In the latest episode of Volumes — Billboard Philippines‘ flagship podcast, Toneejay reveals the story behind his viral, chart-topping hit “711”, from its conception down to the writing process.
The singer-songwriter shares that while the exact details of the song were still hazy, the idea of “711” was something that had been on his mind long before it was actually written. “The idea for that song, inisip ko na siya [I was thinking about it] for around a month. Paulit ulit lang siya sa mind ko [I just kept thinking about it],” he says, adding that he already pictured the song’s lyrics but took some time to put pen to paper.
“I didn’t really think much of the song, at the time I thought it was just a throw away idea,” he revealed, adding that he was also intimidated by the idea of making a song like “711”. “[I was intimidated by] the idea of making a song about one thing, the thesis of the song, [that] I want to achieve my dreams… because it can get cheesy really quick.”
Since its release in September, the single has amassed millions of streams and climbed to be the biggest song on Billboard‘s Philippines Songs Chart, marking Toneejay’s biggest release to date. Check out the full episode of Billboard Philippines Volumes featuring Toneejay.
Most recently, Toneejay also performed “711” on the latest episode of Billboard Philippines‘ Soundwave. Toneejay comes as the second guest of Volumes’ season 2, where artists unravel the story behind some of their biggest songs. The new season kicked off last week with rock band Dilaw, where members Dilaw Obero and Vie dela Rosa open up on the story behind their track “Janice”.