It has a very intriguing title, but the concept behind it is way more interesting. I’m talking about the debut album of Filipino-American singer-songwriter Brad Go, titled The HUSH Project.
Released through MCA Music, The HUSH Project is the culmination of Brad’s trip around the world in search of the most compelling and unique real-life love stories. The journey began in New York, where he met a girl while walking home from work one late and rainy night in September 2012. The girl didn’t have an umbrella, so Brad — a creative, artistic person who dropped out of an Aerospace Engineering program and transferred to New York University to study film, and who started singing when he was four or five years old — offered to share his. They eventually started dating, and although it didn’t work out, something did come out of that experience: The blog Have U Seen Her, and eventually The HUSH Project (HUSH being an acronym for “Have U Seen Her”).
Because of what happened that night, Brad got an idea. He would travel the world, talk to people about love and their love stories, and write songs about them. He started a campaign that raised over $10,000, thus giving him the opportunity to put his plans into action. He told himself, “If something like this could happen to me in New York, there must be countless stories across the globe that no one has ever heard.”
His goal was to tell those stories. So the 28-year-old musician, singer and songwriter went to Barcelona, Tokyo, Melbourne, Singapore, Palermo, Berlin, Manila and Paris. He documented his trip in the form of vlogs published on his YouTube channel (youtube.com/bradgofilm).
The trip wasn’t easy or cheap, but it was worth it, says Brad. “It was the most incredible adventure I could have asked for, and it all went by so quickly. Touching down in each new country was such a rush, especially when I didn’t know where my interview would come from. On top of the excitement of being in a new place, there was the thrill of trying to find a person receptive to the project and willing to share their story. Those interviews really offered me a chance to share some truly happy moments with people. I loved watching everyone’s face light up as they shared their stories.”
After traveling the world, Brad came back with eight original compositions: All Along, I Want You Now, It’s You, Follow Through, Firestarter, Feel This Way, Love Is Love and Time Machine, compiled in an album titled The HUSH Project. It was such an intriguing concept and fresh sound that upon hearing about it, MCA Music immediately committed to distributing the album. Impressed by Brad’s songwriting, label executives also commissioned him to write a song for another MCA artist, The Voice Kids runner-up Darren Espanto. The result is the song Makin’ Moves which appears on Darren’s self-titled album.
Each of the songs on The HUSH Project is inspired by a specific place and aspect of love. Aside from the eight songs, the album includes a bonus track titled Carry You Home.
In his travels, and from each place he visited, Brad learned something new about love. One important lesson that he took away from the experience, he says, is “to be mindful of the people you surround yourself with, and treasure those who are in your life right now. So often, people can get caught up in planning the next move or goal and can forget that life is not something you look forward to; it’s all happening right now. And to the single people out there, realize that love can’t make its way in until you truly open yourself to it in the present moment.”
Brad, who describes his sound as “singer-songwriter-y pop rock, along the lines of early Maroon 5 meets Elton John” is hoping that The HUSH Project is just the beginning of other exciting projects and collaborations.
Now that the album is out, he is itching to travel again. “I’m excited to get out there and play shows to promote the album here in the Philippines and abroad, and I’m hoping the album’s release will give me an opportunity to travel again. Other than that, I am excited to start writing my next album and further develop my catalog as a songwriter for other artists as well.”