MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Benj Pangilinan has forged his own path in the music industry as one of Sony Music Entertainment’s newest recording artists in 2023.
Coming from an esteemed lineage of established actors, music icons, and prominent entertainers, the promising newcomer is keen on proving skeptics wrong with an impressive debut that digs deep into young romance and nostalgia.
His new single, “Love, That’s Rare,” gazes wistfully at the complexities of love while acknowledging its effect on shaping one’s worldview, for better or worse. Benj wrote a song that transported him back to a specific time and place, helping him make sense of the conflicting emotions he was experiencing at the time.
“I wrote the song a while back, and to be honest, I’m not entirely sure why,” Benj shared. “Lyrics and melodies come in like a thief in the night. It’s all about knowing how to catch and record those creative flashes.”
Grammy-nominated Xerxes Bakker, who has collaborated with some of the biggest names in music, including Imagine Dragons and Snoop Dogg, was responsible for producing the track. Incorporating ‘80s soft rock spectacle with electronic flourishes, Xerxes gave Benj a playground to showcase his versatility and songwriting chops while ensuring that the structure was sturdy enough to weather the cracks. The result is a fine piece of contemporary pop that will surely stick around for quite a while.
Benj recalled how immediately comforting the experience was, after meeting Xerxes for the first time. “There was an immediate click. After some conversation, you already knew the visions were aligned. In terms of a production standpoint, it’s all about coming to a mutual understanding of the vision for the song and developing that trust with each other.”
