Bold and brave moves don’t always mean tough sounds and hardcore dances. For G22, their courage of exploration comes with a sweeter music flavor
First, they enter the P-Pop scene with a “Bang”; then they launch “Boomerang.” Their latest single circles back to how we know them best—fierce and forward with their declaration. But before G22 proclaimed “I Hate Boys,” the Female Alphas—AJ, Alfea, and Jaz—realized the complexities of a “One Sided Love.”
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The Female Alpha DNA
While going beyond their girl crush concept is nothing new to the girl group, their second to the latest single offers their most delicate beat yet. Lyric wise, the persona declares that she is a willing accomplice, ready to be a martyr for love. Who said being a female alpha didn’t include being a fool?
“At first, we were kind of hesitant going into this kind of direction,” the trio’s leader, AJ, admits. “Sobrang layo niya to how G22 normally is. But naisip namin, it’s still G22 pero the backstory of it. How we came to be. We were hurt, we were in pain. That’s why we became stronger.” Bullets, their fanbase, can think of “One Sided Love” as the prelude that led to their punchy, hard-hitting tracks.
The road to transitioning their sound, however, is more than just a sonic exploration. When a group decides to experiment with their vision, the visuals are part of the package. As main visual Alfea notes, “Madalas ‘pag nagpe-perform kami, medyo hirap kami ng maghanap ng parts kung saan kami nakangiti.”
“The vocals and technique, the way we sing the song, the way we’re performing—it’s quite different,” Jaz, the main vocalist, notes. “It’s a whole different chapter of learning, but we want to keep experimenting and doing this. You know when you’re uncomfortable, you’re growing. And that’s great.”
The Sound of a Trio
According to Alfea, they received an initial recording as their guide to the first demo. Then, she found the need to write additional lyrics to the song. Expounding their active participation in each release, AJ explains, “When it comes talaga to our contribution, as much as possible, we really want to put ourselves through the whole process of songwriting, production, everything.”
“Even if the song is bigay, like “Boomerang,” we still make adjustments. We add our own story, we add our own G22 touch,” affirms Jaz. “More recently, pinlano namin how we’re going into this new direction. After a while, we went to this enthusiastically. We came forward. We were looking for something fun, something delicate. It’s perfect with ‘One Sided Love.’”
After years of training and debuting together in 2022, AJ, Alfea, and Jaz have witnessed each other’s evolution as artists. Along with their collective creativity as G22, they turn to each other for inspiration and advice on their individual growth as well. “We ask each other for advice, “ Alfea opens up. Jaz nods in agreement. “The advantage of being in a group is that we can always ask each other for very honest opinions. It’s not like someone can throw a tantrum and leave. We respect each other. Helping each other and having those opinions are really, really important.”
Their Mindful Artistry
It is no surprise to MEGA Entertainment that in the subject of responsibility as an idol and of their supporters, or Bullets as they are called, G22 has a definite stance. AJ, beginning the conversation on this, stresses the importance of creative freedom for their line of work as artists. “If you box yourself with certain rules, hindi ka mag-grow as an artist and even in the industry. You will not grow personally din. Freedom and creativity as an artist? Those are important things.”
Artistic freedom, for Jaz, is not just about using one’s voice to sing their next best single. It means speaking up for their advocacies. “If an artist doesn’t have that freedom, it takes away the beauty of it. Having creative freedom is really great because fans, followers, and whoever else is listening, kahit isa or one hundred percent, it’s special because you get to directly speak up about advocacies.”
Concluding the interview with a reminder for their Bullets, G22’s leader says, “We’re grateful for having them, but we also have to set our boundaries for our own emotions. One phrase or word can affect a lot of people and things.”
Featured Image: MEGA ARCHIVES
