TJ Monterde And KZ Tandingan On Crafting Serenades That Speak To Millions

Authenticity and intention — these are the OPM icon couple’s key ingredients in sharing their music to millions.

Recently sharing a duet through a new version of the chart-topping “Palagi“, TJ Monterde and KZ Tandingan have established themselves as an OPM power unit. While KZ bears the mark of a jack of all trades in experimenting and excelling with different genres and sounds, ranging from jazz to rap, TJ has established his acoustic sound as the industry’s self-proclaimed “cheesy storyteller”. The duo’s love story, woven through the music industry, is a testament to the power of music in forming meaningful connections.

KZ Tandingan, or affectionately known as “Asia’s Soul Supreme”, broke out of her shell following her debut on the now-defunct X-Factor Philippines. Since then, she has been making waves in the realm of OPM, scoring awards left and right for different genres. On the other hand, hitmaker TJ Monterde has been steadily climbing the charts with his critically-acclaimed song, “Palagi” – which rose to No. 2 of The Billboard Philippines Hot 100 on week of September 14, 2024. His sincere songwriting and charming acoustic sound has made waves across millions. Selling out concerts nationwide, TJ’s influence among the Filipino soundscape has been immeasurable.

When speaking about “Palagi” and its prominent success, TJ attributed the song’s popularity to its authenticity and openness. “It’s actually a song that I dedicated to her, of course. It’s one of those songs that you don’t really think about writing, but you just write.” He added, “It’s puso talaga. It’s very straightforward. Parang naging sobrang, sobrang open ako na I don’t really care if people might think this is cheesy or whatever.” [It’s really just heart. It’s very straightforward. I became so open that I don’t really care if people might think this is cheesy or whatever.]

Being that the song was written as a love letter to his wife, he declared that what truly mattered to him was that the song made KZ happy. Be it that he didn’t release the song entirely, he would have been fine if it were for her ears alone.

Coming from two different kinds of sounds altogether, one may question how their dynamic as a couple carries into the studio. KZ explained, “As artists, sobrang opposite talaga [we’re polar opposites].” The two would rarely be seen in the same lineup, as their styles are contrast completely. According to TJ, their differences even come to play in playlist curation, as TJ goes for a more mellow and heartwarming kind of sound when KZ veers towards rap.

Nevertheless, when producing the duet for, “Palagi”, the two built respect for one another beyond their status quo of husband and wife, but as artists as well. “Kahit na mag-asawa kaming dalawa, [Even if we’re married,] we should always also remember that we are different artists.” KZ said. When KZ encountered hesitation in adding her part into the already well-established and charting song, TJ let her take the reigns.

“When I wanted to do a duet version of this (“Palagi”), it’s (either) a duet with her or none at all.” TJ explained that he just gave the song to her entirely, let her take the reigns in giving herself full creative freedom. He emphasized his trust in her artistic capabilities in knowing she’d do well.

KZ bears many hats in the music industry, as her low register has distinguished her sound among her peers. However, her experimentation with various genres has led her to a crossroads in her career, “Parang feeling ko because I try to do so many things, parang feeling ko minsan, I’m lost [I feel that, because I try to do so many things, I feel that I’m lost.]”

In that sense, she addressed her frustrations in songwriting. In her upcoming release, she “wrote out of desperation”, in her words. Breaking out of a frustratingly long writer’s block, she was mulling over the direction of her upcoming album. While she had visions and ideas of her creative direction, she wouldn’t be able to experience it for herself when listening over her work. Her overthinking began to take over her songwriting process, and that’s when she took a step back from those thoughts.

“I tried writing something that was like, as in talagang left field sa lahat ng mga ginagawa ko. Just to, parang to just shake me up. So I wrote this song, this is completely different from what I usually do– from the songs that I usually write. Tapos, I wrote it, but without any intention of releasing it, so pinarinig ko sa kanya (TJ). Tapos, siya yung nagsabi na, ‘No, record mo na ‘yan.’ And so, this new song is going to be different. It doesn’t sound like the songs I’ve released.” [I tried writing something that was totally left field from what I usually do. Just to shake me up. So I wrote this song, this is completely different from what I usually do– from the songs I usually write. After that, I wrote it, but without any intention of releasing it, so I had TJ listen to it. After listening, he was the one who told me, ‘No, you should record that’ And so, this new song is going to be different. It doesn’t sound like the songs I’ve released]

In their songwriting, TJ and KZ have resonated with vast audiences through their authenticity and relatability. In this regard, TJ cited his past interviews where he would always promise a new side to himself as an artist, a new sound. Nevertheless, in his production, the balladeer emphasized that what truly mattered to him was authenticity. Whether the song be simple or not, as long as what it truly was what he was feeling, that’s what he writes.

On the topic of authenticity, KZ reflected on her experience throughout her career, “Siguro sobrang importante s’akin na, I always show who I am.” Upon initially joining the competition, KZ shared that she was pressured to look a certain way and sound a certain way, because the industry holds a standard for what a female singer should be. “Dapat nakakabirit ka, dapat parang diva, naka-gown.” [You should be able to belt, you should be a diva in a gown.]” Due to her passion and will to stay in the business and be able to sing for people, she forced herself into this mold, as this is what she was convinced would work for her.

She described this instance as one of her biggest mistakes. As much as she expressed gratefulness for her early career, she felt that she began to lose herself. As a result, it felt that she was losing her reason to be part of the industry entirely– her love and passion for singing. It reached a point where she came to resent performing, but when she joined her current management, Cornerstone, things began to shift in her direction. “The first thing na sinabi s’akin ni Sir Erickson Raymundo [The first thing Sir Erickson Raymundo told me was], ‘Cut your hair.'”

After chopping her hair, KZ found empowerment and, in her words, learn how to stand up for herself. “I’d rather have people hate me for who I am  than love me for who I’m not.” In that light, she encouraged people to embrace their own authenticity as well.

On this note, TJ and KZ shared how music is such a powerful tool in creating connections. “Music transcends languages.” KZ said. She explained that people don’t need to speak the same languages to connect through music– that’s simply how powerful music is. Not only does music form connections, but it breaks barriers, “Kahit ngayon, kahit na hindi tayo magkakakilala, pag nagpatugtog ka ngayon ng ‘Pantropiko‘, sasabay natin. [Even right now, even if we don’t know everyone here, if someone played ‘Pantropiko’, we’d all dance.]”

TJ emphasized that music’s power to connect people holds a big significance to him, as that’s how he met KZ. When the soul singer took part in X-Factor, the couple met through her former mentor Martin Nievera. Being that they met through the industry and met many of their friends through music as well, TJ builds on the idea that music truly holds power in finding connection, “Buhay ko, buhay namin, patunay na music does really connect people. (My life, our lives prove that music really does connect people.)”

As the duo continue to produce songs that share nothing but authenticity and heart to millions, they, too, are continuing their journey in finding and discovering themselves through music. As icons of their respective genres, the two highlight the sincerity of the Pinoy heart and the power of music in forming connections.

Listen to their duet version of “Palagi” here: