LISTEN: juan karlos and Gloc-9 pay tribute to OFWs in ‘Sampaguita’

MANILA, Philippines – Rock band juan karlos has teamed up with rap legend Gloc-9 to pay tribute to overseas Filipino workers (OFW) in their latest release, “Sampaguita.”

The band, named after frontman Juan Karlos Labajo, is known for the ubiquitous hit “Buwan,” and their recent single “Kalawakan.”

“Sampaguita” opens with Gloc-9 rapping from the perspective of an OFW writing home to his wife. It then leads into an emotional chorus, with Juan Karlos singing “Kahit saan man mapadpad, sa’yo parin ako babalik, giliw (wherever I end up, I always go back to you, my love).”

The song continues to tell the story of the Filipino worker, which ends on a somber note, made even more heartrending by Juan Karlos’ voice raising towards the final refrain.

The song came together after Juan Karlos asked Gloc-9 if he was interested in collaborating when they met at the Guillermo Awards in March 2019. After exchanging numbers and connecting on Facebook, the two exchanged ideas, with Gloc-9 impressed by Juan Karlos’ ideas.

“Ito yung isa sa mga kanta na mabilis ko lang naisulat. Siguro kasi na-impress ako sa ganda ng pinadala ni JK na demo (this is one of the songs I wrote really fast. Maybe because I was impressed at how good JK’s demo was),” the rapper said.

juan karlos is composed of Juan Karlos on vocals, Gian Franco Rey-Hipolito on drums, and Clark Henriel Cunanan on bass.

Listen to the song here:

– Rappler.com