Calista, pinaghandaan ng halos tatlong taon ang alas dose

Matapos ang tatlong taong paghahanda, sa wakas ay ibinaba na ng mga miyembro ng P-pop group na Calista ang kanilang debut record, isang Extended Play (EP) na nagkaroon press launching last Tuesday night.

Ang grupo ay dating binubuo ng six-member, muli silang ipinakilala ng Merlion Entertainment na may four members na lang – Anne (leader), Dain (lead vocalist), Denise (main dancer), and Elle (creative lead).

Naunang nakilala ang girl group sa kantang Race Car and Ugnayan.

During the press launch, nag-perform ang Calista ng kanilang mga kanta na kasama sa album kabilang na ang very catchy at LSS-inducing main track, Alas Dose. Ang nasabing kanta ay bahagi ng kanilang EP Four (Finding Our Unique Rhythm), na kinabibilangan din ng LMK, Bongga Ka Day, Oops My Bad, and  ‘Wag Na. Lahat nang ‘yan ay original except sa kantang Bongga Ka ‘Day ng Hotdog.

Optimistic si Anne sa kanilang EP sa kabila ng slight na pagbabago sa kanilang mga kanta.

At ramdam na na-miss sila ng fans dahil during the presscon ay andun sila at todo ang pagche-cheer.

Kaya naman nagpahayag sila ng pasasalamat sa fans na patuloy na nagpapakita ng loyalty sa kanilang grupo.

“It wasn’t an easy journey, but we’ve overcome all challenges. My members are strong. When I feel down, they lift my energy. We’re excited for this new EP and the opportunities it brings,” pahayag ni Anne.

Bilang bahagi ng paghahanda sa naganap na laun­ching, grabe raw ang ginawa nilang training in dance, singing at ganundin sa kanilang mental health. “We’ve been preparing non-stop for this comeback. We’ve worked hard on dancing, singing, and coming up with new ideas. We also researched themes and sounds that would suit us. We know we need to stay strong as exhaustion is ine­vitable. Thankfully, we pushed through, even with some members falling ill,” paliwanag pa ni Anne.

Ayon naman kay Dain, ibang klaseng music naman ang gusto nilang ipakita ngayon. “We want to show different flavors. We don’t want to stick to just one genre. We want to offer variety to our fans. LMK is a song that’s said to suit us, and we want to add more R&B to our music, but we won’t stop there.”

Itinatampok ng pinakabagong EP ni Calista, Four (Finding Our Unique Rhythm) ang pangunahing track na Alas Dose.

“In this industry, fans are incredibly important. Their cheers keep us going and motivate us to perform better when they’re present. We’re grateful that they’re with us, dreaming of our success,” sabi ni Anne bilang pagpapahalaga sa mga dumagsa sa nasabing press launching.

“We’re excited about this new chapter. A lot of people believe in us. Our family encourages us, saying this could be our year, so we remain motivated. The fans are a big part of that drive,” sabi naman ni Denise.

Sa kanilang pagsali sa lumalalang P-pop competition, binigyang-diin ni Anne na hindi nakatutok ang grupo sa pakikipagkumpetensy. “We don’t want to compare ourselves to anyone else. Our only competition is with ourselves. We support the P-pop rise and want to help strengthen the industry.”

Nagpahayag din ng pasasalamat ang Calista sa mga kapwa P-pop group na BINI at SB19, na kinikilala ang kanilang papel sa pagpapalawak ng P-pop market sa buong mundo. “We’re incredibly grateful to BINI and SB19 for opening doors for P-pop. They’ve introduced the genre to both fans and casual listeners, broadening the audience for P-pop. Many more groups are emerging, and we believe we’ll reach that level too. Instead of comparing ourselves to others, we focus on improving our craft and using it as motivation,” pagtatapos ni Anne.