James Reid in a concept photo for “jgh.” Image: Courtesy of Careless and Sony Music Philippines
James Reid gave fans a closer peek into his past and present in his new EP (or extended play) “jgh,” which features songs he created from the heart.
The album, which was released on Friday, November 29, features six tracks including “Mirasol,” “Di Bale,” “Sandal,” “Hurt Me Too,” “Your Boy,” and “Pauwi Na,” all of which document Reid’s growth as an “artist and as a person.”
“It is a reflection of myself,” Reid said in a press statement. “It’s filled with things I’ve gathered along my journey and decorated with memories. It’s been another crazy year, and now that I’m home, I have a lot of stories to tell.”
The actor-singer shared that he produced the record with Tim Marquez, Niko, Luke April, Alison Shore, and Brian Lotho. The songs starts off with an acoustic melody and piano accompaniment, with the collaborators then adding their own spins on the song.
Touching on the album’s tracklist, Reid admitted that some of the songs were “painful to write” while others were inspired by love and lessons he discovered along the way.
“All the songs were written from the heart. Some of them were painful to write, others were inspired by realizations I had along the way, and some were inspired by love. It was an emotional journey, and I see each of these songs like a page from my diary or a chapter in my life — truths I may have found difficult to express before,” he said.
Reid’s 2015 song “Randomantic” went viral on social media, with many netizens using the track as a background music for fan edits for their favorite celebrities including Olympic pole vaulter EJ Obiena and Seventeen’s Wonwoo, to name a few.
Touching on this milestone, the “Till I Met You” star told INQUIRER.net in September 2024 that the song is his favorite track from his “Reid Alert” album.