Today (June 2, 2025), announced exclusively through Billboard Philippines, James Reid and TJ Monterde are joining forces for an unexpected collaborative piece entitled “Pahinga.” Previously teased in a video posted by Reid last May 30, the single is scheduled to come out on June 6, 2025.

The song is a heartfelt folk-pop ballad about pausing in the middle of a relationship conflict — not to give up, but to protect the love. It’s a vulnerable piece that delves into the heart-wrenching nuances that goes into taking a break, and vowing still to come back to one another.

In an exclusive statement to Billboard Philippines, Reid explains how the collaboration between him and TJ came to life, and his experience working with the renowned balladeer. “TJ was top of mind when thinking of who to collaborate with and I’ve been hoping to work with him since last year. When we got in the studio I feel like our energy and artistry just aligned and TJ definitely delivered some awesome vocals.”

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Likewise, Monterde himself noted that he loved the song from the very first listen, and was eager to work on the piece right away; “[On my] first listen, [I] loved the song right away! I feels like it’s something I would write — the message is also very clear to me: ‘Pahingi lang ng isang minuto, mataas lang emosyon ko ngayon. But after all this, mahal pa rin kita.‘ (‘Just give me a minute, my emotions are just running high right now, but after all this, I still love you.’)”

This follows TJ Monterde’s recent joint work with Korean singer-songwriter, 10CM; a single album entitled Acoustic Romantics that was released last May 14, 2025. On the other hand, James Reid latest work is a single that served as the anthem for this year’s Miss Universe 2025, “Love The Chase.”