Beyond the Tunes: Ilocandia Pride PIP Professes Their Artistic Direction, Musical Style, And More

“Beyond the Tunes” is a series of interviews and features that aims to shine the spotlight on up-and-coming singer-songwriters who have earned a spot in the Wishcovery Originals grand finale. Get to know the top musical acts who will be vying for the championship tilt in the third edition of Wish 107.5’s very own talent search.

Being able to join the OPM luminary Parokya ni Edgar in the roster of performers for the Himala Sa Buhangin 2016, a festival dedicated to the celebration of sports, music, and the arts in Ilocos Norte, was a wish come true for then-rookie band P.I.P. (Paint It Peach). 

With hard work and passion for music, the six-piece pop-rock upstart hailing from Laoag City, has been steadily making a name for themselves in the local music scene through their numerous wins in local band battles.

Staying true to their desire to craft tracks that profess hope for those who feel lost, the group conquered the January weekly and monthly eliminations of Wishcovery Originals after serving up bop-inducing pieces that are absolutely wonderful — or better yet — peachy.

In this special edition of Beyond the Tunes, get to know more about PIP’s artistic direction, musical differences, career challenges, and more.

What made you pursue music? How did PIP come to be?

Kristian Carlo Crisostomo (drummer): We started pursuing music in high school as a cover band with our bassist and our other guitarist, Raymond. And then I met these guys in college. We’ve joined a battle of the band and we’ve performed an original piece. Luckily, we won. And then after college, we just realized that this is what we want to do for the rest of our lives. 

P.I.P. stands for Paint It Peach. Well, that’s actually a random name. The idea came from one of the nearby houses when we were practicing our first set of songs.

How’s your creative process like?

Austine Jhuen Tungpalan (songwriter and guitarist): Sometimes, an idea just randomly hits me, and afterward, both the melody and lyrics will follow. That’s when I’d rush to go home for my guitar. For me, that’s the best time to write the piece.

How do you handle your musical differences in your band?

Kristian: I think, our common denominator is that we have the heart and passion to perform. When it comes to our musical differences, one essential value that a member should acquire, for us, is honesty. Like if one presented a new tune or if one tried a new riff, try to be honest and criticize constructively. 

What do you think is your edge over other contenders?

Lane Franchelle Caleon (vocalist): It’s not just about us being individual instrumentalists, musicians, and artists. For us, what sets us apart from other contenders is that we’re not playing just to perform, but we do it because music binds us — we’re friends because of music. And that’s what we always want to do. 

What’s the most challenging part or aspect of your craft as a performer and composer? How do you handle/deal with it?

Lane: There are a lot of challenges as an up-and-coming act. One is our distance from each other — others are working in Manila, others are in Ilocos Norte. But the most challenging aspect, for us, as a band, is not being heard. We’ve been making songs for years and not everyone really hears what we want to express through music. It’s hard to accept that not everybody can relate and are willing to listen to your songs.

With Wishcovery, we dared to further do better, express ourselves, show the world our musical gifts, and gratefully pursue music.

During the weekly eliminations, you performed “Make It So.” What’s it all about?

Lane: The song “Make It So” is basically about celebrating life — including its ups and downs — because these are what keep us moving forward. It tells the listeners to not easily give up. Break walls, go out, play, and enjoy music. Keep on dreaming about what makes you breathe and continue finding your purpose. 

For the monthly finals, you performed “Pikit.” What’s the story behind this one?

Austine: In this song, we want to tell people that we’re not getting any younger and that time waits for no one. 

It’s okay to reminisce about the past; the only way to do it is to close your eyes and dream about it. But you also need to accept that you can’t ever go back to it anymore. All you can do is relive, contemplate, and use it to better your disposition in life — realize that we can’t be stuck in one place and that we can’t be enclosed in one box. We have to open that box and get to the other one.

Watch PIP’s Wishcovery performances below:

Make It So:

Pikit:

Watch the January Monthly Finals of Wishcovery Originals below:

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