year to reach its audience. But spread it did, and now, key tracks from the said album are now signature hits, namely “Binhi” and the moody chill of “Higa.”
With “Pagsamo” hitting 150K streams (on YouTube) in its first 12 hours since it was released and with current numbers still holding as of this writing, it’s safe to say that this track is one of the strongest to come from Arthur. Which is to say, that “you’ve arrived” Mr. Nery. You just entered the hitmaker circle.
The Juans are of equal stature as well, but a different kind of animal altogether. Previous songs by this quintet, which includes “’Di Tayo Pwede,” “Hatid” and “Lumalapit” (to name a few) leaned towards sentimental ‘hugot’ songs. But a new single titled “Anghel” finds the Pinoy pop band with the perfect love song. “This is the first time we’ve written a proper love song,” singer-keyboardist Carl Guevarra said, adding “it’s a conscious change for us, having written all those ‘hugot’ songs of late.”
In doing so, The Juans have made quite the fetching little pop song. The mid-tempo “Anghel” instantly hooks, and its choruses somewhat remind us of Rivermaya’s “Himala” but that could just be our ears trying to force this pretty new song in a comfortable peg. But that The Juans were able to wrap this one up with a retro-wave tinged pop sound is icing on the cake. But the point is that this tune is easily the best sounding song in The Juans’ catalog. And that’s saying something because they already have a handful of hits already.
Diminutive but packing dynamite charisma is Shanne Dandan. The singer’s new single “Hanggang Sa Langit” borrows its vibe and sound from classic 60’s pop. The aesthetique is a perfect fit for Shanne. Past singles from the singer show that she leans a bit toward alt-pop especially with “Sandali Lang.” The vibe that Shanne exudes is of this temperamental and introspective artist which clearly shows on her music and videos (and she’s building quite the collection that should be checked out). Shanne’s secret weapon though is that voice. It’s got power and conviction, tempered with a profound artistic flair. This totally makes Shanne Dandan one of the most underrated music acts out there today. it's a wonder that music fans haven’t still discovered Shanne. But in time, I guess they eventually will.