Whenever Japs Sergio puts out music, it’s not just another new release — it’s an event.
While he doesn’t have the numbers to match the latest indie up-and-comers or viral sensations, the erstwhile Rivermaya bassist and singer (from 2001 to 2012) has amassed a modest but loyal following that eagerly looks forward to whatever he does next. From the early 2000s with the acclaimed electronic dream-pop outfit Daydream Cycle, to the 2010s fronting the self-described “dirty rock” supergroup Peso Movement, Sergio has proven to be an adept creative force across a variety of genres, and has earned the respect and admiration of many of his peers in the local rock and alternative scene.
It is his alter ego Japsuki, his first true solo project, that has created the most anticipation ever since his debut album, Monologue Whispers, was released in 2011. A showcase of his pop-friendly songwriting and influences ranging from new wave to lo-fi indie rock, the record proved that there was life for him beyond Rivermaya. Sergio followed it up with Peso Movement’s sole album The Gentle Sound of Chaos in 2014, and then two more Japsuki records: 2015’s Pinoy Pop and 2017’s Stereo Mood Swings. And then, he went off the grid, disappearing from both the gig scene and social media.
In 2024, Japsuki’s Facebook page suddenly came to life, with Sergio seemingly teasing a return to making music with every post. Finally, on April 18 of this year, he released the single “Wagyu,” his first offering since his last album. He then released several more singles — “Para Normal” in May, “Sabi-Sabi Lang” in June, “Ampalayaan” and “Bagong Luma” in July, and “Waze” and “Tao Lang” in August — until finally unleashing his long-awaited fourth full-length record, Steady Lang. In this exclusive interview with Billboard Philippines, Sergio explains his long absence from the scene, how he got his groove back, and the creation of his latest album.
Billboard Philippines: Your last album, Stereo Mood Swings, came out in 2017. Why the eight-year gap between albums?
Japs Sergio: Initially, I just wanted to take a break from music-making, because I went into overdrive with the whole “gawa lang nang gawa” (just keep creating) mindset. Before the first album Monologue Whispers came out in 2011, I unintentionally created an alter ego through my band, Peso Movement. I ended up with enough songs for at least two albums. One of them, a ‘steady-fied’ version of “Tao Lang,” even made it onto this new album. All of that was happening while I was searching for bandmates, which eventually led to releasing Peso Movement’s lone album in 2014.
The following year, I switched gears and made a stripped-down, pop culture-themed album. It was supposed to be under another alter ego, but the thought of creating a whole new persona with a new name and new social media accounts was too much for lazy me. So it became the second [Japsuki] album, Pinoy Pop.
While making Stereo Mood Swings, there were three songs that didn’t fit. Two of them — “Para Normal” and “Hanap Buhay” — also made it onto this new album. The plan back then, just a week or so after the third album’s release, was to write a few more songs, combine them with the three unreleased ones, and put out an EP. But I could already see it snowballing into another full-length, a never-ending cycle, so I decided to hit pause before burning out.
Then in mid-2020, my room got rained in after forgotten ash from the Taal eruption earlier that year clogged the roof gutter. All the recording gear was hit badly. It hurt, because we’d been through a lot of magical things together, but I also took it as a sign to finally retire my embarrassingly outdated gear. That moment — along with the pandemic and other personal struggles — really messed with my head and made me tune out of music-making. For years, I didn’t even play anything; I only touched my gear when I had to move it to another spot.
What made you decide to start writing music again after a long hiatus?
By 2024, my head was slowly getting to a better, lighter place, and I started attracting good vibes I hadn’t felt in a long time. In November 2023, I decided to pull out the Japsuki albums from the music distributor because I didn’t want to keep paying an annual fee for something I thought I was never gonna do again. The idea was just to rerelease them later on with a one-time fee with another distributor. I was in no rush at all, but in early 2024, a friend messaged me looking for them. [It] turns out he was with a local music distributor and offered to rerelease the albums. So yeah, why not?
In mid-2024, my 25-year-old band, Daydream Cycle, released a vinyl compilation of our two albums. This was made possible by another friend in the record business, and took two to three years of back-and-forth emails. Honestly, I thought it wouldn’t push through, mainly because of my uncooperative headspace during the early stages.
Those two things happening that year made me revisit a lot of beautiful memories while digging through some newly organized memorabilia. It gave the musical side of me a pulse I hadn’t felt in a long time. Eventually, I sold some stuff and decided to build a new budget-friendly recording setup.
I had already bought some of the gear, but the computer I wanted wasn’t going to be available until December. While waiting, I used my nephew’s old laptop to reacquaint myself with the whole recording process on GarageBand. I made a guide beat and recorded the first few decent acoustic guitar riffs I could think of, but I couldn’t finish it. My bass strings were rustier than I was, so [my bass] was totally unplayable. The set of strings I normally used was out of stock. So I shelved it.
Based on your Facebook posts, you started work on what became Steady Lang in January, and released the first single “Wagyu” in April. How long did it take to finish the album? Did you plan to release a full album from the beginning?
