SB19’s Justin marks his official debut as a solo recording artist with the release of his new single “surreal,” out on February 29, 2024 (Thursday) via Sony Music Entertainment.
Written two years ago, the laidback track reflects the beauty of meaningful coincidences and dreams and how the impossible becomes a reality when a huge shift takes place, thanks to the perfect mix of timing, perseverance, and hard work.
For his part, the P-Pop star penned the lyrics with the tactile vulnerability of someone conveying his thoughts and projections straight to the listeners. Justin explains, “It’s all these scenarios that are unlikely to happen in the real world, but you find them as an escape from reality, so you continue to dream and dream… And surprisingly, you found someone who enjoys imagination as much as you do.”
“surreal” serves as a collaboration with Radkidz’s PABLO and Josue, with both producers adding dynamism to Justin’s compelling brand of introspection. The duo is instrumental in ensuring that Justin’s vision is carefully brought to life with subtlety and warmth while capturing the most exciting place the production can go.
“At first, when I wrote the lyrics with an initial melody, I thought they’d just tweak it,” shares Justin. “But the beautiful track they did, rich in harmonies and embellishment, sounds so fresh and new to my ears that I somehow forgot I wrote it in the first place. Both of them really enhanced my demo with a song that exceeded my expectations.”
The summery but easygoing song also features Gelou of Filipino girl group YARA on the bridge and the last chorus part. A friend and colleague of Justin, Gelou injected more flavor and depth into the material with her additional vocals.
“surreal” will also be released with a music video conceptualized and directed by Justin himself, along with his college batchmate and now-Creative Manager of 1Z, Xi-Anne Avanceña. As a Filipino visionary artist at the crossroads of various creative disciplines, Justin sets his heart on sharing his artistic vision with the song he can rightfully claim as his own, while also being open to the ideas and strengths of his trusted collaborators.
Justin adds, “surreal’s MV is a collaboration with the most creative team I know. Joining us are Alan Ante and Stephanie Joy Cea as directors of photography for this project. They were very fun and nice to work with. They really understand what the song is trying to say.”
When asked about the reason for releasing “surreal” and debuting his solo project, Justin explains that he was scared to do things alone at first, but because of the support of the people around him, the SB19 member finally found the courage to put his own work where it’s most needed.
Justin’s “surreal” is out now on all digital music platforms worldwide via Sony Music Entertainment.
