Orange & Lemons recall ‘expensive lesson’ of ‘Pinoy Ako’ controversy

OPM band Orange & Lemons acknowledge that the plagiarism controversy surrounding their smash hit “Pinoy Ako” was an important chapter in their career, although they “don’t feel anything” about it anymore.

The band’s frontman, Clementine, said the controversy is an “essential part of [their] history” in a way that they had to experience the bad side of show biz and how they lost their way at some point in their careers.

“Wala na. We don’t feel anything about it. It’s an essential part of our history. Because ‘Pinoy Ako’ made us in a way na we had to experience the bad side of show biz,” he said in response to a question about the topic in a launch of their new single “Too Young to Be Old.” 

“How it would affect for people from Bulacan, who came from nowhere, who have no money, tapos biglang rose to fame. And hindi namin kinaya yung fame and money. Na-discaril kami sa goals namin (We weren’t able to handle the fame and money, and we lost sight of our goals) when we were starting. And forgot to look back,” he continued.

Clementine said the controversy and their initial disbandment in 2007 made them more mature. “Personally, ‘yung PBB, marami akong natutunan diyan. And yung disbandment namin in 2007, marami akong natutunan dyan sa business. It changed us.”

To note, while “Pinoy Ako” was sung by the band, the song was composed by Jonathan Manalo. Still, the band was affected by the controversy.

The musician said their renewed maturity prompted them to realize the importance of the business side of music. “Dati kasi creative lang kami. Gusto lang namin tumugtog. Pero we are not aware na there’s a business side. Kailangan natin maintindihan yung business side,” he added, noting that it also involves how they want to take charge of their masters and songwriting. 

Touching on the topic of masters, Clementine said they plan to rerecord all their albums to fully own them.

“We were the first artist to re-record our first album and we might do the same for other albums as well. Down the line, we will Taylor Swift some of that sh*t,” he said. “Marami kami natutunan. ‘PBB’ makes for an interesting story. Maybe if we release an autobiography, we might tackle more deeply into it.”

On ‘Too Young to Be Old’ and Europe tour

Orange & Lemons released their new single “Too Young to Be Old” four years after their latest album, “La Bulaqueña.” The indie-pop-inspired track is a throwback to the music scene in the 1960s and 1970s, a callback to their vintage-esque roots.

“Hindi pa kami makapag-decide sa bago naming direction ng aming album and we always go for a concept album,” Clementine said. “After a time, nag-start ito six months ago, we decided to with a ’60s and ’70s pop kind of album — actually, may ’50s din siya. Bumalik kami sa roots namin kasi may influence talaga ng indie pop [ang music namin].”

(We couldn’t decide on the new direction for our album and we always go for a concept album. We decided to go with a ’60s and ’70s pop kind of album — it actually contains ’50s elements as well, which started six months ago. We returned to our roots since our music always had indie pop elements.)

Clementine noted that the release came at the right time, especially since vintage-inspired sounds experienced a resurgence. 

“There is a certain resurgence of old sound, and even the new artists go back into the ’60s and ’70s sound, at least hindi kami nag-iisa (we’re not alone),” he said.

The band is also gearing up for their European tour, an idea that came after Clementine played at a gig in Europe and enjoyed the experience — with his bandmates’ approval, of course.

“We never played in Europe, and it’s more than six months of planning, and it coincided with the plans to release an album. Sayang nga lang, na-release namin siya nang mas maaga pero we wanted the sound to [be faithful] to us so we invested in a recording studio of our own,” he said.

(We never played in Europe, and it’s more than six months of planning, and it coincided with the plans to release an album. Too bad, we released it early, but we wanted the sound to be faithful to us, so we invested in a recording studio of our own.)

Here are the legs for the band’s Europe tour:

• May 14 – Dublin, Ireland (The Academy)
• May 16 – London, England (Dingwalls)
• May 17 – Birmingham, England (Hare & Hounds)
• May 18 – Liverpool, England (Cavern Club)
• May 22 – Geneva, Switzerland (Esther House)
• May 23 – Milan, Italy (Alcatraz)
• May 24 – Madrid, Spain (Mon Madrid)
• May 30 – Frankfurt, Germany (Zoom Frankfurt)
• May 31 – Stavanger, Norway (Fiskepiren)
• June 5 – Amsterdam, Netherlands (Toekomstmuziek)
• June 6 – Marseille, France (Le Molotov)
• June 7 – Paris, France (Les Disquaires)

/ra