Following her hit Roses on My Piano, Art of Bodybending brings us Kundiman and the Blues with her new single, Please.
Although her past musical works have an otherworldly feel, she shows us her roots in this new number that pays homage to Filipino music.
“It was inspired by the kundiman “Pakiusap”, a song about showing all your cards to someone you love, asking them to pity your aching heart. The structure of the song is one verse and two choruses, which I used for Please.”, says the multidisciplinary artist.
“I knew the accompaniment had to be blues, with a gospel choir. I wanted a sax and piano solo on the track, with a showdown between both instruments towards the end. The sax represents the smooth, sexy front people put on when they meet someone they like, while the piano reveals your true feelings, gathering the courage to ask someone to be with you. The piano fights with the sax to show the lover’s cards, and wins eventually.”
For this release, AoB worked with producer Angelo Garcia, pianist Chuck Joson, and saxophonist Dix Lucero.
“Angelo really gave my song some royal blues treatment”, AoB says. Our workflow was 100% virtual on a Facebook chat. I never even met these guys in person, but it was a match made in heaven, because they got my concept completely.”
Instead of the brash way that the female rappers of this age show their desires, AoB evokes a classic and strikingly genuine vulnerability that takes us back to the days of Hollywood film stars.
"This is a feminist song that I wrote for all Filipinas to celebrate their sensuality that’s often scandalized. It shows a side of the Filipina that we all have, but are afraid to express. Filipinas are among the most affectionate lovers who want all aspects of intimacy. The passion of the Filipina deserves to bloom in all its glory."
Released with a self-produced, self-directed music video where she sings and dances her original composition, she takes us back to the age of flappers and freakshows.
Shot at Victoria Court’s Cirque, she is the embodiment of a matinee idol, clad in a gorgeous evening gown that she sheds for cabaret lingerie as she contorts around the circus pole. She’s set on using the ongoing pandemic to her advantage, instead of allowing it to limit her creativity.
“Please was a pandemic-born song that wouldn’t have happened without the lockdown. I love to entertain, and how much my artworks are crafted with that goal. But quarantine was the first time I had no one to watch me or pressure me to do things they say would help my career. In that solitude, I felt the most authentically myself. Instead of abstract storytelling, I said what I meant plain and simple for once. I’ve never written a song like this before, and I doubt it will happen again.
Producing this song with all the lockdown restrictions really changed how I saw things. I no longer let people tell me what to do about my music now that I was forced to take the tasks I usually trusted others with into my own hands. People have their own perceptions of me and try to sway my decisions within their comfort zone, since they haven’t wrapped their heads around the things I’m doing yet.
I’m so glad to be alone now. This song is about reclaiming my power and doing as I please.”
It just so happens we love watching AoB do as she pleases. Check her new song and music video out now.
