Asian Music Review | Asian voices matter
Deep and transformational!
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Welcome to Asian Music Review! Tell us a little bit about you and your music.
Hi! We are Thoughts and Notions, a Power Pop Christian band from Cagayan de Oro. We make music to help uplift wounded souls since 2006.
Congrats on the release! What was your inspiration when you were writing this project?
Released on August 11, 2023. Writing a Bisaya song was one of those things that was on my bucket list. Having roots from Cagayan de Oro, a Bisaya speaking city, I wanted to honor my hometown by writing a song that would speak to my fellow Kagayanons. And to an extension, the people from Visayas and Mindanao.
For much of our song catalogue, we have been known (at least to our regular listeners) for our English songs. So this time around, I wanted to reach out to a specific audience. Like the themes of our other songs, I wanted to write about my Faith stories in the language that is most accessible to the people from Visayas and Mindanao.
What lessons would you like to impart with your audience?
The song encapsulates the cycle of a Christian from his first encounter with God, and to being saved and freed from the bondage of hopelessness.
Then as we are establishing our relationship with God, there are times we question his wisdom during moments when we thought that he had forsaken us. I wanted to impart to the audience that being a Christian is not an easy walk, but rather, we would be having our peaks and valleys in nurturing our relationship with God. But the most important thing is that our Faith should remain strong and steadfast. And always remember to call on God and be reminded that he is the strength that we need.
What is your favorite part of this body of work?
Apart from the very personal lyrics that I wrote in my native tongue. Being able to work with Nilo Quitoriano of Southrace is a blessing itself. Forming a side project band he calls Oquilla (which consists half of Southrace), I never imagined being given an opportunity to work with a legendary Bisrock band from Cagayan de Oro like them.
Also to know about Nilo’s backstory and how he was able to fulfill this project (he once attended a seminary with plans of becoming a priest), it’s like the project has gone full circle for him in terms of his Christian Faith. While also fulfilling one of my bucket lists to write a Bisaya/Cebuano song.
For “Kusog nga gi hinumdom” lyric breakdown, read here.
What’s next on your journey?
I have one more song up for release before the year ends. But in the immediate, will be focusing on promoting this song to at least in the VisMin Region.
Connect with Thoughts and Notions:
Stream Thoughts and Notions songs here:
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