For electro-pop indie artist Jace Roque, nothing beats a finely crafted record

Jace Roque

Navigating the music industry today is a markedly different game from what it used to be 15 years ago.

In the age of digital distribution and streaming, one must be technologically savvy and innovative in harnessing the potential of online platforms as promotio­nal and marketing tools. One must also be flexible enough to adapt to the rapid pace with which the business and audience tastes evolve.

But while such qualities have indeed become indispensable—especially for aspiring artists—indie electro-pop artist Jace Roque still believes that nothing beats a finely crafted record.

“Visibility on social media and digital or online programs, and getting editorial playlist features on Spotify are driving factors. But people will always gravitate toward music as long as it’s beautifully crafted, authentic and rela­table,” he told the Inquirer in a recent email interview.

“Music is universal. It transcends genres, langua­ges, age, gender, race, religions and everything that divides us.”

And that’s something he keeps in mind during his creative process. For instance, in his latest single, the Taglish, electro-pop midtempo, “Forever,” Jace conveys a familiar message—“taking control of one’s destiny when it comes to love.”

“I have high hopes for the song … I worked really hard to write a Taglish song that’s relatable to both local and international markets, while staying true to my sound,” Jace said of his new song, which has flourishes of La­tin pop music. “I hope it does well and that people enjoy it as much as I do.”

Jace grew up watching music videos on MTV and listening to the radio music countdown “American Top 40.” In college, he frequented clubs and bars, where he was exposed to various kinds of dance music, such as dance-pop, synth-pop, dubstep and Hi-NRG.

Today, he describes his style as a “balanced mix of EDM and pop.” However, he’s always open to explo­ring different genres.

“I always incorporate different genres into my music—genres I grew up listening to; genres that are still reflective of who I really am as an artist. As much as I want to establish myself as an EDM act, I still want the listeners to hear my diverse taste in music,” he said.

Some of Jace’s musical influences are Justin Bieber, Charlie Puth, Selena Gomez, Ellie Goulding, Calvin Harris, David Guetta and Kygo, James Reid, Sam Concepcion, Gary Valenciano and Sarah Geronimo.

“Given the chance, I would love to collaborate with James, Sarah and SB19,” he said.

His music have so far amassed over 1.5 million streams across different platforms—pretty impressive numbers, considering the fact that he doesn’t have a major record label backing him up. On Spotify, his most popular songs are “Sober” and “Day and Night,” which have around 324,000 and 217,000 hits, respectively.

For now, his goal is to attract more Filipino listeners with his music and show the local music industry what he can “bring to the table.” “I always say this in my interviews: I’m not here to replace nor compete with anybody. I’m just here to contribute and help lift OPM higher because we can be so much more,” he said.

The loftier dream is going international. And that prospect is looking pretty promi­sing, especially after securing a coveted distribution deal with AWAL or Artists Without a Label—a subsidiary of Kobalt Music, one of the top publishing companies in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Among AWAL’s most notable artists are Lauv, deadmau5, Jesse McCartney, Finneas, Rex Orange County, The Kooks and Tom Misch. INQ