Justin of SB19 poetically captures unrequited love in his new single, “Kaibigan”, cleverly plotted with visual storytelling and riveting sounds.
Known as the most smiling face and youngest member of SB19, Justin also known as “Jah”, unfilters his pensive self anew in freshly released acoustic pop song, “Kaibigan” (friend) with a cinematic music video on July 19. The track instantly landed at no. 1 on iTunes Philippines chart and trended on X worldwide with the hashtags “#justinkaibigan”, “congrats Jah”, and “KAIBIGAN OUT NOW”.
Notably, the 26-year-old singer, dancer, creative director, executive producer, and co-owner of 1Z Entertainment (the company of SB19), graduated with honors from De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde with a degree in Multimedia Arts, and thus, is the most imaginative and inventive when it comes to concepts and art direction among the band members. He has helmed most of the creative input of SB19’s music videos such as “Hanggang Sa Huli”, “What?”, “WYAT”, “Moonlight”, as well as Stell”s “Room”.
Most of Justin’s works are mostly inspired by his passion for fictional pieces such as Chronicles of Narnia and coming-of-age stories. He shared in an interview that the song “Kaibigan” was penned “from the perspective of an observer and wanderer” and envisioned as “an embrace for the unrequited.”
Here’s my personal interpretation and overall review of Justin’s “Kaibigan” single:
Visuals
As a photographer who delights in stunning images that convey the depths of life, I was initially drawn to the impressive visuals of “Kaibigan’s” music video. I liked how the composition in every frame depicts a story and how every positioning of trio subjects subtly utter the state of their relationship. I also liked how it showcases the beauty of the Philippine sceneries, which I believe were shot in Baler, Quezon as mentioned in the credits description of the music video.
With attention to details, you can see emotions captured in various elements and symbols all throughout the video — the color grading, landscapes, as well as the wide and macro shots all point to a deeper story — intensifying the bliss, inner conflicts, the unspoken, what ifs, and whys of the moment.
KAIBIGAN is Justin’s newest single that “captures the complexities of human connection. In a world of desires and possibilities, it is a reminder that some things are better left unsaid.” [Video: JUSTIN’s Official YouTube]
I was especially deeply moved at the part where Justin breaks down in tears and how the raging waters surrounding him scream in pain along with him. Bruh, those images added an emotional impact to Justin’s internal tension of the words he could not utter. So in his vulnerable state, he let his frustrations out onto the waters, thinking the waves would wash away or drown all the intensity of pain or misery he feels deep down inside.
I commend the Creative Directors, Justin himself and Xi-Anne Avanceña, for the concept, and all the production staff involved in photography, videography, direction, and video editing for this cinematic music video. Fantastic!
Narrative and plot
“Kaibigan” is a Filipino word that means “friend” and the song depicts the complexities of feelings involved in friendships, highlighting the moment when you fully believe that what you have is mutual but it surprisingly ends up as a one-sided love.
As reported, Justin shared he penned the lyrics two years ago while playing with his ukulele, not based on a personal experience but out of his innate personality to observe people and circumstances around him. Within those years, he worked and discussed with the talents of 1Z Entertainment, the company of SB19, to toss out ideas, receive feedback, and conceptualize the visuals and sounds of his piece.
Astoundingly, “Kaibigan” isn’t just a single track but seems to be a prequel, connecting its moving story to the dreamy song, “Surreal”, which was released in February. From a heartbreaking song that leaves his heart in misery for losing a friend he thought belonged to him, Justin escapes in defense against pain to hop onto his surreal world where he lives in pure bliss and shares mutual feelings with the girl of his dreams, only to wake up in the end with the sad reality.
Justin made his debut as a solo recording artist with the track, SURREAL on February 29 of this year, unleashing his inner child and music identity with his poetical narrative, enchanting sounds, and cinematic visuals. [Video: JUSTIN’s Official YouTube]
If “Kaibigan” deals with false hope and “Surreal” struggles with the false self, will there be a third song that walks us through healing and acceptance?
Sounds and vocals
“Kaibigan” is an acoustic pop song that begins with a catchy sound and I liked how it is accompanied by Justin’s calm yet heartfelt vocals. As the story intensifies in the chorus and bridge parts, more layers are added into the music to evoke emotions on how the subject navigates the complexities of friendship and feelings, and to match the intensity of one’s shattering pain, showcasing Justin’s emotionally rich voice.
I liked the Interlude part where you can hear Justin screaming repeatedly, “Oh, sabihin mo. Bakit?“, which seems to be the climax of the entire song. This particular scene with its highest point of intensity in tempo and instrumentation, succeeds in making us totally understand how the storyline is affecting the main character and feel the emotional impact of the music piece overall.
Kudos to PABLO and his brother Josue, both known as “RADKIDZ”, for the seamless and riveting music production, as always what great teamwork. In this track, Justin has also become more confident with his voice and has mastered what his vocals can do. Keep it up!
Performances
When portraying a character, it is crucial for an actor to connect to the viewers on a personal level. Surprisingly, Justin was able to totally convince the audiences that he was the main subject in the storyline, carrying nearly every scene with his pleasing visuals and display of emotions.
Remarkably, Justin’s emotional breakdown in one scene was played out so well at a screen-shattering level of intensity, that it just moves you and makes you heavily emotional for the character being portrayed. Oh, boy, Justin is so ready to debut as a movie or television actor. His multiple talent incredibly stands out in this project as a singer, actor, and creative director, proving once again that he is indeed a one-of-a-kind artist that the Philippine music, film, and television industries should watch out for.
Theater actress Nicole Omillio and RJ Cruz of The Juans band who played the friends of Justin in the music video, also brought their characters to life. Great work!
Conclusion
“Kaibigan” is another poetic masterpiece from the pure talents of SB19 that tells a familiar story of unrequited love but with emotionally rich visuals, vocals, sounds, and a clever twist that leave your heart immersed overall.
In this solo project, Justin showcases his brand as an artist, a visual storyteller who doesn’t just create for the sake of art but makes time to prepare hard with his script, concept, visuals, and sounds, in order to produce high-quality content and connect well with the audience.
He, along with the members of SB19, even though self-managed, continue to reign in the field of music and we remain astonished by their creativity and passion overall. Incredible!
Research and review by: KORB Blog | Images: JUSTIN via X and IG
KORB 