After 2 singing tilts, Sassa set to live up to higher expectations
Sassa Dagdag
While she had already joined a popular singing contest, scored a recording deal and released an EP, Sassa Dagdag figured that she could use another boost by trying her luck once more in another talent search.
Last year, the “Voice Kids 2” alumna competed in the second season of GMA 7’s “The Clash,” where she finished in the Top 12. And the experience, she said, has inspired her to work even harder on her music career.
“Someone brought up the idea of joining a contest again and I went for it. I didn’t want to stop learning just because I already have some songs out and the backing of a record label,” Sassa told the Inquirer in a recent video interview for her latest single, “Hulog ni Bathala,” under PolyEast Records.
“I took the chance because I knew it would help me improve,” added the 17-year-old singer-songwriter. “I also joined in hopes of sharing my talent with more people; to introduce my music to them.”
Because many of the viewers already knew who she was, Sassa admitted that she couldn’t help but feel some pressure.
“I actually struggled with such thoughts at first. Since I had previously joined another contest, I felt that people would expect more from me … they would be watching out for improvements,” she pointed out. “And that did weigh on me during the contest. I read some of the comments online and people had high expectations.”
While she failed to make it all the way through, Sassa has no regrets about her decision to enter “The Clash,” because it allowed for some self-assessment. “I realized that there will always be someone better. That’s why learning shouldn’t stop,” she said.
Now, it’s a matter of finding her own voice and solidifying her image as a musician. Sassa has been going for a more “chill-sounding” vibe in her songs, and “Hulog” is an unmistakable reflection of her current taste and the styles she has been dabbling in as of late.
The song is a slow burn and starts off with an acoustic guitar-driven instrumentation, before swelling into an ethereal, string-laden ballad. “Hulog’s” simple production puts the spotlight on Sassa’s favored vocal styling—sweet and wispy vocal runs that seamlessly undulate between chest voice and falsetto.
“I see it as a silver lining amid this pandemic,” Sassa said of her self-penned single. “With all the uncertainties the world is going through, we can always turn to music to make us feel better. It reads like a love song, but it has a twist in the end.”
While she already had the song’s draft before the Covid-19 quarantine began, she only got to finish the song once she got stuck at home.
She has been missing performing live onstage and interacting with her fans in person. But until the pandemic subsides, Sassa will be focusing on crafting new songs, which, hopefully, will make use of lo-fi hip-hop beats.
