MANILA, Philippines – Nica del Rosario poured her heart out in the 2022 presidential elections, singing for the tens of thousands rallying with then-presidential candidate Leni Robredo as her song “Rosas” became the campaign’s theme song, so to speak.
In the rallies, she would sing the words (“At hindi ko maipapangako ang kulay rosas…”) over and (“At hindi ko maiilawan ang lahat ng anino…”) over again.
“Pero sisikapin ko at hindi ako magpapahinga/ Hangga’t hindi mo pa magawang muling ipagmalaki/ Na ika’y isang Pilipino.”
But as the world knows, the campaign did not see a triumphant ending for the Robredo-hopeful. Nica experienced burnout after the campaign.
“2022 was a roller coaster of emotions. I went to 20-something rallies and sang ‘Rosas’ and ‘Kay Leni Tayo.’ I really had a slight burnout after – well, not slight, I felt really burnt out after the campaign season. Throughout 2023, I didn’t get to write songs for myself,” she told Rappler in a mix of English and Filipino.
The last lines she would write for herself before the burnout would be an addendum to “Rosas,” a post-election third verse to soothe supporters, just days after the results.
“Honestly, I didn’t process it very well, right after. When the results came, I wasn’t sure what to do with myself. I just felt that there were a lot of people that needed comfort. There are a lot of people that feel pain now when they hear ‘Rosas.’ So I decided to write that third verse to offer some sense of comfort to everyone.”
That comforting verse went: “Huwag kang manghinayang/ Hindi tayo nabigo/ Tibayan ang iyong loob.”
But Nica feels she forgot about herself a little. “I guess while doing that, I didn’t think about what I could do to comfort myself. So the grieving process took a while. Medyo na-extend siya (It got a little extended). ”
It had been a demanding endeavor, and Nica believes she would still have been exhausted, no matter what the turnout had been, as she had passionately made the campaign her sole creative focus.
“For those several months, ‘yun lang talaga ‘yung ginawa ko (that was the only thing I did)…. My life revolved around those rallies.”
Nica and BINI
In the next year and a half after the elections, Nica would only write two songs, one of which is “Karera” by BINI, which has gone on to peak at number 5 on Spotify’s daily top songs list in the Philippines, spurred in part by the girl group’s meteoric “Pantropiko”-fueled rise.
Diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder years ago, Nica highlighted the importance of reminding oneself that “there’s no deadline with things,” to “put less pressure on yourself,” and to push yourself “the right amount” with “Karera.”
It’s a message that has resonated deeply with BINI’s young audience. The song has also found a place in commencement exercises this year – a fact that Nica says she is “pleasantly surprised” with.
“I’d like to think that it’s a good reminder for people na (that) you have your own pace, and you shouldn’t really compare yourselves with other people.”
On BINI performing the song, Nica says, “This is a group of empowered young women who set a good example for young people. So if they relay this kind of message, they also provide comfort and hope for young people trying to get by, trying to get through their studies, trying to get through their work. I think sakto na sila ‘yung kumanta nung song na ‘yun (I think it’s perfect that they sang this song).”
Nica also says: ‘I’m very excited for the girls, specifically, because they really deserve the success and the recognition they’re getting now. I think we’re all very proud of what they’ve achieved. Kasi (Because) when I write songs for other artists, I really give it to them. I’m grateful that the four songs got into the charts, but I’m mostly proud of them, what they’ve achieved.”
When writing songs for the group, she says: “Lyrics-wise, I just imagine them singing it, and [ask myself] if the song is a match for them. They have a very clear voice as to who they are as a group. And I can hear it clearly in my head. So when I write for them, it’s very easy for me to imagine them singing it – that’s my test for myself. If I can imagine them singing it, and it sounds nice in my head, then it could work out as a song.”
In the case of “Huwag Muna Tayong Umuwi,” an older BINI song also written by Nica, producer Jumbo de Leon got a little help from a Kathryn Bernardo-Daniel Padilla movie to help them get the song’s feel, putting in a scene from the movie in the song’s intro.
