‘All the songs on the album exist in their own little sonic lanes and it’s because I really let myself enjoy experimenting and being free to write how I wanna write,’ Paolo tells Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – It’s safe to say that singer-songwriter Paolo Sandejas has had an eventful past few years in his music career.
We all know about his viral moment with his song, “Sorry” — and years later, Paolo’s come out of that with even sharper songwriting chops, which we got to see in his succeeding releases, like his BLOOM EP, for example.
“The main thing that I learned from that viral moment was just to have more confidence in my own ability and my songwriting…. l feel like I’m more confident and certain about the sound that I want,” he told me during his Rappler Talk Entertainment appearance in July 2024.
In March 2024, he performed for the first time at the 9th Wanderland Music & Arts Festival, something he had long thought to be an “unattainable dream.”
Paolo had also moved to the US to pursue further education, but that didn’t mean he had put his music career on hold. In fact, that couldn’t be further from the truth, because he’s just released his debut album, the world is so small.
Bridging fiction and reality
In the world is so small, Paolo puts a fictional young couple at the center of the story, told in eight tracks — going on to cover themes of love, loss, mental health, and the complexities of human relationships. But while the narratives are told from these two individuals’ perspectives, they have traces of Paolo’s personal experiences, too.
“The story of this album is probably 90% true and is very much based on my own experiences over the past two years. It was a scary and vulnerable process but embodying that ‘character’ definitely made writing and getting deep much easier,” he shared.
Interestingly, though, even if a portion of the album covers pretty dark themes, the overall vibe of those specific tracks seemingly tell you otherwise. Just take “moonlight” for example. When you read the lyrics without listening to the song itself, you probably wouldn’t expect it to sound as upbeat (and even as danceable) as it actually is. But this was an intentional artistic choice for Paolo, and one that makes a lot of sense.
“With subject topics like this, it’s easy to kind of give in to the ‘sad vibe’ of the lyrics and make a slower track. However, I think by making the song more lively, it feels less like a pity party and more cathartic. I wanted to capture the feeling of finally taking off your mask and being yourself when you finally have time alone,” Paolo explained.
This album had been a long time coming, written at a busy time in Paolo’s life — with his eventual move to the US in mind, among other things. The thought of facing these impending new chapters in his life, however, was pretty much what fueled him to successfully churn out the world is so small.
“I was really going through a lot when I wrote this album. However, all those emotions, both good and bad, fed into the narrative of this project and made it as dynamic as it is,” he said.
Honing his artistry
Paolo’s debut album is a great testament to how change, no matter how painful it is initially, can produce beautiful results. This doesn’t just apply to the new physical environment Paolo has found himself in, but also to the new edge he’s found in his creative process.
“We finished most of the tracks while I was away! It was a unique challenge for [my co-producer Xergio Ramos] and I to work on the album that way but it was a lot of fun. While the sound and general musical direction of each track had already been figured out before I moved, the time away allowed me to better polish the tracks with a fresh perspective,” Paolo told Rappler.
This newfound fresh perspective has also allowed Paolo to have complete trust in his instincts as a musician, and eventually unlearn the habit of actively pursuing a specific genre or sound for his craft.
“All the songs on the album exist in their own little sonic lanes and it’s because I really let myself enjoy experimenting and being free to write how I wanna write,” he said.
Amidst all the work the young singer-songwriter had put into completing the eight-track album, he’s picked up some pretty valuable lessons about himself, too, in the process.
“I learned to take risks on my own instincts regardless of whether the songs would be ‘commercially’ successful. At the end of the day, If you love and believe in your art, I think it’s only a matter of time till it finds the people who love it as much as you do,” Paolo said. – Rappler.com