How Faith, Friendship, And Heavy Metal Helped Barbie Almalbis Create Her New Album, ‘Not That Girl’
In this interview with Billboard Philippines, Barbie Almalbis discusses the creation of her latest album Not That Girl, preparing for her set at Music Lane Okinawa 2025, possible new Barbie’s Cradle material, and more.

Barbie Almalbis:
Courtesy of NYOU Consultancy. Photographed by Niña Sandejas.
Barbie Almalbis: Courtesy of NYOU Consultancy. Photographed by Niña Sandejas.
In times of deep personal turmoil, all of us have a special place we turn to in order to find peace. For Barbie Almalbis last year, she found it doing what she knows best – making music.
During what she describes as “one of the most difficult periods of [her] life,” the Filipino alternative rock icon found herself undergoing a painful yet crucial journey. Here, she faced life’s trials head on, backed by faith and a willingness to open up her heart, hand-in-hand with an inherent drive to push the boundaries of her craft.
Ultimately, what resulted during this highly transformative era of Almalbis’ life was Not That Girl – the veteran singer-songwriter’s most ambitious record to date. Equally experimental and genre-bending just as much as it is vulnerable and candidly honest, Almalbis’s fifth studio album spans 9 tracks that beautifully encapsulate this part of her career, both as a person and as an artist.
With this, Billboard Philippines sat down with Barbie Almalbis to talk about how she brought Not That Girl to life as well as how her friendships and faith shaped its creation. In addition, we discussed her preparations ahead of performing at Music Lane Okinawa this January, her future plans this 2025, and more.
Billboard Philippines: Congratulations on the release of your fifth studio album, Not That Girl! How does it feel to finally be putting it out for the rest of the world to hear?
Barbie Almalbis: I’m so happy! I’m so happy that we got to make an album like this. We’ve been excited to really share it with people. And yeah, I’m glad it’s here!
Compared to your previous album Scenes from Inside which was made in the middle of the pandemic, how different was it bringing Not That Girl to life? What were some memorable moments from this album’s creation that you would like to share with us?
They’re very different. My life as a songwriter pa-iba-iba siya depende sa (changes depending on the) season. I don’t always have set rules that I follow. I don’t even start an album with a theme in mind. I just adapt to the moment, parang ganun (something like that)!
Like, in the pandemic, I adapted in the sense that I couldn’t go out, so everything was mostly recorded at home. It was also during a time when I was experiencing some sort of writer’s block which I think I can explain. Right? Because it was a time in my life where things were more steady and at the same time, wala kang masyadong hugot sa buhay (you didn’t get that much ideas from life). It was like, “Ano bang isusulat ko (What will I write)? I’m a songwriter so I do have to write about something.” But I didn’t really have something in me that I really wanted to shout, you know?
My husband Martin [Honasan] even helped me write kasi sabi ko (because I said), “Wala akong masulat (I can’t write anything).” Sabi ‘nya, “Tara, tulungan kita” (He said, “Let’s go, I’ll help you”). So, we co-wrote, like, half of the album and wrote about anything. We made stories.

Courtesy of NYOU Consultancy. Photographed by Niña Sandejas.
For [Not That Girl], it was the total opposite. Last year, life wasn’t steady. I went through a lot of emotional, personal turmoil. It was something that I believe I needed to go through as a person with my walk with God. He was healing me from things, uncovering old wounds — ut, all in all, I can say that I’m grateful for what I went through.
At the same time, life was hard but writing was easy (laughs). It was, like, days and days, I’d be in emotional turmoil and I’d be like, “Okay, I’m just gonna try to write a song,” just to help me feel better. I wanted to cry because crying always makes you feel better but I couldn’t even cry. So, one of the first songs I wrote for this album was this song called “How To Weep”. I wanted to get my guitar, write my feelings down, and, hopefully, it would make me feel better. Then, a few songs later, “Happy Sad,” which we released as a single, was probably like the sixth song we wrote. The bridge there goes, “Finally, I’m starting to find love. Finally, I’m starting to weep.” You can tell, if you look through the whole album, that there’s, like, a story that’s happening.
Even after I wrote “How To Weep,” I still didn’t feel better but it was my attempt to help myself heal. And, yeah, by the time I wrote “Happy Sad,” mas maganda na (it was already better). Mas okay na (It was more okay). Nakakaiyak na ako (I was now able to cry). Then later, it became a continuous healing process.
That was the process of writing this album. We finished it, from writing to mastering, in a couple of months. I’d say, maybe four months. I would write a song each week. Or it was, like, in one week, nakakasulat ako ng ilan (I would be able to write a few). So, about nine weeks. And then we recorded everything and it was so fast! Hindi namin talaga intention gumawa ng album (It wasn’t our intention to create an album) (laughs). Gumawa lang kami ng (We just made) one song pero nag-tuloy-tuloy ‘yung kwento (but the story kept going on-and-on) so, nabuo na rin ‘yung (we finished the) album!
It’s good to hear that making this album was a very transformative journey for you.
All in all, I’m happy! There was a purpose for the pain.

