Why 2023 hit ‘Raining in Manila’ became Lola Amour’s ‘good problem’

CEBU, Philippines — There is no doubt that “Raining in Manila” raised Lola Amour to levels of success that their previous singles “Fallen” and “Pwede Ba” didn’t take them. If there is a minor inconvenience that came from releasing that 2023 hit, it’s having to postpone the release of their debut album, their first full project since releasing the EP “Don’t Look Back” in 2017.

“We were planning to release an album [in 2023] but we had to put it on hold because ‘Raining in Manila’ did too well,” the popular band’s lead vocalist Pio Dumayas told the Cebu media when they were here for the “Raining in Cebu Tour.”

“It’s a good problem. We had to take more time to promote the song and give it the attention we think it deserves. Maybe we can do one more single before the end of the year. We will write more songs this year and maybe next year, we can finally have the album.”

That single turned out to be a cover of Kitchie Nadal’s song “Huwag Na Huwag Mong Sasabihin” to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their record label Warner Music Philippines.

The seven-member band from Muntinlupa consists of Dumayas, bassist Raymond King, lead guitarist Zoe Gonzales, trumpeter Angelo Mesina, keyboardist David Yuhico, saxophonist Jeff Abueg, and drummer Raffy Perez.

“We have been working on the album way before the pandemic,” Mesina shared. “There are a lot of songs there that we have written but since time has passed, we had to sit down and align ourselves on how we can make the album better. A lot of new things have been happening that we have to keep updating and try to make the album better.”

With each member coming from different musical backgrounds, it all boils down to collaborative communication to ensure a harmonious relationship in the recording studio.

“We don’t just make the whole song and finish it like it’s a closed case. As you are making it, you are asking for advice, asking how it sounds. Throughout the creative process, I think it’s important for us to bounce ideas off each other,” Dumayas said.

Two hours before the band started their mall show months back in Cebu, the venue was already filled up. “The Cebu crowd is wild. When we last came here, we didn’t expect the reaction. It was one of the biggest ones we had at that time. We were taken aback,” King remarked.

Added Abueg, “It feels insane to grasp the reality of how big we have gotten now. It’s amazing to think we got a lot of fans, listening to our songs and we are grateful for the support we have.”

- Localizing City Pop -

“Raining in Manila” speaks about missing their friends and loved ones in their hometown as they settle into their new lives in a bigger city. That specific yearning is a common theme in “city pop”, a subset of Japanese pop inspired by disco and funk from the ‘80s that became viral online as part of the “vaporwave” movement.

Notable examples include “Plastic Love” by Mariya Takeuchi and ”Stay with Me” by Miki Matsubara, which provided the blueprint for K-pop songs “Neon” by Yukika, and “Pporappippam” by Sunmi. The genre also inspired Canadian artist The Weeknd to sample Tomoko Aran’s “Midnight Pretenders” for his song “Out of Time” as part of his latest album “Dawn FM.”

“City pop was brought by the economic boom of Japan in the ‘80s where people from the [small prefectures] started to migrate into the cities and their common theme was about loneliness and missing their friends,” Dumayas explained

Noting how missing loved ones is a common feeling among Filipinos living aboard, he said, “We thought about our friends who left during the pandemic to study for their Masters, lived there, and decided not to come back.”

In a video the band uploaded last July where they explained the song’s creation in-depth, Dumayas admitted that he and King, who wrote the lyrics with Yuhico, couldn’t completely relate as most of their friends are still in the country. To be able to connect to the song on a personal level, he thought about how he couldn’t catch up with his friends because of their busy schedules.

“I know we have to make the time, but you have to prioritize yourself even if you miss them. Instead of finding time to talk and catch up, the stuff you are going through is not kwento material so you don’t know what to say to them. Instead of hitting them up, I just wrote them the song,” Dumayas explained.

Yuhico, for his part, completely identifies with the song. “It’s two-fold because I moved back from the States, so I was the mover. When I got here, I started meeting my friends and they started moving away. It’s like double jeopardy,” he shared.

“Raining in Manila” is so successful that it even made waves outside the Philippines. K-pop idols such as Bambam covered the song during his Manila concert, while Enhypen member Jake played it for fans during a Weverse live stream.

On how the band feels about their songs reaching international audiences with translated lyrics, King said, “Sometimes things get lost in translation and it’s always interesting when our words are interpreted. We’re just wondering how they were able to connect the feelings we had as Filipinos with our different experiences.”