“Let’s go write a song and collaborate!” This is what established hit singer-songwriter Janine (Teñoso) seems to say to all the fellow music acts she’s had the pleasure to work with. And on this end, she’s had a few.  Some of her biggest songs to date are music team-ups.

There’s “Pelikula” that she co-wrote with Arthur Nery some three years ago, and she first proved that she has a knack for working beautifully with others. At the time, Nery was starting to blow up as a solo R&B-soul music act, and for his singularly distinct style, Janine, too, was no slouch in the singing department and was performing at a high level.  The resulting combination of Nery and Janine, especially on their call-and-response delivery as they take turns on this soulful ballad, has resulted in some fine performances from both acts. To date, “Pelikula” is close to breaking the 100 million streaming mark.

Next up for Janine is “Tingin” which she co-wrote and recorded with Cup Of Joe over a year ago. COJ was already making great strides as one of the top pop bands of the Gen Z set, but the timely arrival of Janine’s collaboration with the band seemed to have pushed them over the edge as one of the biggest bands of the year. Credit goes to both COJ and Janine for their tasteful songwriting. If you know of the tune, you’re probably hearing the chorus right now. It’s that good—100 million streams kind of good.

And now Janine has a new ‘collab’ with young song ace Rob Deniel. The just-released single “Distansya” is a different flavor from that of Arthur Nery and Cup Of Joe. Still, it has nonetheless all the elements that made those previously mentioned tunes so compelling. “Distansya” is a grooving and ear-tweaking tune about not letting distance come in between a beautiful and budding love affair. Rob Daniel and Janine not only manage to sell the concept, but their voices rubbing together in harmony sounds good as they latch on to the track’s bubbly melody and groove. Rob Daniel himself is fresh from his success from his singles “Miss,” “Ang Pag-big,” and “RomCom,” but Janine might be the lucky charm to push him from fan-favorite to a true-blue darling of the Pinoy pop set.

Chalk up another win for Janine if that happens.

UDD is making good on its promise that 2024 will be a big year for the renowned electronic music, soul and rock trio. UDD (Up Dharma Down) is turning up the heat with its new single, “Nanaman.” The new track follows the success of the previously released track “Run Deep,” which saw UDD’s heavy leanings into electronic music on full display.  

This time, the band—Paul Yap, Ean Mayor, and Carlos Tañada—is sonically shifting gears. “Nanaman” is a sonic pivot for UDD, from their previous track’s heavy all-electronic vibe to a more melodic turn this time out. Lead vocalist Paul Yap is joined by guest vocalist Trisha Lorenzo, who harmonizes with Paul’s vibing, low-key delivery. Adding percussion on club music inflected “Nanaman” is percussionist Aman Thaddeus Dela Cruz.

Ean Mayor, Paul Yap, and Carlos Tañada did share in an interview that “this is a prelude to the album the band is working on”  and that the trio has every intention of ratcheting up their releases this year. Paul Yap said, "two more tracks are already on the way following this release.”

“Nanaman” is produced by UDD with Francis Lorenzo.