Justin De Dios Weaves a Tale of Unrequited Love in ‘kaibigan’
After becoming an international sensation as part of Filipino boy band SB19, Justin De Dios has been paving his own path as a solo artist—and turning just as many heads.
His first two solo releases, "sunday morning" and "surreal," have been hits with millions of streams each, and his latest single "kaibigan," has quickly caught up after being out for less than a month. The Tagalog-language track is an upbeat coming-of-age anthem that takes an unexpected turn with a tale of unrequited love, complete with a cinematic music video. We got the chance to catch up with Justin as a soloist and discover more about "kaibigan" and what's next for the star in the interview below.
The Story Behind 'kaibigan'
Justin De Dios: "kaibigan" tells the story of having a friend where you think you have mutual feelings together (about each other). It's about falling in love with them where you think the friend was in love with you as well. In the first part of the song, you can hear it is hopeful and exciting, so it doesn't begin as a sad song, but it has a sad ending. At the end, it changes as you find out they just see you as a friend.
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'kaibigan' in Tagalog
JDD: The song basically means "Friend." I'd say it's for people who are in love with a friend, but that friend loves a different person.
What 'kaibigan' Means
JDD: Basically the message it conveys is about unrequited love. For me, it's about acceptance. It's the acceptance of being a good friend. Even though you fell in love with that friend, and they don't love you back, you just have to be a good friend. That's the message I wanted to share with listeners. You need to accept things because if not, the friendship may be ruined. We need to give importance to things that you've been through with that friend. Even though they don't love you back, you should still accept and support them.
('Kaibigan' via Sony Music Entertainment Philippines)
Justin's Favorite Lyric
JDD: My favorite lyric, or part of the song, is the last few lines. They talk about the moment after the girl confesses she doesn't love me back where I smile. In that moment, I accept that even though I love her, she doesn't reciprocate those feelings. It's like, I still support you. I'm still here, even though it hurts so much.
On the Song's Intimate, Homemade Feel
JDD: I wanted to have that intimate sound come through to give a feeling of authenticity. The music needed to show a feeling of honesty towards that friend in the story. It sends the message that you're very serious about how you feel and how you see that person as more than just a friend. I feel like it makes the end message more impactful and emotional.
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What's Next
JDD: Here in the Philippines, I'll be performing in different places and events. The fans already know that more songs are coming, but, not too soon. I'll be releasing more songs in the future!
Final Thoughts
JDD: A fun fact about "kaibigan" is that it was supposed to be a longer song. There's a part at the end that didn't make it into the final recording, so it was originally longer! I made the "kaibigan" music video like a short film because it's part of a longer storyline with songs I'm going to release in the future. So as you can see in the music video, we kind of matched up the video with some clips from "Surreal."
For more interviews around our favorite music, click HERE to read what VALÉ had to say about her new EP, under the sun.