Young multi-hyphenate Inigo Pascual is back from his well-received overseas venture–and with him is brand new music with an entirely new perspective. Pascual just launched his first international solo single, “Options,” the fruition of efforts put forth by Tarsier Records, in collaboration with LA-based instrumentalist Bernard “HARV” Harvey.
“Options” is the title track of his upcoming LP of the same name that is slated to be released at the last quarter of 2019. “I’ve always believed that OPM has what it takes to go global,” the 21-year-old actor, VJ, and host shared in an exclusive listening party hosted at Studio 28 in Taguig City.
“The opportunity that’s been given me is a big blessing and I will be forever grateful for it because I am not just representing myself and Tarsier Records, but also the Philippines. And for me, to be able to do a crossover and to be able to make music in another country makes me proud of being Filipino. It makes me proud to appreciate my roots even more,” he enthused at the launch event.
During the launch party, Tarsier Records label head Chris Lopez took pride in the top-caliber team that went on to work on the fulfillment of the recording label’s “biggest project yet”. Apart from legendary music producer behind Justin Bieber’s current record and concert, “Options” also enlisted the genius of songwriter Felisha “Fury” King, who pens and produces songs for the popular FOX TV show, Empire and several artists like Justin Bieber & Eminem.
“This is an exciting project and a culmination of efforts of many people across oceans and time zones for the better part of the year. It is definitely the largest project Tarsier has ever undertaken. [And the show of support for what we have done] just shows our readiness as a country to cross over and make a mark in the international scene. There has been a lot of talk about crossing over, and if there’s anyone who’s ready to make that first move, it’s this kid right here, Inigo Pascual,” shared Lopez.
He continued, “His spirit, talent, work ethic, whole vibe just empowers everyone around him. He has the most jam packed schedule. He can be in Tokyo one day and then London the next and he still shows up with a smile on his face, ready to work. To do what we do here takes a village, and he’s earned everyone’s respect many times over. This kid is a star in every sense.”
A brainchild of Lopez, Tarsier Records was established in 2017 with the mission of putting premium on Filipino talent and building an arsenal that would ready local musicians on the global stage. In its roster are young talents Sam Concepcion, Markus, and Kiana Valenciano.
With Pascual’s “Options”, Lopez is confident that someone would be able to lead the charge in setting up an international audience for OPM. He talked of the album’s creative process, “The songs on this album are on another level. We’ve got powerhouses in production and in songwriting from LA to Manila. The reception of Inigo’s music abroad has been amazing. We have full clubs in New York and in San Francisco jumping. We’ve got DJs from top radio stations in LA, in New York, and the bay asking when they could get the track airplay. We want people to know this is our time. And the time is now.”
Pascual in sharing the journey to his first track, gushed on how he has developed a creative collaboration with bigwigs in the US towards the completion of the album. He noted, “It’s not work when I am with these people. They welcomed me as family right away and that, to me, is the most important thing–surrounding yourself with people that not just motivate you but people who make you feel like you’re one of them. Having them by my side made the whole process a lot easier for me and more memorable. I’ve been in the US, twice, to record a lot of tracks for this upcoming album, and Options is just the first track.”
Pascual was said to have performed “Options,” at the legendary Viacom Times Square building in New York to the delight of music fans from around the globe.”The first time I performed ‘Options’ was with non-Filipinos. I was so nervous. But it was so cool because you see that no matter what race you are, no matter what language you speak, music is music and music is a universal language. And it was the most amazing feeling when you see a lot of nationalities enjoy a song that you know you created in your country,” he shared.
When asked about working with big names for the album, he said, “The first producer that I have worked with is the current producer of Justin Bieber’s album, Harv, and for me it was a dream come true and to be able to do that was honestly crazy. I just didn’t imagine that this would happen so fast.”
He raved, “The first time we met, akala ko introductory meeting since this was the first time ABS-CBN will be doing something like this. And then the next time we met, akala ko we are going to work on some songwriting session on the songs that I have prepared and then he said that we are to work on everything brand new—the music, the lyrics, all in one day. I was really surprised because it is completely different from how we do it in the Philippines but it turned out really great. In a way, it became an immersion for me—something that we would want to apply here. We learned and shared new things from and to one another.”
2019 is looking to be a year of big moves for the young singer-songwriter–officially crossing over to reach global audiences, especially with ABS-CBN’s continuing efforts to bring Filipino talent to the world stage.
Pascual recently launched his first international collaboration, “Mr. Nice Guy,” with Australia’s no. 1 YouTuber and Chinese recording artist, Wengie, which currently holds the top spot at the MYX Philippines charts with more than three million views in YouTube alone. Following this, “Beautiful”, his collaboration with Markus, Kyler and Moophs has just topped the NMF PH Playlist as the number one local release.
“Ang nakakatuwa is the support of our own people, not just here but also from Filipinos in the US. Honestly, that’s the most important thing. Having that kind of support is how you bring our music to the world stage. That way, we also educate the younger generation, those who were born and raised in the US, that we can also make amazing music in the homeland,” he emphasized on this continuing effort to raise the Filipino flag in the international scene.
“Options” is now available for streaming. For updates, follow @abscbnpr on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram or visit www.abscbnpr.com and Rank Magazine for latest news.