The Juans
The Juans had been steadily gaining momentum since its formation in 2013, until it hit a roadblock in 2018: Three of its five members decided to leave the pop-rock group to pursue their respective personal endeavors.
And for a while, uncertainty loomed over the head of frontman and songwriter Carl Gueverra. But just one look at the band’s growing fan base was all it took for him to recalibrate and remember his goal as a musician. “When I felt like things were crumbling, what pushed me to move forward are the ‘Juanistas’ who continue to support what we do and get inspired by our work. And as long as there’s one person out there listening to us, we play on,” he said at a press conference.
Like most people who enter the entertainment industry, Carl, at one point, did find the idea of fame attractive—performing on television, the works. But what had happened to the band reminded him of its foundations.
“We realized that maybe we’re not cut out for that. Let’s just stick to our purpose, which is touching people’s hearts through our music. I always say that we’re pursuing purpose, not popularity. That’s our motto in whatever we do,” related Carl, who was left with guitarist Japs Mendoza, after the departure of Jiad Arroyo, Daniel Grospe and Jason de Mesa.
“Writing music is in my heart. It’s a joy doing it for the people. Tuloy lang kahit wala nang shows. Let’s not stop, even if we can only release one song a year. Let’s keep touching people’s lives,” he stressed.
Carl sought to reconstruct the group. Fortunately, the church he and Japs attend are rife with young, skilled musicians. Soon enough, The Juans were back to five, with new members, RJ Cruz (acoustic guitar), Chael Adriano (bass) and Joshua Coronel (drums).
“We all grew up in the same church. Unknown to them, Japs and I had already been checking them out to see if they would be a good fit. We had secret auditions of sorts. ‘Pwede ba ’yan?’ Japs and I would ask each other,” Carl related.
After Carl and Japs finalized the new lineup, The Juans got down to business and started rehearsing the band’s material. “We already had previous opportunities to play with each other as worship leaders. So, it was fairly easy for us to get along and gel together,” Chael recalled. “We went through the band’s songs and EPs one by one.”Joshua, on the other hand, revealed that Carl had long been one of his idols. “I look up to him. I used to just wish about being able to play with him. And now we’re band mates,” he said.
Around the same time all such changes were taking place, The Juans’ dropped its second EP, “Umaga,” which spawned the hit “Hindi Tayo Pwede”—the sentimental, heartbreak anthem helped the group become one of today’s most streamed local music acts.
The song, which has recorded over 33 million streams on Spotify alone, was also recently used as the theme song of a recent romance movie of the same title, starring Lovi Poe, Marco Gumabao and Tony Labrusca. Among the band’s other hits include “Hatid,” Umaga” and “Lumalapit.”
For Chael, the success of “Hindi Tayo” could be attributed to its earnest melodies and no-frills composition.
“It’s an honest statement that resonated with the young generation because wala siyang palabok. Kung hindi pwede, hindi pwede. And that’s how it is in life sometimes. We realize that some things aren’t meant to be. And sometimes, we dwell on it too much and magnify it, instead of moving on, getting back up and putting back the pieces back again,” he pointed out.
“That song taught me how to manage my feelings and emotions properly,” Chael added.
The media gathering was held at the Pasig City offices of the band’s record label, Viva, on the very same floor Carl used to take workshops when The Juans just began making their presence felt. He couldn’t help but wax nostalgic.
“I’m nervous. We used to come here as students, wearing plain jogging pants while attending our workshops. And now, it’s different. We’re here with members of the press, and all these cameras,” Carl said. “We feel overwhelmed and grateful for everything that has been happening with the band.” INQ