Rising Filipino artist Jolianne teams up with acclaimed Korean producer Ziv for “Kuryente,” a sticky-sweet, pop soul track that captures the feeling of infatuation in its earliest stages.
Co-written by Miguel Benjamin of the award-winning band Ben&Ben as a love letter to his wife with Jolianne and Ziv as equally involved in the songwriting process, “Kuryente” was inspired by the couple’s intimate anecdotes, where they feel tiny jolts of static electricity whenever their hands touch. This tender detail shaped the song, later brought to life through Ziv’s intricate but playful production and Jolianne’s glistening interpretation.
“That inspired me to make and produce this playful song about how infatuation and early romance feels,” shares Ziv. ““I really wanted to hit the right balances of expressing who I was through my musical background. Being Korean yet being born here in the Philippines, I wanted to find the right balance of putting both of those influences into the production, which I feel makes it unique.”
For Jolianne, embracing that feeling meant channeling innocence, excitement, and the thrill of being lit up by someone’s presence. To prepare for the vocal take, Jolianne envisioned herself as the lead in a teleserye, where every glance and touch is charged with meaning. She wanted to interpret the material with the right mix of sweetness, playfulness, and kilig—a uniquely Filipino word that captures the fluttering joy of being overwhelmed by romance.
“Vocally, this was one of the more challenging songs I’ve put out because it pushed me to access my voice in a different way,” the “Plain Girl” songstress adds. “From a technical standpoint, I experimented a lot with dynamics and registers. And of course, singing in Tagalog also shaped the way I sounded here, adding another layer of character to the performance.”
Blending funky pop groove with heart-stopping charisma, “Kuryente” pulls off its tricks by pairing Jolianne’s silky, infectious vocals with Ziv’s soulful and Korean R&B-style production.
Ziv explains, “There’s a blend of ease and tension that I always want to include in my productions. And so the groove, blended with the romantic feel, was what I went for in this arrangement. It was also inspired by a lot of the artists and music I’ve been listening to recently.”
Jolianne and Ziv’s “Kuryente” is out now on all digital music platforms worldwide via Sony Music Entertainment.
