Angeline Quinto lends voice to English OST of BTS-inspired K-drama

Angeline Quinto has lent her voice to the English version of the original sound track (OST) for a BTS-inspired Korean drama series titled “Begins ≠ Youth.”

Being a K-drama and BTS fan (or ARMY), the Kapamilya recording artist was naturally thrilled upon being offered to reimagine the song Take It All, which was originally performed by South Korean artist JEMMA.

“I’m a K-drama fan, kaya kinilig ako when I was told about this project. Tapos BTS-related pa — I am a fan, too, and most of my friends and bosses in ABS-CBN are ARMYs so I felt really happy,” she told The STAR in an exclusive interview.

Apart from feeling grateful to be tapped for a project inspired by the K-pop superstars, Angeline is equally thankful for the response from fellow ARMYs. “I’m thrilled as in. Sino ba ang hindi fan ng BTS?! And so far, I’m so happy and grateful with the response of the Pinoy ARMYs. Napaka-supportive nila and it makes my purple heart very, very happy,” she said.

Reworking the original track into an English version was both a challenging and rewarding experience for the singer.'

One of the recording challenges was the language barrier. “But somehow, we connected like the old cliché that says music talaga is a universal language,” Angeline recalled.

The song sounded different from what she was used to doing. “The original version — you can feel it’s very emotional and low-key. At first, I thought mahihirapan ako with all the years of belting songs. But it turned out really well with the guidance of my Korean producers. Sanay ako sa emotions and I am happy with how it turned out to be. Everybody is happy actually,” Angeline said.

Take It All is more than just a career achievement for Angeline; it represents an avenue to more international collaborations. “Professionally, I am looking forward to making more collaborations with Korean composers and music producers. Their ways are a little different from how we do it here in the country, so I am also learning a lot about new ways on music production,” she said.

Angeline hopes that fans, both in the Philippines and in Korea, will appreciate her rendition. “Sana ma-happy din sila. I did my best to give a new ‘Angeline’ flavor to the song and it also opened up new realizations that I can also do well with low-key singing,” she said.

Reflecting more on how her singing has evolved, Angeline sees Take It All as proof of her growth as an artist. “Syempre when you are getting older in the industry — like for me, I started as a biritera, I need to prove that kahit madami nang taon ang dumaan that I can still do birit songs easily and on the other hand, that I am able to adapt to new music trends and be still relevant as a singer even without the trademark birit ways,” she said.

“Take It All is a new kind of music for me and hopefully, I can release more of this kind of music with the help of my new home Universal Records,” she explained.

This song officially marks her first project with her new music label Universal Records Philippines. “With the blessing of my former bosses at Star Music, this decision became very smooth and everyone is happy about it. They are happy for me and very supportive of my decision to try something new outside of my long-time and loving home. As for my UR family — sobrang no need to think about their offer with their track record of bringing local talents to the international stage,” she shared.

Angeline hinted at more exciting projects with Universal Records. “Yes, Universal Records has many projects lined up for me and I am very excited na for the coming years,” she said.

Meanwhile, what makes her more excited and inspired these days is motherhood. “Of course, my Baby Silvio and soon my baby girl. They are the source of my joy these days and my inspiration whenever I perform,” she said.

Family life now plays the most important role in Angeline’s career. “They are my world now. I am constantly moving, working, and growing in this industry that gave me so much, but at the end of each day, I am always excited to go home and be with my family,” she said.

(Angeline's new song is now available on digital streaming platforms.)