The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic may have taken a lot of things from artists and musicians including the ability to make ends meet and perform before a live audience. But there is apparently at least one thing that no coronavirus can ever take away from creative individuals and that is inspiration.
For the überpopular folk-pop band Ben&Ben, inspiration can come from different sources, sometimes even from the most unexpected places.
In the case of their latest single, “Lifetime,” inspiration came from netizen who goes by the user name Anna Jou.
During an online press conference held through Zoom to promote the song, the band shared that the song was inspired by a comment from a user by the name of Anna Jou on their music video for one of their biggest hits, “Pagtingin.” Posted 10 months ago, the official music video has generated over 29 million views and over 13,000 comments to date, yet it was Anna Jou’s particular comment that stood out like a sore thumb.
In her comment that she posted three months ago, she admitted to developing feelings for his male best friend but was unable to tell him about it because she was afraid it would ruin their friendship.
“The like I felt for him became love. I wrote poems, songs. After 8 years, I attended his wedding last January. And guess what? The world is really overly-cruel. Before his wedding, he thanked me for being his best friend and told me that before he met the girl he got married to, he loved me first. For 5 years…We didn’t know that if only one of us dared to make a move, a lifetime was waiting for us,” Anna Jou recalled.
This specific part of Anna Jou’s story struck a chord with Ben&Ben and ultimately inspired twin brothers Paulo and Miguel Guico to write and produce a song about it with the rest of the band.
Other than the fact the song was borne out of a YouTube comment, one of the most striking things about “Lifetime” is the fact that its recording process was so much more different than what the band is used to.
With the pandemic forcing everyone to stay at home, the band was prompted to use only their basic set-ups at home, where sometimes soundproofing is far from ideal. Amazingly, the lack of soundproofing somehow allowed the song to develop a rustic, organic charm.
Under the capable hands of renowned sound mixer Leon Zervos, best known for his work with the likes of Pink, Rihanna, Maroon 5, Beastie Boys, and Willie Nelson, the rain that was a problem during the recording sessions seamlessly wove itself into the narrative, enhancing the melancholic, Simon & Garfunkel like elements of the song and giving “Lifetime” a more compelling punch.
As for Anna Jou, she has since edited her comment and added a fitting postscript to her heartbreaking experience.
“I hope you guys would learn from my mistake. I hope we will experience the love that we deserve, maybe not now, but in our lifetime,” she concluded.
Released under Sony Music Philippines on June 4, Ben&Ben’s “Lifetime” is now available on Spotify and other digital/streaming music platforms.
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