Apl.de.Ap On The Creation Of His Upcoming Album: “I wanted to bring back the love for music.”

Whether it’s in his personal music or in his work for the Black Eyed Peas, Apl.de.Ap has consistently created music that is catchy, fun, and timeless. That’s what he aims to show once more with his upcoming album, which revolves around themes of love, from stages of infatuation all the way to the pains of heartbreak.

Furthermore, being an outspoken advocate of Original Pilipino Music, Apl.de.Ap is to feature Filipino talents from all over the scene, from pop icons to growing names in hip-hop, in this upcoming record. On that note, prior to the release of his album, Billboard Philippines caught up with Apl.de.Ap in an exclusive interview that covered a range of topics from his upcoming collaborations to his background as he worked himself up to global stardom.

Billboard Philippines: How different is it playing shows in the U.S. or anywhere else compared to the Philippines?

Apl.de.Ap: You know what? Usually, I’m like, “Just have fun!” You know, “Just enjoy!” But it’s different when I get home. It’s not pressure, but rather it becomes a special moment. With everything going on, my mom being there, and when we’re in another country, I always see a Filipino flag somewhere. It makes me feel proud. (But) now it’s like the whole country. And of course, you want to be proud. It’s a lot of anxiety, but a lot of fun at the same time, you know.

There’s nothing that beats a Filipino crowd.

Yeah! Especially the sing-along.

Delving into the heart of the matter, you have an album coming out soon. How do you feel leading up to the release?

Oh, really, very excited. It’s finally coming out, you know. It’s been a longtime project of mine, especially being in the group. And yeah, you know, I got started on this during the pandemic until the end of the pandemic. I was going through relationship problems, and you know, love. Usually, I don’t like writing about it, but this time it just started coming out. And so I utilize it as an outlet to call it modern-day love songs, you know.
It’s R&B but danceable.

I was really inspired by Afrobeats at the time. I was like, oh, you know, I want to incorporate love songs and Filipino samples and Filipino songs into Afrobeats. It was really intentional, an all-Afrobeat (production) style. So, I’ll have a Tagalog song, but in Afrobeats, you know.

I’m so excited because I consider it my new age, like OPM. A lot of Filipino artists collaborated on the album. I was able to incorporate traditional sounds. So I’m very excited about the whole album.

What was the creative process like? Because the album is quite personal in terms of messaging. Did you approach the songwriting or production a little differently because of the themes that you talked about?

It came in many different ways. Sometimes it would be like, it’ll just be the music, and then I’ll just start writing the melody, and I usually call them the “mummies.” The “mummies,” because it’s all mumbles. And so just to feel the vibe of the beat and the music, and then I’d go back and transcribe the feeling. Sometimes I’m just writing, like making voice notes, you know? It was a lot of just writing in a studio.

I literally called my engineer, like, “Yo, I sent you a melody!” I just recorded on voice notes and then sent it to him. Yeah, just like, you know, build around that, and then it starts from there.

Sometimes it starts from like frustration, like, “Ah, what’s going on? What’s going on with my love life right now? I’m kind of like in this limbo.” So, I start writing through doubts and frustration, it comes from that as well. And then sometimes I get into my love mode where I just try to write a nice song, you know.

So, it was really different per song?

Yeah, yeah, definitely. It’s a sort of roller coaster ride of emotions. But it’s all about love, you know. There’s the frustration, love, and anger. Then there’s the parts where it’s like, “It’s all about you,” “I can’t sleep without you,” you know?

You’re obviously talking a lot about personal experiences in this album, so does it worry you or scare you to have those personal stories out for everyone to listen to? Or is it cathartic in a way?

Yeah, I find it as a form of release and just another form of expression, you know. Especially for guys, like we tend to bottle a lot of things. And I didn’t know I did that, you know. I’ve always been built to be strong, you know. I don’t cry, you know. It just started coming out. I was like, I’m just, I’m human, you know?” I’m just human. I go through love, through breakups, and relationship problems. I was like, “You know what? Let me just let this go and let it be.” Then, I make sure they sound cool.

What do you hope your listeners take away when they finally listen to this album?

Definitely, I wanted to bring back the love for music. Because right now, we’re kind of going backwards with all the technology that we use, we have shortening attention spans. So, this time, I want to encourage people to listen to a full album. That’s why I made the album more fluid. Everything blends with each other, with transitions.

Oh, I love an album that connects, so, it seems seamless.

So you just play it, and it takes you through a journey with different music styles and genres. It’s about modern-day love songs that you can dance to. I love it. You can enjoy it at your parties and cafe raves, you know. I try to push for the advancement of OPM. That’s why I try to target a lot of OPM or Filipino artists for collaboration. I want to promote more Filipino artists internationally. Yeah.

