The Callalily: More than just pretty boys

Deafening shrieks and screams of the crowd, especially from young ladies, as well as thunderous applause filled the air when Callalily recently launched its second album at the entertainment area of SM Mall of Asia. Seeing the members upclose, the furor was understandable. The band has young, good-looking and talented members.

The frontman, Kean Cipriano, has tons of sex appeal and the guys backing him up — Aaron Paul Ricafrente on bass, Tatsi Jamnaque on guitars, Alden Acosta on guitars and Lemuel Belaro on drums — are lookers, as well. They dished out heart-wrenching vocals and beautiful guitar melodies. And they certainly know how to bring the house down.

However, it’s not fair to tag Callalily members as mere pretty boys. Since they blazed into the local music scene in 2006, the members, then mostly in their late teens, have proven that their success has a lot to do with their talent and not just their good looks.

It wasn’t too long ago when five talented college students were discovered by Sony BMG, the same record label that gave rise to such bands as Eraserheads, Cueshe, 6Cyclemind, Pupil and Brownman Revival. Callalily clinched a recording contract and a management deal. The group’s debut album, Destination XYZ, instantly spawned a hit single, Stars, followed by other bestselling tracks — Take My Hand, Magbalik, Pasan and Sanctuary — which were accorded with heavy radio airplay.

Interestingly, the band’s name Callalily was not derived from the flower but from a bread that lead singer Kean liked when the group was just starting. While most people initially thought the band was a mere flash in the pan with the success of its debut album, Callalily proved otherwise. Naturally, there were detractors who became too critical of them, saying they didn't deserve the good break. But Callalily’s efforts did not go unnoticed. The band’s debut album was certified gold.

“They thought we had it too easy, that we got signed up too fast,” Alden allows. “But we learned to live with the accusations. We didn’t ask for the break, although we're just so thankful for it and grateful that we were chosen among so many other bands out there, to record an album. We worked hard for it. We paid our dues. We are simply thankful for the warm reception and the chance to be part of music history.”

Callalily fans have christened themselves Callalistas and they paved the way for Destination XYZ to achieve gold status. But even before the album was released, the band had already created a steady following with its gigs. Doing front acts for the shows of 6Cyclemind also helped Callalily gain more fans.

Callalily recently released its sophomore outing, Fisheye, under Sony BMG Music Entertainment. The album contains 15 original tracks written by the band members and produced by 6Cyclemind’s Rye Sarmiento and Ney Dimaculangan. Carrier track is Susundan, which, according to Kean, is about “following someone you love who left without any word of warning.”

The songs were culled from the members’ own experiences and from the people whom they know. Expressing different emotions and youthful sentiments, the tracks likewise reflect the group’s musical influences, like Goo Goo Dolls, Vertical Horizon and Green Day.

Asked why they called the album Fisheye, Alden explains, “It is named after the camera lens that broadens the landscape. In the same way, we approach the same things with a different point of view.”

The members confirm Fisheye is a more mature musical outing as compared to their debut recording. “With all our experiences in the industry, whether or not it’s good or bad, we think we found ourselves through this album,” Alden says.

“We changed. We became accustomed to the idea of working in a studio. We got more comfortable and it reflected on the songwriting,” adds Tatsi.

Kean believes Fisheye is their best work yet. “I think this is the best we’ve done so far. It's way better than the first one (Destination XYZ). There’s nothing profound about Fisheye. It’s just a term we came across in the many photographers’ books we digested during the last tour. In fact, the cover of the album is shot using a fisheye lens that takes in an extremely wide and circular image.”

Fisheye also has more musical elements compared to Callalily’s debut outing. Not a few who have listened to the second album comment that it is well put-together, written, mixed and mastered. “For the  album, we incorporated synth, violin, keyboards, percussions and Latin beats,” offers Lemuel. “Lyrically, we think we are able to fully explain what we want to say here in Fisheye.”

6Cyclemind’s Rye reunites with Callalily to produce Fisheye. He also produced Destination XYZ. “It was great working with Rye the first time,” Kean shares. “For Fisheye, he got exactly what we wanted our album to sound. Ney, meanwhile, is such a joy to work with. He was so full of ideas and was not afraid to try new things.”

In this year’s Myx Music Awards, Callalily was nominated as Favorite Artist, Favorite Group and Favorite Music Video for Magbalik. For the second album, the group recorded Ako’y Babalik, its  answer to the hit single last year, Magbalik. Dito Ka Lang is a song about illusions, while the track, Isabel, is about forbidden love.

Lumbay is about hope and temporary sadness. Shine is Kean’s song for his bandmates and Song for the Youth is the group’s encouraging paean for young people. Other tracks in are Fake Lullabies, Hintay, Inside My Heart, Jewelry Box, Luha, A Starry Night, Trapped Inside the Moment and Tunay na Ligaya.