Following his release of “Shot Puno” in 2022, singer-songwriter and producer juan karlos comes back strong with a new single, “may halaga pa ba ako sayo??,” a tune of skill and absolute passion.
The single follows the story of a persona speaking to a love lost, painfully questioning his self-worth—and whether their love truly meant anything. When asked about coming up with the lyrical narrative, juan karlos shares that each line comes from a burst of bottled-up feelings that were dying to be expressed.
“I guess for the song, and for the way I wrote the lyrics, I’m not using metaphorical styles. Although I love metaphors so much, it was more straight to the point. It’s a question, and it’s my thoughts…the way I wrote it, it was super communicative, just talking to the person I wrote it for.”
On the other hand, the musical arrangement is described as on a “downward spiral.” With a potent mix of the singer’s vocals and the talents of Ira Cruz on guitar, Rickson Ruiz on drums, and Karel Honsan on bass, the song encapsulates the persona’s agony. In turn, it takes the listener into a journey of grief, anger, and the most painful of all: hearing nothing back.
“..It’s heavy, it’s going down—which is basically an auditory representation of spiraling down. And eventually, nakakapagod siya. Nakakapagod siya pakinggan, kasi mabigat. Kasi yun yung emosyon—nakakapagod.”
Given the choice of instrumentals and the abrupt end of the tune, the song could be this year’s ultimate heartbreak song. But between virality and hugot culture, juan karlos wants to focus on one important thing: creating a single that impacts his listeners.
And with the masterpiece that is “may halaga pa ba ako sayo??,” listeners will be on the floor with emotions. As an artist, nothing’s more fulfilling to juan karlos than knowing he can bridge and foster connections with music.
Fortunately for the rest of us, juan karlos isn’t stopping there. With an album dropping soon, we’ll be holding onto our seats in anticipation of what else is in store for us—and our dear hearts.
Listen to “may halaga pa ba ako sayo??”