PHOTO: Facebook/Boy Abunda
“I AM not a professional composer, but I know the joys and pains of being gay.”
Ito ang inihayag ng King of Talk na si Boy Abunda nang makapanayam ng INQUIRER sa launching ng kanyang music project, bilang tinahak na rin niya pati ang songwriting.
Ang Pride EP ni Tito Boy na may titulong “Say It Clear, Say It Loud” ang kauna-unahan sa Pilipinas at diyan niya idinaan ang panawagan ng pagkakaisa, pagkakapantay-pantay at respeto pagdating sa LGBTQ+ community.
Bukod diyan, ipinapaalala rin sa first album ang katagang: “One love fits all.”
Sey ni Tito Boy sa interview, “I am not a professional composer, but I know the joys and pains of being gay. I know how it is to pray. I know how it is to be discriminated against.”
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“So, ang baon ko while writing the songs were the stories of the LGBTQ+ community and my own personal journey,” paliwanag niya.
Dagdag pa ng TV host, “It’s ironic that I’ve been in the entertainment industry for so long, but it’s only now that I’ve thought of music as a tool to tell our stories. Songs have a sense of permanence. I want the EP to be my legacy to the LGBTQ+ community.”
May anim na tracks ang album at ito ang “Kalbaryo,” “Diyos Ko, Diyos Ko Po,” “Papa Alleluia,” “Ideal World,” “Bilang” at ang title cut na kinanta ng ilang queer member na sina Anton Antenorcruz, Raven Heyres at Saga.
Chinika ni Tito Boy kung ano-ano ang inspirasyon sa bawat kanta:
“‘Papa Alleluia’ is our thank you to the Pope. Just as he said, ‘If someone seeks the Lord and is a good person, who are we to judge if he’s gay?’ I am Catholic. I don’t want to fight with the Catholic church.
“‘Diyos Ko, Diyos Ko Po’ is like a prayer. The message of the song is part of our truth. We are all children of God, regardless of our gender.
“‘Kalbaryo’ highlights the discrimination. In some places, gays are still invisible. It’s strange when people say, ‘Okay lang that he’s gay kasi he designs clothes well or he’s a good performer.’ Why can’t we be accepted for who we are as humans?”
Nabanggit din ng TV host na marami pa siyang ilalabas na Pride anthems at asahan daw sa susunod niyang EP ang mga kantang nasa “naughty side” naman.
Isa sa mga tracks raw na aabangan ay ang “Mahal Ko, Mahal ng Bayan.”