Emerging Filipino musician Daniel Paringit is ushering in summer with his latest single, Dinggin. An upbeat song reminiscent of fun, carefree days where everything is possible, Dinggin is the perfect soundtrack for road trips and making unforgettable memories.
Taking Inspiration From Mornings and Crushes
Known for his energetic live performances that are steadily gaining recognition beyond his fanbase, Daniel’s first release for 2024 continues his streak of tracks that speak of life’s challenges and triumphs delivered with irresistible, danceable beats.
The track begins with guitar lines that make you bob your head and immediately set the happy sound of the song. With its production and style, Dinggin is evocative of an anime theme song where you cheer on the main character as they go through their life and its hurdles. Daniel reveals that it’s meant to sound that way.
“For Dinggin, me and my team referenced the theme song of Yowamushi Pedal, an anime series about cycling. The series has something to do with mornings, the feeling of riding a bike during sunrise,” Daniel explains.
Like his previous releases, Walang Hangganan and Sayo, Dinggin has an infectious beat that’s guaranteed to add a spring to your step and make you want to dance. Daniel’s vocal performance also adds to the song’s “main character” appeal, as he delivers his lines with a coy kind of playfulness. You can almost hear his smile as he giddily sings about the object of his affection, and his bashfulness at not having the confidence to make a move.
“My inspiration for this song was actually my classmate, whom I had a crush on during my college days,” Daniel reveals. Unlike the song’s protagonist who can’t make the first move, Daniel’s reality is a little bit different, at least in terms of using his infatuation as fuel for his music.
“There was a day when my morning taekwondo training finished earlier than usual. So, after I went to training and prepared for my first class, I drove to a parking lot, where I spent time writing the song while thinking of my crush,” he shares.
Crafting Dinggin
It seems that he has a lot to thank his crush for, and Dinggin’s lyrics are proof. The track is positive and pining from the get-go with the lines: “Mas maganda ka pa sa umaga, mga ngiti mo ay araw ang dala.”
These first lines also turn out to be Daniel’s favorites from the song. “As someone who personally loves mornings, iba ‘yung pakiramdam sa akin ng morning training noon or kapag nag-ride ng bike habang pasikat palang ang araw,” he expounds.
“Pero kapag nakita ko siya kahit hindi na umaga, parang parehas ‘yung pakiramdam tsaka parang yung ngiti niya parang araw ang dala-dala sa akin dahil sa kilig.”
Despite the initial bravado and declaration of affection, the song progresses in the perspective of a torpe guy who is in reality still building up the courage to confess his feelings to his crush, encapsulated through the lines: “Hanggang tingin na lang muna, hindi naman ako umaasa.”
Still, Daniel continues to yearn in a memorable chorus where he declares, “Kung kaya ko lang sabihin, kung kaya ko lang aminin, hinding-hindi kita sasayangin.” With backing vocals that act as the protagonist’s Greek chorus in building his resolve, Dinggin’s chorus is poised to be an engaging and anthemic part of Dinggin when it’s finally performed live.
Daniel also proves his cleverness in naming the song Dinggin, which functions as the protagonist’s plea for his confession of love to be heard. But as you look closely at the lyrics, it turns out that he hasn’t even said anything about his feelings yet, as confirmed in the lines: “Sa lahat ako’y walang hiya, pero ba’t sa’yo, hindi makapag-tapat.” Combined with the happy sound of the song which feels like hope and beginnings, you can’t help but root for him and have more faith in love yourself.
The song ends with the same affection that it started with, with the protagonist’s lovesick disbelief: “Hindi ako makapaniwala, may anghel pala dito sa lupa.”