Jay-R, Kyla reveal 'mutual understanding' in new song

MANILA, Philippines — Fans of Jay-R and Kyla or JayLa had long wondered if the two R&B singers had feelings for each other.

"Undeniable," their latest original track released under CS Music and Jay-R's own label Homeworkz, may offer them a glimpse of what they supposedly felt for each other back in the days.

"I must admit/ I do regret / Not letting you know I fell for you / I had a girlfriend / And I didn't want to disrespect," sang Jay-R.

Kyla replied: "I still remember / I was so under pressure / What was I to do / You didn't make a move / I wanted you to pursue / Now you know the truth."

In their December 14 guesting in the talk show "Magandang Buhay," they both revealed that they had "feelings" for each other.

Jay-R, who relocated to the Philippines in the early 2000s, met Kyla in GMA. They were both regulars at the defunct Sunday musical show "SOP."

Host Karla Estrada specifically asked about the lyrics above, to which Jay-R replied that he had indeed had "a little bit of crush" on his singing partner but he respected her and his then long-time girlfriend.

Kyla shared that she did not know that he had a girlfriend and thought of Jay-R's constant presence in her gigs as him being just friendly.

When the TV show's co-host Melai Cantiveros pointedly asked if they had feelings for each other, Jay-R reiterated what he had said earlier. Kyla, meanwhile, reasoned out.

"Para sa akin ang hurtful naman kung hindi, kung sasabihin na hindi ako nagka-crush dito. Para na ring hindi siya kanais-nais na tao. Hindi sa ganoon. Pero kasi, very likable si Jay-R. 'Uy nahanap ko 'yung ka-match ng boses ko. Parang nagja-jive kami nito.' Nagroon din naman pero only for a short time kasi nasa tamang pag-iisip din ako," Kyla shared.

"Undeniable" was recorded in January 2020. It is among the many singles they sang that include “Say That You Love Me," “Back In Time” and “You Are Not Alone." They also released in June last year the tribute song "Fight For Tomorrow," dedicated to the heroes/frontliners of the pandemic.

“Palagi kaming nagkikita sa trabaho. Lagi namin sinasabi sa isa’t isa na, 'Hey, gawa na tayo ulit ng kanta,' pero laging hindi natutuloy. So eto nga last year siminulan na namin ang kanta in time sana for our supposedly concert together. I went to Jay-R’s studio and we started out something then we recorded January 2020,” Kyla told Philstar.com in a statement.

“Ako ang nagstart ng pagsusulat ng song then si Kyla started to contribute na rin. Kung mapapansin n'yo ang lyrics ng song, it’s like there’s a glimpse of people’s impression on our relationship haha,” added Jay-R.

They are both happily married now. Kyla is married to cager Rich Alvarez while Jay-R tied the knot last year with singer-actress Mica Javier.

Jay-R produces records for other artists for local and international releases. Kyla, on the other hand, launched her own "vlogtorial" show on her YouTube channel (@kylaofficial) called “What’s Inside The Riffs."

"Undeniable" is written by Jay-R and Kyla. It is exclusively released by CS Music and Homeworkz as their debut collaboration and is available now for streaming in all major digital platforms.