By January, I already had my computer and other gear set up, but I kept stalling. The plan wasn’t even to make new songs yet, but just to rerecord two of the unreleased songs from the third album, “Para Normal” and “Hanap Buhay,” and include them as bonus tracks for a CD version of Pinoy Pop. That was supposed to be my slow way back.
One afternoon, my brother Dok (Teeth, Daydream Cycle, Pupil) gave me some used but playable bass strings, so I opened up that shelved file and laid down the low end. The sound of new music I created was something I hadn’t felt in years. The next day, I wrote some words to finish the song, and it eventually became the album’s opener, “Waze.” The morning after, I listened to the demo, and for the first time ever, I broke down listening to my own song. From the moment I learned my first guitar chord, I don’t think I’d ever gone a month without playing — let alone five years. I felt this overwhelming wave of happiness and relief just knowing I still loved making music.
I listened to that song for a week, thinking maybe it was just a fluke. So I challenged myself to write another. There was still no plan to make an album. The idea was just to get back into the “gawa lang nang gawa” mindset, but this time at a slower pace. Before, I’d finish three new songs in a week and have a whole album demo-recorded in under a month.
I didn’t set out to write everything in Filipino, but after three to four new songs, it made more sense to add the two unreleased tracks and turn it into a new album instead. I wrote “Wagyu” in the first week of March. I was supposed to just keep writing, but that first verse felt perfect for summer, so I made a last-minute decision to release it during Holy Week. For the first time, I put out a song way before the album was even finished.
That release shifted my mindset from the fun phase of songwriting to the yucky phase of rerecording and mixing. Getting back into songwriting form was surprisingly quick and smooth, but my fingers, voice, and ears were way rustier than I expected. From mid-January to early March, I wrote seven new songs. I spent the next two months rerecording vocals and adding instruments. As always, mixing and editing were the hardest part, especially since my ears took a few months to get back in shape.
The revisions dragged on until the first week of August. So all in all, it took about seven months from the first song to the final revision — the longest I’ve ever spent making a Japsuki album.
Despite listeners’ habits shifting from full albums to curated playlists in this age of digital streaming, why release a full album?
I do this for my happiness — I’m not really into the game. Actually, all the single releases will be scrapped soon, even if they already made it to some playlists, because I ended up remixing them. (Laughs) Making this album is already a wonderful bonus for me. I love the satisfaction of conquering the challenge of putting an album together, and it means a lot more to me now after five years of not playing and thinking I’d never make another one.
I’m grateful to have even just a handful of listeners who I know will listen to the whole thing, and that already makes it worthwhile. Of course, it would be great if more people discover my songs, but if they don’t bother to check out the rest, then maybe my music just isn’t for them. I like to keep it that simple.
You went into hermit mode shortly after your last album Stereo Mood Swings in 2017. Did you listen to any new local acts during that period, and if so, did any of them influence or inspire your new music in any way?
I’ve been so out of the loop, especially since the pandemic started, but I’m always open to checking out new acts. For most of the pandemic, I tuned out from social media too, at least until 2024. I do YouTube a lot, though, and that’s where I usually catch new acts when the algorithm makes them pop up on my feed.
I wouldn’t say I was influenced by any of them, but I’m certainly blown away by the insane amount of talent, and grateful that they’ve taken the local music scene to an amazing new level. Off the top of my head, I love the solo works of the IV of Spades guys. I’m a fan of the band, and it’s great to have them back. I’m also a fan of ena mori, Dilaw, bird., ONE CLICK STRAIGHT, Gabba, and there are a few more I really like, but my messed-up memory forgot their names! Oh, and I discovered SUYEN through your recommendation! Thanks, man!
How would you describe Steady Lang in comparison to your three earlier albums?
When I was listening to the album demo back in March, I thought it sounded like a healthy mix of all three albums combined. But as I got closer to the finish line, I realized its journey went farther than that. It’s really a celebration of 25 years of making music — from the clueless DIY indie years of Daydream Cycle, to the surge of knowledge and experience I gained from Rivermaya and the mainstream world, to my default setting in Japsuki and its alter ego, Peso Movement.
The pandemic also happened in between your last and your latest records. Are there new lyrical themes or topics in the songs of Steady Lang that might have been inspired by the lockdown and/or life after it?
“Halik ng Bagong Simula” is definitely about the pandemic experience. The rest of the new songs are sprinkled with themes of internal struggles and societal issues. Like with Pinoy Pop, I observed society through the eyes of social media and the news — some stuff I related to, and others I hadn’t experienced but tried to imagine myself in.
Now that Japsuki has returned with new music, will you start performing live again? Why or why not?
The first album was supposed to be a one-off thing, just to prove to myself that I could do it. I think I only played it live for the first time three years after its release. Playing live was never really a priority. Besides the challenge of forming a band, bothering them for rehearsals, and all that, magastos din kasi eh (it costs too much). This has always been a passion-driven journey, and I never really earned from it. Even after finishing this album, I’m still not in decent playing shape, but at least I’m in a much better headspace, so I’m not closing the door on the possibility. For now, steady lang (I’m keeping it steady).
Listen to Japsuki’s new album, Steady Lang, below: