Why is Yeng Constantino re-recording her songs, from the fan-favorites to the hit singles she wrote for other artists?
There’s a saying that goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. But then again, if it could be better, why not?
If you ask the singer-songwriter herself, who broke into the music scene as the first champion of the reality-singing search Pinoy Dream Academy, Yeng just wants to breathe new life into her creations.
The Hawak Kamay hitmaker told The STAR in a one-on-one interview: “I just want a new and modern arrangement for my songs. Siempre ang tagal na rin po ng last and that’s not my only plan.
“In addition to the fact that I want to dress the songs up with new arrangements, I want to re-lyric because I have songs that are like… why did I write this? I just want to edit it. I’m not a perfectionist. Actually, hindi ko po sakit yun. But I just want to improve (the songs) because I was still young at that time (when I wrote them).”
Distributed by Republic Records Philippines, the first volume or collection of five songs that she reimagined in an EP titled as Reimagined is now available on Spotify and other streaming services. Lyric videos are available on Yeng’s own YouTube channel.
They are Salamat (from the 2004 album Salamat); Lapit and Pag Ayaw Mo Na (from the 2009 Lapit album); Ako Muna (from the 2018 Synesthesia album); and Kasalanan Ko Ba (from Jaya’s 2019 Queen of Soul album).
Yeng offered some details about the “changes” she did to these songs.
“I have songs with simplified arrangement like Ako Muna. I made it so simple that it only features three or four instruments, it’s not a full band. Kasalanan Ko Ba, ginawan ko po ng version ko. I made it more pop-rock, more Yeng,” she told The STAR.
“My other favorite song from a past album that was produced by Kuya Raimund Marasigan of Eraserheads, pero hindi ko naging single, is Pag Ayaw Mo Na. I changed a chord progression and arrangement-wise, ginawa kong totally ballad. It’s now more piano-based. Originally, it was heavy on guitars.”
She stressed though that even with the new arrangements, the songs still have the Yeng Constantino stamp all over them.
“All the arrangements (are new) pero siempre po dahil ako yung kumanta, si Yeng pa rin ito. Makikilala po siya. Whatever is the original intention, it’s still the intention. But they will hear a different intro and we took out some elements.
“And there are songs which I put in more ‘voice-layering,’ very nakaka-Mariah Carey. Technically, hindi naman ako biritera, but the way I sing it is the way I sing. Perhaps the only difference is I have more experience in life now. Tapos meron ng karga ng emotion (it’s loaded with emotion).”
Meanwhile, asked what prompted her to re-record songs already loved by her fans in their original form, Yeng said, “The fans. They are the inspiration. Gusto ko po silang bigyan ng bago. They deserve it na bigyan sila ng favorite songs nila ng bagong twist.”
More reimagined songs are expected to come in three or four more volumes in the coming months. These include those she intends to “rewrite” like the hit she wrote for Angeline Quinto, At Ang Hirap. “There’s a lyric there that didn’t make sense,” said Yeng, citing: “Na ikaw at ako wala na.”
“Bakit ko pinalampas yun? Tinamad ako? May ganun ako. Pwede ko naman gawin, ‘Ngayon ikaw at ako ay wala na,’ lagyan mo lang ng ‘ngayon’. Gusto ko lang ayusin ulit.”
Now, Yeng has the complete liberty to do so because, as she put it, her songs have come home to her. Since last year, she has owned the rights to her vast back catalog from Star Music.
Despite stories we’ve heard and read about the struggles artists go through to own and profit from the music they create, Yeng said it wasn’t a difficult process in her case.
“Ever since, I’ve been thinking about passive income and to secure my future. It became more evident when I got married. Me and my husband, from the first year of our marriage, that was really our goal,” she explained.
“But even before the pandemic, I was thinking that one of the best ways (to achieve that) is for my catalog… umuwi na sa akin (to come home to me). Of course, I also took into consideration how Star Music would feel, and it’s part of our culture that we really don’t talk about money…ako rin naman, nahiya ako… But we don’t have bad blood, yun ang maganda.
“Of course, it wasn’t instant,” Yeng further shared of her experience, which involved carefully studying the contract she previously signed with Star Music and ensuring her move wouldn’t cause any problems.
“Kelangan kong sumunod sa bagay na pinirmahan ko. Nung nakita namin ng handler ko, parang OK naman, then we started to talk to them that, ‘Here’s the plan of Yeng.’”
Naturally, she recalled, the ABS-CBN music label executives had to know her reasons. “They needed to know if it was something personal? Is it because, nagtatampo ka ba sa amin? Is it ganito and what can we do?
“And I told them it’s not personal, business side (of things) lang. I’m not getting any younger and part of me securing my future is kung makauwi na yung mga songs ko sa akin, and it will be part of my business portfolio.”
She is very grateful to Star Music that they understood her.
“The good thing about Star Music …they get it. Pero siempre naiyak ako while saying (my reason) because we’ve worked with each other for the longest time. I didn’t want to offend the bosses and I don’t want them to feel that I’m not grateful to them. Ayaw ko naman maramdaman nila na wala akong utang na loob (I don’t want them to feel that I don’t owe them anything). And it’s good that they didn’t feel that way.”
Asked if she would recommend this career move to other artists, Yeng paused before saying: “First, my advantage is I have a management team like Cornerstone. I’m a creative person and when it comes to dealing with business, Cornerstone po nakikipag-usap.
“So, the first thing that they have to think about is kailangan may nagre-represent sa kanila na tama. Kasi pangit rin po kasi if sila ang directly nakikipag-negotiate. Especially with us. Creative people are not very good with selling themselves or marketing. Sometimes, our focus is more on to create…”
Under her arrangement with Cornerstone, she gets 100 percent of the earnings from her publishing rights but that her management was the one that worked “behind the scenes, particularly my handler, Ms. Cynthia Roque.”
“So they need to have a partner like that… that they can trust,” she said.