“Parang nilatag niya ‘yung dialogue noong The Hows of Us, noong nag-aaway sila sa rain, just to help convey the emotions. So I think namemorize na ng girls ‘yung dialogue na ‘yun kasi ‘yun ‘yung version na naaral nila.”
(Jumbo laid out the dialogue from The Hows of Us, when they were fighting in the rain, just to help convey the emotions. So I think the girls have the dialogue memorized because that was the version they learned.)
“Ang Huling Chacha” is a song that collaborator Jumbo wanted to create for his mother who had loved to dance the cha-cha, something that his mother would be able to dance to at, say, Christmas parties, but passed away before the song was completed.
Jumbo is the COO and head producer for music production company FlipMusic, which produced the six-song Talaarawan BINI record – a team effort led by Jumbo in collaboration with the firm’s other talents Mat Olavides and John Michael Conchada (“Salamin, Salamin”), Kim Gabrielle Songsong (“Na Na Nandito Lang”) and Pow Chavez (“Diyan Ka Lang”) and Nica, of course.
Emerging from burnout
Apart from writing “Karera” and “Ang Huling Chacha” after the 2022 elections, Nica says she spent time on hobbies, traveling, and with loved ones; and had “a lot of rest” – things that got her back in the swing of things.
She said she was inspired by Robredo to move on as well. “Honestly, [I feel inspired by] Ma’am [Leni Robredo] seeing all of her posts, traveling everywhere. Life moved on for her. And life should move on also for me. And I should look into places that inspire me.”
“This year lang ako nag-sta-start mag-emerge from my burnout,” Nica shares, revealing that she started writing new material this year, with an album coming soon. (It’s only this year that I started to emerge from my burnout.)
The album’s concept revolves around letters you would write to someone you love as well as to yourself.
“This album is going to be for myself. It’s been a while…. When ‘Rosas’ won (Awit Award for Best Collaboration in November 2023) I said, ‘Okay, I want to write an album, because my last album was in 2016 or 2017. I think I’ve grown a lot since then. The first song [for it] was written in December 2023,” she says.
New ‘Tala’ version
Before the album, which is looking at an August 2024 release, Nica is revisiting an old favorite, “Tala,” popularized by Sarah Geronimo.
The songwriter put out her own version of the song earlier this month.
“When ‘Tala’ came out, and [people found out] I wrote it, people would request it all the time. But I can’t really dance, so I made my own version, which is a mix of how ‘Tala’ was supposed to sound, and the version that Sarah sings during concerts arranged by sir Louie Ocampo…. I guess it’s just my own take of it. I guess I want to convey it in a different way.”
Nica’s version is slower, and adds a third verse inspired by her experience of being married. “It’s talking about the stuff I learned along the way in between 2015 and now. When I first wrote ‘Tala,’ I was just starting to date someone. Now, I’m married to that person.”
“What I learned was… ‘Tala’ talks about how your end goal is to reach the stars. You have this end goal that you have to reach a certain point in your relationship, and then after that you’re okay, happily ever after. And I learned that that’s not the case with long-term relationships (Laughs) That’s why there’s a line, ‘Siguro habang buhay natin aabutin ang ningning ng [mga tala],’” she said.
She added: “What I realize is you and your partner are going to take this journey where you’re forever going to be reaching for these stars. And that’s the beauty of a relationship or a marriage or a long-term bond with someone. You’re going to grow old reaching for the stars, and that’s what’s nice about that.”
How did Sarah react to the new version?
“I messaged [Sarah], I told her I was releasing my version of ‘Tala’… [I said] sana i-promote niya (laughs). I made her listen to it, she congratulated me, and she said it was long overdue. Tapos in-IG Story na niya. May approval na (laughs).”
(I told her I was releasing my version of ‘Tala’… [I said] I hope she promotes it. I made her listen to it, she congratulated me, and she said it was long overdue. Then she put it on IG Story. It has her approval.)
Nica, physically and emotionally drained after the political rallies, slowed down, wrote a song exactly about pushing at a right pace, and with newfound wisdom on relationships with people and herself, prepares to share with us a new set of verses, eyes clear, able to look up at the stars again. – with reports from Kila Orozco/Rappler.com
Some quotes have been edited for brevity.