Tim ready for the big time

When balladeer Tim Pavino participated on ABS-CBN’s The Voice of the Philippines Season 2, he was in it to win it, but he had a contingency plan in case he didn’t. Even as he went further in the competition under the tutelage of his coach Lea Salonga, he was also working on new music by himself. He wanted to release something whether he won or not. He wanted to be ready for the big time, no matter what.

So, when he was eliminated just before the grand finals, he didn’t waste any time moping. He hit the ground running, putting the finishing touches on the songs that would become Tim Pavino, his first major-label release under Star Music.

He made sure that the album’s 17 tracks — 11 songs, one remix and five instrumentals — would remind its listeners why they fell in love with his voice in the first place. That’s why the album has plenty of ballads, including duets with Angeline Quinto and Morissette Amon, as well as a cover of One Direction’s hit Story of My Life, which he performed in The Voice to thunderous applause. However, Tim also wanted the album to surprise people, so he added a song called Good Vibes, which served as its lead single.

?Good Vibes, a breezy, uptempo number, took people by surprise when it hit the airwaves.

“People know me as a balladeer. They don’t know that I love many different genres of music, like alternative rock and R&B. I also have a lot of things I want to do and explore musically. I’m still going to stay true to ballads, but I would like to add elements of the other parts of me,” he explains.

He acknowledges Good Vibes was a departure for him, but he doesn’t regret releasing it because it was well-received.

“I’m happy because people have been playing it everywhere, in stores and restaurants. I’m glad they love it. Sayang lang I didn’t have time to make a music video for it. Usually, when you release a single, within two months everything should be coming together. But by the time I was ready, Good Vibes had been out for about four months already. So I said, ‘Let’s just release a second single.’”

That second single turned out to be I’d Do Anything, which is a return to form for Tim. It’s an emotional ballad that he started writing three years ago. It also has a music video.

Looking back, Tim says he wouldn’t have made it to this point if it weren’t for the help of music producers Jonathan Manalo and Soc Mina. The latter helped him put together an independent album years ago and was instrumental in getting his career off the ground, while the former helped him find his footing in the studio while recording Tim Pavino.

“Soc helped me produce the album, find arrangers, songwriters — he really put it together. That album was independently produced,” Tim says. “As for Jonathan, he helped me make sure I stayed true to who I am. In the studio, he would enhance what I was doing, but he avoided turning me into something I’m not, which I appreciated.”

So why did he feel like he needed to join The Voice of the Philippines?

“I think God gives you tools. A competition is just a tool that you can use to help yourself. It’s good to join competitions because those watching you become part of your journey. Honestly, if it wasn’t for the show, people might not be able to relate to me or my music. Kaya I think competitions are still worth joining,” he says. — With reports from Almed Garcia and Julian Mauricio