After hit covers’ success, Janine Teñoso now to focus on releasing own songs

Janine Teñoso

Over the past three years, Janine Teñoso has enjoyed impressive streaming numbers from her various hit covers. Now she hopes to achieve the same kind of success with her original compositions.

“I have always wanted to be recognized as a songwriter since I entered the industry. The first song I released, ‘Fall,’ was actually an original, but my succeeding projects were movie theme songs and covers. Now, I have an opportunity to focus on releasing my own songs,” she said in a recent virtual press conference for her new EP, “Kwento sa Silid.”

Soundtrack recordings

While she has had original releases here and there, it was her soundtrack recordings that have gotten the most attention, like her take on the Itchyworms’ “’Di Na Muli,” which was used in the film “Sid & Aya: Not a Love Story.” Her rendition has been played more than 60 million times on Spotify.

“I tried releasing an original song every year, but I guess they just got caught up with my work for movies. But this only motivates me to write more songs,” Janine said. “My dream is for the fans and listeners to appreciate my own songs, as much as they appreciate my covers.”

The 22-year-old music artist knows that pushing for an all-original EP is quite a challenge, especially in today’s music industry climate. But she believes that, if things go well, the payoff would be worth it.

“It’s harder, business-wise, because there are so many inspiring artists now. Everyone can produce content and everyone does it super fast. The world is changing and moving fast. As an artist, you have to keep up with content creations. That for me is the hard part,” she said.

Album cover

Released under Viva Music, “Kwento sa Silid” features five original tracks that Janine wrote and cowrote with other musicians. The first single is titled, “Pelikula,” a dreamy, midtempo pop ballad that she worked on with R&B artist Arthur Nery. “Paano” was written with This Band’s Euwie von Loria. “Ghosts In the Room,” on other hand, is Janine’s first English composition in four years.

“These songs were all written during the pandemic, so I felt that they needed to be compiled in one EP,” she said.

Another key difference in her EP is the production. This time, she focused on simpler, more intimate acoustic instrumentations. “I want my listeners to get an idea of what I’m like when I’m just inside my room and playing music. The rawness of acoustic sounds speaks to me,” she said.

Songwriting

Although COVID-19 has robbed her of her regular live gigs, the extra time at home allowed her to work on her songwriting. “I had a chance to be in solitude and be alone with my thoughts. I got to know myself better when it comes to writing songs,” she said. Janine also found the courage to show her vulnerable side through her songwriting. “It feels strange being vulnerable with your lyrics and having other people hear them. But that’s our job as music artists, we create songs that they can relate with; songs that accompany them like friends in times of loneliness and happiness,” she said. INQ