Courtesy of NYOU Consultancy. Photographed by Niña Sandejas.
As evidenced by its singles, the album sees you explore a range of sounds, including taking a fun and bold experimental route with its first single “Desperate Hours.” After creating Not That Girl, what can you say, after decades of making music, is the defining factor that makes a Barbie Almalbis song, a Barbie Almalbis song, despite how much your sound has evolved?
I think it’s the fact that I can’t or don’t even wanna answer that question (laughs). You know what I’m saying? It’s just that, if anything, I don’t want to define it. I want to keep being surprised as an artist. ‘Yun lang din ‘yung goal ko e (That’s just my goal also). Kasi (Because) I have a lot of attempts to make songs. I have it all in my voice memos, and if it surprises me, then I like it! And if it surprises me, then it will surprise you [the listeners] as well! It’s worth sharing!
I’ve always been like that, I think. Ever since I started, I’ve felt like, if you’re being sincere with your process, somehow, it will connect with people who like the direction you’re taking. Because it’s hard to do it the other way around. Like, guessing what you think people might like. So, I’m just hoping that, somehow, [the music] will connect with people.
I’m really happy with what we made. And, really, a lot of credit goes to Nick Lazaro, my producer. In terms of the process, parehas lang naman (it was the same). I would write songs on an acoustic guitar, basic chords or sometimes there’s a riff. But, really, the sounds that Nick made, wala akong (I didn’t have) knowledge how to make them. Wala sa arsenal ko ‘yung ganun pero sobrang trip ko ‘yung lahat ng decisions na ginawa ‘nya (Those weren’t in my arsenal but I really liked all the decisions he made). Like with “Desperate Hours.” He made the riff, the basic structure of it, and challenge siya sa akin (It was a challenge for me) to write on top of it.

Courtesy of NYOU Consultancy. Photographed by Niña Sandejas.
It’s nice to know that you also got to explore a whole new range of possibilities with your songwriting for this album with his help!
Yeah! Nung simula (At the start), when writing the album, may mga (there were) times na kinakabahan daw siya na baka sumosobra daw siya (where he said he was nervous that he was doing too much). Sabi ko (I said), “Hindi nga e (No not really). Bitin pa (We need more)! Make it crazier! Keep going!”
Si Nick kasi (It’s because Nick) was in a metal band bago siya umuwi dito sa (before he went home here in the) Philippines. So, well-versed talaga siya sa ganung (with that type of) music. Ako, late na ako diyan e (As for me, I’m late to the party) (laughs).
So, nung nagsusulat na kami (when we were writing), sabi ko kay (I told) Nick, “Gusto ko talaga magkaroon ng metal na song (I really want to have a metal song).” So, may ginawa ako sa acoustic guitar na (I made something on the acoustic guitar that), sa mind ko (I made something on the acoustic guitar that, in my mind was), “Metal ‘to. Metal ‘to (This is metal. This is metal).” Tapos pinadala ko sa kanya and sabi ko (Then I sent it to him and I said), “Nick, finish the song. Make it metal.” Then he sent it back to me, tapos ayun. Metal na (and then, there. It became metal)! (laughs). The song is called “Platonic.”

