For Ben&Ben, the real treasure truly was the friends they made along the way
“Like Ride Home na marunong nang mag-skincare” was how Ben&Ben described their latest single Saranggola. If Ride Home kicked off their longstanding journey in OPM, this new track marks how much they’ve grown in the last eight years, as people but primarily as friends.
It initially reads as friends going their separate ways: “Saranggola’y lilipad sa kahel na kalangitan, paalam na nga ba sa ating nakaraan?” goes the opening verse. But as the folk-pop band makes clear in our conversation, as much as the song grieves the march of time, it’s also a love letter to the people who choose to remain.
Saranggola, after all, is the first Filipino song that the nine-piece has written for each other, almost a decade since their formation. Ahead of their The Traveller Across Dimensions World Tour, I chat with the members of Ben&Ben: Paolo and Miguel Guico (vocals, guitar); Poch Barretto (guitar); Jam Villanueva (drums); Agnes Reoma (bass guitar); Andrew De Pano (percussion); Toni Muñoz (percussion, vocals); Keifer Cabugao (violin); and Pat Lasaten (keys).
YOUNG STAR: Saranggola is a very joyful song, but it’s also bittersweet. What drew you to write and produce a song about saying goodbye?
ANDREW: We reflected that we rarely get the opportunity to savor something before it ends, so it’s about not waiting for things to end before being thankful. If you lost someone, what would you do if you knew two years earlier? What would you have done differently?
Did producing and performing Saranggola feel different, since it’s so laden with your shared history?
AGNES: Nakaka-senti siya. Nung unang pinarinig sa’min ni Pao (‘yung kanta), legit, it dawned on me na, shocks, sobrang tagal na nating magkasama. Sobrang dami na nating pinagdaanan. Para akong nabuhusan ng malamig na tubig na this is for life. When we were recording it, medyo gan’on din ‘yung feeling. Sa season na ‘to, ang dami naming nostalgic conversations, parang, “Uy, naalala niyo n’ong last time natin dito, ganyan,” and even perfroming it live, I get this sudden rush of nostalgia and melancholy. Melancholy?!
The band’s friendships with each other have all changed them for the better, for good. Their latest single ‘Saranggola’ celebrates that.
The song is very anthemic, but also nostalgic. What inspired this sound?
ANDREW: For the past two albums, we tried to be more on the experimental side. Ano pa ba ‘yung magagawa namin musically? For this, we carried all of that with us, but with a mindset of letting ourselves go back to kung ano ‘yung pinaka-basic sa’min. It’s like (going) back to your roots but enriched with Vitamin C. Para siyang Ride Home pero umiinom ka na ng tubig in the morning. Ando’n na ‘yung learnings namin.
Was there a moment, in your eight years together, that made you realize, “I’m grateful I’m not doing this on my own”?
PAT: Lagi talaga, (lalo) kapag may early morning shoots tapos magkakasunod na araw. If that was just me, feeling ko magdadabog na ‘ko. But because we’re experiencing this together, it’s not so bad.
ANDREW: ‘Di daw siya nagdadabog, guys.
PAT: Uy, ‘di nga!
ANDREW: I’ve been doing gigs since I entered college. Ang dami ko nang nakasamang groups, and I’m thankful for each of them. Pero ‘yung maglast nang ganito—these guys, who I’ve had eight years and around a thousand shows with, exponential talaga ‘yung connection I have with them. Aside from the music, super friends taaga kami, and I think the music has enriched the friendship. Iba talaga magpa-close ng tao ang music. I’m thankful to have so many bandmates na pwede ‘kong kulitin on a daily basis.
JAM: May mga times na tumutugtog kami ng Ride Home, (and) it brings me back. Best seat in the house talaga ‘yung drums kasi kita mo silang lahat, and whenever I’m in that headspace, I think, “Damn, these people.” Grateful ako na sila kasama ko, (and) moments like that, most of the time, happen onstage.
TONI: Marami naman talagang moments na napapaisip ako na, “Grabe, buti na lang sila ‘yung kasama ko,” lalo na sa challenging times. Last year, isa sa pinaka-challenging moments ng life ko ay nung nawala ‘yung tatay ko. Dark era ‘yun for a person, pero d’on ko pinaka-nafeel ‘yung pagsalo at pagdamay nila sa’kin. Outside work, naramdaman ko talaga, at sa maraming love languages.
AGNES: Kahit ilang years ka nang nagp-play at career na namin siya, hindi talaga nawawala ‘yung kaba whenever we get onstage. ‘Yung pinakamalala ko, nanginginig ‘yung paa ko, parang hindi ako makagalaw nang maayos. Pero tumitingin ako sa likod ko, and I feel like everyone is as scared as I am pero binibigay nila ‘yung todo nila. (Tuwing) nagkakamali ako onstage, they just laugh it out—I think.
PAOLO: Mahirap kapag siya yung nagkakamali, kami pa ‘yung mali—
AGNES: Buti na lang talaga tanggap nila ‘ko! Talagang nagpapasalamat ako sa mga bandmate ko.
MIGUEL: One (moment) is nung nawalan ako ng boses sa tour. It was both physically and mentally challenging, parang naging existential crisis din. Nand’on ka (to sing); if you won’t be able to do that, what then? How do you handle that stress? And I remember everyone was just there for me during that time—literally, kasi sinalo nila lahat ng vocals ko, pero emotionaly and as friends, talagang sinuportahan nia ‘ko.
POCH: Ako, when we make music in the studio. Doon lumalabas ‘yung magic of each individual, and we get a sneak peek of each other’s hearts through their own interpretations of the song.
PAOLO: One’s a life thing and one’s a light thing. One, ikakasal kasi ako, and having to take an extended amount of time away, I appreciate everyone stepping up (para) sumalo ng responsibilities. Pangalawa, ironically, ‘yung mga time na hindi kami tumutugtog, nagpupunta kami sa gigs tapos nagkikita kami unplanned. D’on ko nararamdaman ‘yung pagka-solid namin. Para kaming may secret organization.
KEIFER: When we have our retreats. I like those very bare (moments) na we’re showing who we are by being vulnerable. I really get to appreciate and thank God, honestly, na He put them in my life. You wonder why (they’re in your life), and when you find the reason, you can’t help but continue loving each other. This is still our career, but I love it when that’s unveiled and I see them as my friends.
After years of collaboration and friendship, what’s something you learned about yourself or your craft?
PAT: Aminado ako na matindi ‘yung character development (ko) since I met everybody. I was such an angry person; the smallest things would piss me off. But to be surrounded by these eight other people, observing how quick they are to give grace to each other and to me, na-realize ko onti-onti na pwede naman pala ko hindi maging harsh sa sarili ko at sa ibang tao.
ANDREW: I learned to care more for people. I stick to myself usually, but when I’m with these people, parang nagiging “Daddy mode” (at) aalagaan ko ‘tong mga ‘to.
TONI: Dahil may iba-iba kaming perspective na nadadala, parang na-input sa’kin ‘yung ability to think in different ways, like “Pa’no kaya kung si Paolo ‘yung nandito?” Para siyang superpower na may nakuha kang eight other minds—hindi niyo alam, kinuha ko na mga mind niyo.
You’re kicking off The Traveller Across Dimensions World Tour, with stops across the country, the US, and Singapore. What are you most excited about?
AGNES: Excited na ‘kong maging close kami lahat kasi every tour talaga, as much as maraming beauty, may iba’t-ibang challenges. ‘Yun ang nagpapa-stick sa’min. Let’s go, challenges! Let’s go friendship!
MIGUEL: Abangan niyo rin kasi we really want to come to a city near you, so we’re working hard to add cities to the list.
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Saranggola, along with Ben&Ben’s latest album The Traveller Across Dimensions, is out now via Sony Music Entertainment. For more updates on the band and their tour, follow @benandbenmusic.
