MANILA, Philippines — Original Pilipino Music alternative pop band Any Name’s Okay said it is not intimidated by other OPM artists.
In an exclusive interview with Philstar.com during the launch of the band's sophomore EP "Leaving Home" via Sony Music Philippines, vocalist Sofia Abrogar said that it is a toxic mentality if an artist feels that way towards other artists.
“The beautiful thing about OPM or music in general is nobody listens to one artist. Hindi siya product. Hindi siya pagalingan. They could listen to you and to million other bands. Sobrang toxic 'yung mindset na na-threaten ka sa ibang musicians. Kasi sa totoo lang community talaga ang music scene,” Sofia said.
“And you learn more from other people than anything. We’ve always seen something that we can take from them and we became friends e. At the end of the day, you make music that matters to someone, papakinggan nila 'yan whether ikaw 'yung pang-100 na artists na napakinggan nila or pang-lima,” guitarist Renzo Lumanog added.
Taking a huge step forward in terms of musical and creative direction, the six-track release digs deeper into the journey of navigating adulthood and embracing the uncertainty that comes with the process.
The band said that "Leaving Home" touches on introspective and existential themes. It renders emotionally blunt details, but most of the time, exhibits some of the growing pains that one has to go through in that transitional period towards maturity.
“We’ve all been through the wringer the last few years, and this was a much-needed emotional release for everyone. We believe that a thorough listen of the EP, however, still shows that same heart, energy and sincerity that people have come to know of us.”
Its focus track “Takbo” is one of the standout cuts as it tackles breaking free from burnout and the hustle culture. According to the band, the song is all about running for running’s sake: playing with the imagery of aching muscles and exhausting activities, with its destination and goal to no avail.
"Leaving Home" is written and produced by Any Name’s Okay, but with the help of the band's long-time pal, Luigi Del Rosario, for one of its singles, “Limbo.” Frequent collaborator Tim Recla and Nick Azurin also mixed and mastered all the songs in the EP, respectively.
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