Trisha Denise ‘humbled’ to be writing songs for big names in the music industry

MANILA, Philippines — Kapamilya singer-songwriter Trisha Denise was able to incorporate her K-pop and K-drama fandom not only into the tracks in her EP, but also into her social media content.

She would do covers of K-pop hits and translate them into Filipino. These versions went viral on her TikTok and Facebook pages.

She is a big fan of BTS, IU, Stray Kids and Taehyun. “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God” or “Goblin” is her favorite K-drama of all time. One of her happy places is South Korea and she learned a bit of its culture and the language.

“When I started on TikTok, I thought about what kind of content I can share because andami ng kumakanta, andami ng may guitar,” recalled Trisha during a recent media interview at a lounge bar along Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City. “One time, I watched a K-drama. I said, ‘Ang ganda kaya nung sinasabi sa song. Sayang, hindi naiintindihan ng mga nanonood.’”

That’s when she decided to translate Korean songs into Filipino. “Napag-tripan ko lang po one time and then nagsunod-sunod na. I didn’t expect that there are a lot of people looking for that kind of content. They want to understand the song from the K-drama.”

K-pop has also played a great role in her EP entitled Simula ng Wakas and her life in general.

“It’s a story book,” described Trisha of her EP. “It tells the story of having a painful past and then (it) transforms to welcome your new beginnings. This is for the people who are looking for a fresh start.”

Trisha performs during the launch of her EP entitled Simula ng Wakas, which is partly influenced by her being a K-pop and K-drama fan.

Photos from ABS-CBN

The mini-album’s key track is Mas Mabuti Pa and it includes other songs such as Wag Mo Akong Gisingin, Seryoso, Guhit, Bati Na Tayo, and Simula Ng Wakas.

Simula ng Wakas came after Piece of the Puzzle, Trisha’s full-length album about love and heartbreak.

She has also teamed up with Filipina artist LU.ME and Singapore-based acts KIRI, kotoji, and Marian Carmel for a ditty called My Safe Place about mental health that was released in 2022.

Trisha has also written songs for some of the biggest names in the industry, including Regine Velasquez and Moira dela Torre’s Unbreakable, Pops Fernandez’s Get It Poppin, and Belle Mariano’s Somber and Solemn, among others. To be entrusted with such songwriting task was a “humbling experience” for Trisha who didn’t expect that she would land in the world of music in the first place.

Even though she came from a musically-inclined family, she wanted to be a chef when she was younger.

“(When I developed the) passion to play the guitar, I started writing my own songs — and I liked it. That’s what I pursued until college. I was thinking of taking culinary arts but sabi ni Lord, ‘Wag na,’” she shared.

She eventually forayed into songwriting and her first published song was for Janella Salvador’s debut album. The track was Teka Muna, Pag-ibig.

“So dun pa lang nakakagulat but I prayed for it, of course… I was surprised myself that it happened.”