Hairgum is the next big OPM band
RISING local rock band Hairgum successfully released their single “I Need Friends” in March of this year, following their hit tracks “Preloved” and “Sunroof (Sick Viral Version).” Since 2023, vocalist and guitarist Jigs Vista, bassist Lee Mendoza, guitarist and vocalist Jose Tolentino, and drummer Dani Pajarillo have consistently played live shows and prepared new music.
Earlier, Music Geek had the opportunity to meet the artists and learn more about how they formed the group. Vista revealed that he had known Tolentino since the early 2000s, as they attended shows together when they belonged to different bands. He added, “In 2023, I asked if he was okay with starting a project, then we asked Lee and Dani to join, and the rest is history.”
Vista further shared the story behind their band name, Hairgum. “Jose and I were trying to name our project when we started, and we tried throwing band names around,” he said. He also disclosed they agreed it was a random thought striking enough to be a band name.
Interestingly, the members all hail from different schools. Tolentino majored in Advertising at FEU Fine Arts, Mendoza in BSIT Web Track Technology at the University of the Cordilleras, Vista in Computer Science Web Design at Jose Rizal University, and Pajarillo in IT at STI Global City.
With Vista and Tolentino taking the lead in composing their tracks, Mendoza and Pajarillo subsequently provide their artistry to enrich their music further.
“Dani and I add flavor during the jam and make the arrangements in preparation for live performances and recording,” Mendoza said.
Notably, Vista shared that Pajarillo is adept at arranging and timing, Tolentino articulately composes the lyrics, and Mendoza delivers impressive bass lines.
Moreover, when asked about each member’s musical influences, Tolentino expressed his love for The Beatles and musicians from the early to mid-90s like Nirvana. Conversely, Mendoza, the only female band member, mentioned that she takes inspiration from various genres such as pop, R&B, and hip-hop.
Vista highly regarded OPM icons Eraserheads and Rivermaya, particularly Rico Blanco and Raymund Marasigan. Generally, like the rest of the group, Pajarillo finds the ‘90s to early 2000s era significantly influential in their sound.
Moving forward, their latest single, “I Need Friends,” is a track that, through its sincere lyricism, reflects an individual’s yearning for connection. Surprisingly, the composition had been in the works since 2013 until Vista revisited it in 2023.
“I was completely drained from being between jobs back in 2023, and I wrote the verses thinking of someone who’s just basically longing for deep conversations,” the writer disclosed. Indeed, it is an evocative piece deserving a spot on alt-rock fans’ late-night playlists.
Following this, when asked about the impact of their music on their listeners, they hoped their audience could feel a sense of familiarity when listening to it. Thoughtfully, Tolentino shared, “As long as they feel something, that is all good for me.”
Ultimately, listeners can anticipate new music as the artists announce they are working on their first Filipino song.
Furthermore, the members expressed enthusiasm about pursuing music, aiming to create new pieces and constantly explore diverse genres. “We’ll do this until we’re tired and old,” they vowed.
Jerge Rozano, widely known as Jerge, is an independent artist from Surigao City, Mindanao. With 49.1 million likes and 732.3K followers on TikTok, the artist made a move to pursue his passion for music and recently signed with Evosound Philippines. He released his new single “Panoba” on April 29, 2023, which landed at the No. 2 spot on Spotify’s Fresh Finds PH playlist. “Panoba” is a pop-punk track that explores a person’s constant questioning of how to approach, get to know, and befriend their crush. However, due to his low self-esteem, he remains stuck questioning his feelings.The artist also conceptualized and shot the music video for his single by himself. Jerge became popular on TikTok with his funny skits and released his first single, “Pakiusap,” in June 2023. He recorded it solely using his phone.
“Panoba’s” music video hit 20K views on YouTube in four days. Listeners can continue to stream it there and across all streaming platforms.