One thing that never fails to inspire Jennylyn

JENNYLYN Mercado

Jennylyn Mercado’s discography has always leaned toward slow romantic ballads, and her sixth and latest studio album, “Ultimate,” doesn’t veer away too drastically from them.

But this time around, the tunes have a palpable, more contemporary pop-sounding bounce. She has grown tired of “singing the same stuff,” she said, and was raring to experiment with her music.

“My previous records had a lot of love songs, so I thought it would be great if I could come up with something with a different feel and vibe,” she said at the recent press launch of “Ultimate,” which is also her first album with Ivory Music.

She wanted a more upbeat sound—but not excessively so that it would force her to dance during live performances. “My body just doesn’t cooperate,” the GMA 7 actress-singer quipped, laughing. “I can’t sing and dance at the same time. I wanted songs with a nice beat that I can comfortably groove to.”

The seven-track album took a few months to put together, related Jennylyn, who prioritized melody over lyrics in selecting the tunes. “It’s important for me that the first couple of notes alone will entice people to listen to the whole thing. I’m partial to catchy melodies,” she pointed out.

Her favorites are “Bulalakaw,” “Lampara” and the uplifting “Hagdan,” which she said is the one that she connects with the most. “It’s about pushing yourself to get what you want in life despite all the nonbelievers around you. It tells us that we’re not always at the bottom,” she said.

“Ultimate” also features two collaborations: a cover of Olivia Newton-John’s “Suddenly,” with Christian Bautista; and the pop-rock ballad “Bulalakaw,” with local band Silent Sanctuary.

Teased if there’s any track in the album that she wanted to dedicate to her rumored boyfriend, Dennis Trillo, the 29-year-old star jested, “‘Yung ‘Huling Paalam,’ gusto n’yo?”

Seriously though, Jennylyn added, the songs aren’t necessarily about her own experiences.

“That way, more people will be able to relate to them,” she said.

Though the last two years saw Jennylyn focusing on film and television work, she said music is still her first love.

“I got discovered because of singing,” she said. “Music is important to me, because it always brightens up my mood.”

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