Courtesy of NYOU Consultancy. Photographed by Niña Sandejas.
Going back to when you mentioned your walk with God earlier, it’s no secret that your faith has always been a major driving force in your life and that, of course, naturally includes your music. With this album in particular, how has your faith influenced your music’s creation and, in turn, how has making this album affected your faith during the process of bringing it to life?
I mean, being a creative, being a singer-songwriter, for me, is intertwined with my faith. Sometimes, being an artist is hard. It’s challenging too. It has its challenges and it’s really my faith that has kept me going, that has given me the confidence and the hope to just keep going. It’s just me trusting God, that He wants me to keep going down this road.
With regards to [the album’s] theme, there’s a saying by Blaise Pascal that goes like, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in every heart.” It’s like, we’ll never really be satisfied until God fills that. A lot of my songs and a lot of my experiences in the past have revolved around that – finding my identity in God, finding the love that I was seeking in Him. This album, parang nag-branch out siya (it’s like that branched out).
There’s also a man-shaped hole in every heart. So, yeah, we do need God to feel complete, to feel whole. But a lot of this past year, I also longed for deep human connection with friends. That song that we were talking about a while ago, “Platonic,” that’s what it is. It’s about how deeply I longed for true friendships and how vital they are, I found, in life. Lifeline talaga ‘yung mga friends na totoo (true friends really are a lifeline). A lot of the themes on this album are about that. About a couple of my really close friends and they really helped a lot throughout last year. So, kung may masasabi akong (if I were to talk about the) theme [of the album], it’s about human connections.
Courtesy of NYOU Consultancy. Photographed by Niña Sandejas.
With this, ultimately, what sort of impact do you hope that Not That Girl will leave on its listeners, especially the ones who will be discovering you for the first time through the songs on this album?
Musically or in a creative sense, like my husband Martin and I always talk about, it’s this idea of “generative art.” It’s the kind of art that we like to see as well. I’m not sure if he coined it but we heard it from this painter named Makoto Fujimura and he just describes that “generative art” is art that generates other ideas. You know what I’m saying? You have these other artists, you see their work, and it makes you want to do something too. You can listen to a song and you’re like, “Gusto ko rin magsulat. Gusto ko rin gumawa (I also want to write. I also want to create).” For me, I love artists like that and blessing sa akin (it’s a blessing to me) if my art can do that for other people too.
In terms of the theme, I hope that people will somehow find hope or feel less alone [with this album], or, at least, find hope that they can be less alone. I was re-reading this book by C.S. Lewis called The Four Loves – one of my favorite books. It talks about that kind of love, philia – the love for friends. A soul connection that is not necessarily romantic love. [C.S. Lewis] said that, sadly, we can actually live without it. Since it’s not vital, you can survive life without it pero sobrang important siya (but it’s so important). There are so many people who miss out on it and you can’t go on in life thinking you don’t need it. Some of the lines on “Platonic” are actually quoted from that book.
It’s just a message that I needed as well, that we need these connections, and I hope others can be encouraged to find their people out there.
Speaking of people discovering you and your music, you’re also set to be one of the Philippines’ representatives at this year’s Music Lane Okinawa, which is happening this January. What can attendees who will catch your performance expect?
It’s my first time to attend this kind of showcase so I don’t really know what to expect from their end but I feel like a total newbie. And I’m gonna be a total newbie to them because they haven’t heard my music before. It’s a good thing for me because I can curate our new set, put all our new songs. Kumbaga, wala kang iniisip na “crowd-pleaser” (So to speak, not thinking of a “crowd-pleaser”). Excited lang ako and ginagawa na namin ‘yung setlist (I’m just excited and we’re already putting together the setlist). I’m really hoping to put stuff that we wanna share at this time. Something that represents who we are currently.
Finally, what else can we expect from Barbie Almalbis this 2025? What goals do you want to achieve as an artist this year?
I just love making music, writing, and recording. We actually have some things lined up for this year. Hopefully, we can get to tour the new album, share the new songs through our gigs.
We also have a concert called ‘TANAW: The Repeat’ in February so I’m excited to perform with my close friends. Maingay na ulit chat group namin, nag-be-brainstorm kaming lahat (Our chat group is noisy once again, we’re all brainstorming ideas) (laughs).
Also, secretly but not secretly, I’ve been recording with my former bandmates from Barbie’s Cradle. We call ourselves the “Barbie’s Cradle Studio Band.” We’re just like, “C’mon guys, we miss each other, let’s just do something!” So, we’re not gigging together but we just wanna make stuff together. We already recorded some stuff and hopefully, kapag nakaisip ng tamang (when we think of the right) time, we’re gonna release some of the songs that we’ve been working on. We’re all in different bands na pero ang saya pa rin kapag magkasama kami (but it’s still so fun when we get together).
Listen to Barbie Almalbis’ Not That Girl below: