Reinvigorated ex-Sponge Cola drummer pens musical ‘love letter’ to Twice

Sponge Cola’s former drummer Chris Cantada —JICO JOSON

After leaving Sponge Cola in 2008 and a brief stint as a solo artist, Chris Cantada sold his drum set and pursued a career in online content creation.

But while his YouTube page, “Chris Cantada Force” (1.56 million subscribers), has since grown to become a go-to digital space for “Power Rangers” skits, toy unboxings and all things geeky, his love for music and the sticks never really left.

In 2022, Chris received a message from Sponge Cola frontman Yael Yuzon, asking him if he could make a guest appearance at the well-loved 2000s rock band’s 20th anniversary concert. “I sold my drum set years ago, so I bought a practice kit to take out the rust, so to speak,” he told Entertainment in a recent interview.

“I realized that the skills I had up until I stopped performing were actually still there. I just needed to wake them up,” added Chris, who recorded three albums with Sponge Cola (“Palabas,” “Transit,” “Sponge Cola”), before the rigorous schedule took a toll on his health, prompting his departure.

‘Keep music in my life again’

But sharing the stage anew with Yael, Gosh Dilay and Armo Armovit ultimately inspired Chris to make music again—and not just for fun.

“After the concert, I wanted to keep music in my life again. I missed it. But I wanted to take it one step further. I wanted to write and record music again,” he said.

That same year, Chris put up a second YouTube channel called, “Chris Cantada Music,” for his original compositions and drum covers. Not only did it become an outlet for his musical creativity. It also ended up being a respite of sorts from the work he puts into his main channel.

Chris has since put out four singles and is about to release his fifth on May 24. Titled “Once,” the new song is a musical “love letter” to his favorite K-pop girl group Twice, specifically his bias (favorite member), Jeongyeon.

“Jeongyeon drew me in right away. She was just different. Watching her interviews and vlogs, I knew right away that she was my bias. Not only is she a great singer, but her sense of humor is just like mine,” he related. “And she really is such a kindhearted person, always trying to help people.”

Twice’s Jeongyeon —@JY_PIECE/ INSTAGRAM

Chris collaborated with fellow Twice fans to make the single, which will also have a Korean version, feel more “authentic.” Conrad Javier recorded guitars, Inky de Dios played keyboards, and Hazel Faith sang backup vocals. Joey Santos served as producer and renowned sound engineer Angee Rozul tracked the recording.

While he hasn’t really done any “crazy” things in the name of his Twice fandom, Chris makes sure to flaunt his love for Jeongyeon any chance he gets. When he attends pop-culture events or junkets as a content creator, he keeps his documents in a Jeongyeon plastic folder. “I make sure it’s seen on cam!” he said.

Some people who knew Chris from his online work get surprised that he used to play for Sponge Cola. But not so much for those who have always known.

“Majority of my current followers as a content creator were very surprised—mostly because they didn’t recognize me because I wasn’t bald during my time with the group,” he joked. “But I have been a geek my whole life. So, it wasn’t too surprising when the others saw me starting to do geeky videos.”

Editing was his biggest challenge at first as a YouTuber, but he eventually got the hang of it. As it turns out, his skills in content creation and song production go hand in hand. “What’s cool now is that I’m well-equipped to direct my own music videos for the songs I have been releasing,” he said. INQ