Hong Kong-based Filipino singer-songwriter William Elvin launches his newest single, ‘Madaling Araw’ on Tuesday, May 31.
Published under O/C Records, Madaling Araw explores the concept of uncertainty and awkwardness anchored in a breakup experience. The track suggests a play on the allegory of a rising sun, much like representing a new beginning after a relationship ends.
William Elvin has kept the melodic piece of this track in the vault for several years until the record found itself into the artist’s cathartic process of songwriting.
In an interview with the artist, William Elvin shared more about his newest track: how important it is to share the story of the song with his listeners, why the songwriting journey of this track is a discovery, what type of emotion is embedded in its narrative, the state he was in during the production of Madaling Araw, and more.
TNH: Talk us through your process of creating your latest single. Madaling Araw speaks of awkwardness and uncertainty. What made you decide to tell such story through your music, and how important is it for you as an artist to share its narrative with your listeners?
William Elvin: The melody and idea for Madaling Araw have been with me for so many years, but I haven’t really finished the song or captured its essence. In a way, I find the experience of finally putting all the raw ideas together into one song as catharsis – as a way of looking back and coming to terms with past relationships and friendships and the guilt and regrets associated with those memories.
TNH: Music is undoubtedly subjective, but if you were to be asked, what kind of lessons/emotions do you want your listeners to acquire from Madaling Araw?
William Elvin: If there’s any emotion I’d wish the listeners to feel, it would be that hanging feeling of a bittersweet goodbye – whatever that is, I can’t explain it myself.
TNH: How would you describe the state you were in when you were crafting this single? What notable experiences along the journey greatly influenced your production of this track?
William Elvin: The journey to crafting this single is really one of discovery – especially those of possibilities outside of ideas I am familiar and comfortable with. Working with Kean Cipriano as a producer was wonderful, as it allowed me to imagine things the way he does and translate them into my own crazy terms.
TNH: You took on a pop-rock approach on this track, highlighting a bittersweet and nostalgic mood. In terms of its sonic arrangement, what can you share about the process of deciding the fitting artistic approach for Madaling Araw?
William Elvin: Kean and I played around with several ideas before deciding on this approach. It started as a slower-tempo ballad, but we felt it needed something a bit more than that. We were both pleasantly surprised when we discovered we can speed the song up a bit and give it some percussive edge as that bittersweet and nostalgic feel emerged.
TNH: You’ve worked with Kean Cipriano and Hazel Pascua for this track. What can you share about the experience and the influences of varying creative ideas in making the desirable record of Madaling Araw?
William Elvin: This is the first time I worked closely with Kean on a creative level, and the first thing I told him was that I wanted to imagine the song differently. I admire the way he imagines music and the way he really is open to a lot of ideas. Both of our openness contributed to how fun it was producing this song. Hazel Pascua is one of my best personal friends, and of course, my most trusted audio engineer. It’s always been easy to communicate with her, as we’ve known and worked together for so long and on so many projects.
TNH: How would you encapsulate the uniqueness or difference of this track from your previous releases?
William Elvin: I believe that this song is the first time I really felt like I was able to capture a song’s full essence into a recording. It is also very freeing, knowing that it sounds very different from the work most of my listeners expect from me – especially from the “Mula Sa Buwan”/theater musical stuff.
TNH: After producing Madaling Araw, how do you think it has influenced you as an individual and your work as an artist?
William Elvin: It definitely inspired me to get out of my comfort zone more, and I look forward to writing more new material after this one.
The track is produced by Wiliam Elvin alongside Kean Cipriano and mixed and mastered by Hazel Pascua.
The production of the record prompted William Elvin's artistic process to leave its comfort zone — setting him off to craft more fresh pieces after the release of this record as the journey renders a remarkable discovery: there are possibilities outside familiar and comfortable ideas.
You can now stream Madaling Araw on digital music platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube.
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