On August 12, 2025, hit-making balladeer TJ Monterde took to his official social media platforms to announce his latest single entitled “Unang Halik,” which was released on August 21. In his post announcing the release of the track, he dedicated the serenade to the one and only KZ Tandingan, sharing that it was, “A song I know I’ll sing to my wife for the rest of my life.”
The song was first performed as an unreleased single during Monterde’s first day of his tour kick-off at the Araneta Coliseum, ‘Sarili Nating Mundo At The Big Dome‘ Concert. Additionally, along with the song’s announcement on social media, the artist teased the track’s themes in the graphic he’d posted, as within it was written, “Naaalala mo pa ba ang ating unang pagkikita?” (Do you still remember the first time we met?)
As of this writing, the “Palagi” hitmaker continues his ‘Sarili Nating Mundo’ World Tour with his wife and fellow soulful hitmaker KZ Tandingan, with several locations having been sold out across the globe. Most recently, he held a two-day stop from August 9 to 10 in his hometown in Cagayan de Oro City, and is set to hold his next stage in Zamboanga. Check out his tour dates here.
In related news, Monterde’s latest musical drop was a collaborative piece with James Reid, announced exclusively by Billboard Philippines here. Titled “Pahinga,” 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.
Stream “Unang Halik” here: