Filipino OPM band Agsunta is celebrating its 10th anniversary and returning to the music scene with a brand-new mindset after facing copyright issues in the past.
It has been two years since the group last uploaded new cover songs on their social media channels. According to lead vocalist Jireh Singson, their hiatus was to embark on tours across the Philippines while also focusing on creating new songs.
“Kasi parang this time, gusto naman namin na ‘yung sarili naman talaga naming music ang mai-promote namin,” he said during their media conference in Tomas Morato, Quezon City, on March 15.
The group gained popularity through their cover songs, and transitioning to original compositions was a risk. While they admitted it was challenging, they believed it would be ‘worthwhile.’
“Well, sa umpisa, noong mga first months na napag-desisyunan namin—kasi actually, pinag-usapan talaga naming apat iyon ng masinsinan na parang, ‘Ano ba tol? Ano ba? Gawin ba natin ‘to?’
“Kasi alam naming sugal iyon. Pero nga, dahil iisa kami ng goal, gusto naming sarili naman namin. Ano siya, kumbaga worthwhile iyong hirap kahit na alam namin na mas mahirap; mas mahirap talaga. Pero ang nasa isip namin, nahirapan din naman kami noon eh,” Singson expressed.
Learnings from copyright issue
In 2019, Agsunta was involved in a copyright issue over their covered songs with December Avenue.
December Avenue frontman Zel Bautista posted some cryptic tweets on Twitter (now X) accusing a band of copying other people’s work just to milk money.
At the same time, Agsunta “deleted” their videos and took a short break from the music scene.
Upon their return, the band clarified the issue. According to Josh Planas, there was never an issue to begin with, and they are on good terms with other bands.
“Mas naging tropa pa nga po namin ang mga senior eh. Tsaka clarify lang po, wala naman po kaming naging problema sa copyright.”
Furthermore, platforms like Google and YouTube immediately take down any copyrighted content. The only reason the issue became bigger was because of the fans.
However, it made the members realize they “really can’t please everybody.” Instead of dwelling on the criticism, they have learned to “live with the negative.”
“Kumbaga ngayon, we learned that you really can’t please everybody. But as long as may nagmamahal sa iyo, mahalin mo sila pabalik.
“Para sa amin, huwag mo na lang i-harbor ang negative. Kumbaga, ‘yung negative, nandiyan na talaga iyan eh. Wala na tayong magagawa. Kumbaga ‘yung negative, it’s part of life,” Singson said.
In the meantime, celebrate with Agsunta on March 23, as they mark their 10th anniversary with a free concert in SM City Tanza, Cavite.
