Matthaios no longer pressured to make a hit song

MANILA, Philippines — Catriona singer Matthaios aspires to churn out more love songs on top of his list of releases, such as Binibini, Pangga, Vibe with Me, to name a few.

“I wanna stick to love songs though because I like the things that I’ve experienced or my friends have experienced,” he said in a recent group interview.

The pop, hip-hop, R&B artist, known for his viral track Catriona, which was inspired by Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray, just released Tayo Sana featuring Yow. His latest single dives deep into the emotions of longing and nostalgia.

He shared that it was so “light” to work with his friend, Yow, for the breakup anthem Tayo Sana. “We were preparing for something else for an event. Yow got his guitar and he strummed some chords. ‘Let’s make something.’ Of course, usapang tropang lang. I hummed while he was playing on his guitar until nabuo yung lyrics,” he recalled on how the song came to be.

Later that night, Matthaios sent the polished lyrics to Yow and the rest is history.

The rapper-songwriter said that he considers Gloc-9, vlogger Cong TV, and Asintada Management and Production Inc. head Thea Pollisco, and some of his friends, as mentors when it comes to his craft.

The main advice that he received from them is to “write what you want.”

“Because I’ve gone through a phase where I write to make a hit,” he told The STAR. “And I think it’s wrong. You have to write what you want because the people will feel it if what you’re writing is genuine.

“I think the people will accept it if it’s more genuine and they will feel what you want to convey (through your songs). So it’s all natural. Recently, I’ve been writing na for me and it’s up to them if they will like it or not. If it will become a hit or not, I’m proud of what I did.”

He made such realizations during the pandemic. “Kasi ‘di ba sunod-sunod yun? I noticed that the numbers were decreasing. I felt pressured na kailangan yung sunod ko ganito. But naisip ko, I didn’t have this feeling before, nung wala pa akong hit songs. I didn’t feel the pressure. I did it because I want to do it.

“So, I brought back that kind of mindset. I have to enjoy the writing sessions, the process and to make something that I should be proud of.”

Given the chance, Matthaios would like to collaborate with his mom’s favorite artist, Sarah Geronimo, and Gloc-9 for the second time. He worked with Gloc-9 in 2021 for the Christmas song, Araw-Araw Pasko. “Hopefully, a love song for our next collaboration,” he expressed.

The biggest collaboration so far for Matthaios was when he joined forces with other Southeast Asian artists for Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Raya and The Last Dragon” for the track Trust Again. “Nakakatuwa lang na parang yung kinalabasan nung song, you can use your own language. It was Disney, so it was the biggest. Only a few people could say that I did a soundtrack for a Disney movie.”

In the future, he hopes to stage more shows here and abroad, as well as a solo concert. Matthaios is finishing his thesis for his course, Bachelor of Science in Interactive Entertainment Major in Game Development. He plans to pursue both game development and music career.