MANILA, Philippines – How different are the songwriters today from the songwriters decades ago?
According to Jim Paredes, the “market” now dictates what the songwriters should make.
"Today, producers or record labels tell you what's selling," he said, describing the songwriters today. "Before recording, they tell you what the people like."
Paredes talked to aspiring musicians during his talk about creativity at the Elements singing-songwriting camp at Hacienda Isabella in Indang, Cavite on Monday.
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The veteran musician added songwriters during the ‘70s—the time when his band APO Hiking Society shot to fame—decide themselves what they will write and talk about in their songs.
"The first question we ask is what do I want to say as an artist? Second is how do I say it for the people to understand?" he said.
The singer-songwriter also reminded the budding singer-songwriters that for the "market" to relate with the song, it should "translate the truth."
"You cannot say the truth if it doesn't come from the truth," he explained.
During the lyric-writing workshop of Gary Granada, Paredes also noted that the songwriter doesn't necessarily have to go through the "truth" he's talking about in a song.
"Sometimes when you were able to emphasize with the person you're talking to or to that single quote they said it's enough na, e," he said.
Paredes is one of the mentors at the Elements national music camp in Cavite.
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