What matters more in a committed relationship isn’t the romance. That is what singer, songwriter, and illustrator huhsmile wants to tell listeners with her new single “Basta Tayo.” For this single, released under Island Records Philippines, she works with composer Sam de Leon and producers Tiny Corpuz and Felichi Salva Cruz. This track is now out on all music streaming platforms.
huhsmile says that the inspiration for the record was the “mundanity of relationships.” In other words, what is it like to do daily activities with your loved ones? “Basta Tayo” celebrates how we express love for one another in the everyday. In so doing, she wants to emphasize how being with someone for keeps means showing love for each other even in things like giving the dog a bath.
This leads us to a question: isn’t that the sort of thing that marriage is all about? It doesn’t surprise us that huhsmile’s big hope for this song is that it joins the ranks of wedding songs. She says, “It’s the ultimate goal for this release!” Talking about the everyday aspects of being in a lifetime relationship (or any relationship for that matter) is something that we hardly hear about, and that is what “Basta Tayo” achieves.
“Basta Tayo” is consistent with where her musical journey is taking her. “I think I’m just learning to be honest with myself and the stories I want to tell,” she says, “This song is me stretching the things I’m comfortable with sharing [with] the world.” In working on a song like this, she admits being influenced by local artists who write songs of love very well, including munimuni, Ben & Ben, and Clara Benin. “I’ve been listening to a lot of great artists that write love so well,” she says, “and I couldn’t help but want my own attempt at a song with a similar vibe.” Being influenced by others’ music is inevitable for her, she adds, because “no man is an island, ika nga.”
“Basta Tayo” is huhsmile’s welcome contribution to the repertoire of contemporary Filipino love songs. Of course, like her, we await the day when it shows up at a wedding reception somewhere.