What do you hope this album contributes to OPM on the global stage?

Yeah. I want to introduce our instruments and our culture through the global market and international stages. That’s why it was important for me to incorporate our sounds. From kulintangs to nano guitars, because I want to really promote OPM around the world. I might as well bring some amazing artists in with the journey.

So, who is on this album?

Sunkissed Lola, Illest Morena, Flow G, Ez Mil, Sofronio, Jay Ray, Sarah G(eronimo), and of course, my brothers from Black Eyed Peas.

You’ve been in the industry for quite a long time, whether in a group or solo, and your music continues to thrive through generations. How does it feel knowing that some of your earlier works are still around, charting, and on people’s playlists?

Man, it feels great to see a different range of ages. Because when we were in the studio writing the songs, we just wanted to write a cool song, like a fun song that could be timeless. Even when we were writing, we were like, “Oh, you can’t say that because it’s not going to age well.” So, we’re very conscious of that. We just wanted to make good music instead of getting stuck in the TikTok phenomenon with short attention spans and being disposable. We try to create something that years from now, when you listen back, you’re like, “Oh, this actually still sounds cool!”

It’s always been a big phenomenon that even back in the day, it’s always been like that. We try to consciously make universal music.

Yeah, whenever my titas have a party, I play “Bebot,” and they love it. The same thing with my 18-year-old cousin. I play “Bebot,” and they love it. It hits the same in any situation.

It still hits, right? It’s so funny because I was at the Grammys one time, and Queen Latifah came up to me. She’s like, “Yo, you know my favorite song in your album? It’s that song ‘Bebot.’ I don’t even know what you’re saying, but it’s funky. I feel the beat.” But I’m like, “Yeah.” It was funny because I was trying to write in English, but in Tagalog. When you’re thinking in English and then put it in Tagalog, I was pretty worried about that when I was writing that song. But it turned out OK. We’re very blessed that we’re able to inspire a different age bracket.

When you release new music, whether solo or with the Black Eyed Peas, do you ever feel pressured to kind of live up to those timeless hits?

No, because we go in without expectations of living in the past. We always try to apply the same principle and creativity and the time in every song, no matter the situation. Yeah, the first performance is writing a good song. Pretty much like even in like, you know, Elephunk, it was those albums where we were just like so free and just whatever we thought of, you know. So that’s how we always approach every new music, you know, the passion, and you got to put that same quality.

Looking back, what moments in your career do you think really define or do you think shape you most as an artist?

The humble beginnings, you know? When I used to live on couches and like making your bed in someone’s walk-in closet, and the grind. Because that built me up for the hard work to come, and I really cherish that opportunity. When you’re up there and taking “no” for an answer, you end up having to prove yourself.

Do you wish there was something that you do now that you did before?

I wish I were like in my entrepreneurship game. I was like just an artist, you know. I was just lost in making songs and traveling the world. But, you know, I’ve called it at the right time. I guess that’s where wisdom comes in. But it’s not too late, I’m doing it now.

What keeps you inspired to continue making music after all these years?

Remaining a student of the game. Being a bit competitive, you know. Research, going out. I still go out to — I don’t go out to clubs — I call them “research.” You’ve got to be part of the pulse and what’s going on. You’ve got to pay attention to what’s going on with the kids and the culture, what they’re into. And then try to compete with that, you know. Or, try to add or try to leave. Now, after this, I’m already thinking of the next album. I’m discovering, I don’t want to say my weapons for the next one. Being back home, I’m discovering so much more to implement on my next musical journey.

As someone who’s been both a global act and is very proudly Filipino, how do you balance staying true to your roots and also making sure you’re evolving and innovating with the times?

I like to bridge the gap, you know. I always like whatever opportunities and advancement I have. In the U.S. or part of the world, I try to bring it back home. I’ve been going back home more often, and I’m able to see what’s going on and then apply that. I always connect it with what I would wish for a younger Apl.de.Ap growing up in the Philippines.

That’s why it’s important for the computer labs that we build and the music studios and scholarship programs, and for my personal journey, because I had a hard time going through school because I have a disability. I’m legally blind. I have a condition called nystagmus. So I bring back my team, and I bring back like retcams to prevent blindness in premature babies. I always visualize myself, who I was growing up, and what I needed.

As a final question, what would you say to the world about Filipino music?

Filipino music is progressive, amazing, and it’s about that time to pay attention to OPM now… it’s like I’m hearing so many new styles. The world needs to check out Filipino music. It’s growing, and so many genres and styles of hip-hop are now here and original, their original compositions. And it’s the next thing, you know?

Photographed by Excel Panlaque. Creative Direction by Nicole Almero. Art Direction by Gelo Quijencio. Production by Mika Cruz. Interview by Franchesca Basbas. Story by Romijn Saenz.