Arthur Nery makes ‘sexy’ music

Arthur Nery is making people notice with his “sexy” music, but believe it or not, it’s not intentional.

The Higa and Binhi hitmaker is surprised but not bothered that his brand of neo-soul R&B has been described as “ready for the bedroom” sounds.

“Gusto ko lang kumalma yung audience,” the rising Mindanaoan singer-songwriter said during a recent virtual interview organized by the music label Viva Records, which he joined in 2020.

Arthur admitted that he wants his songs to be the kind of music people turn to when they, yes, go home after a rousing party night to wind down, chill and sleep, among other things.

His songs are unabashed stories about love, written during times when he was either falling hard or heartbroken.

Interestingly, when asked how his girlfriend would feel about his “sexy” music, Arthur shared it is the reason why they broke up.

“I only had one girlfriend, although I dated quite a bit. But yun din po ang reason bakit kami nag-break (laughs). Nagulat po siya. Kasi yung girlfriend ko before, nakilala niya ako na ordinaryong nilalang lang so nagulat siya, she was like, ‘I didn’t sign up for this.’ But we’re friends, so baka may Round 2, joke lang!”

Most music fans were first introduced to Arthur through his 2019 debut album Letters Never Sent which carried, of course, Higa, his first legit hit that continues to top Spotify listings and others. It has been the No. 1 song on the OPM Favourites playlist for seven straight weeks now.

Now more than a year after Higa, he’s back at it with Take All The Love. It’s still in the tradition of his slow-to-mid tempo R&B numbers that — as the music pundits put it — spread the “gospel of chill.” It went No. 1 at the OPM Rising playlists a week after it was released.

Arthur said, “It’s one of my favorite songs na nasulat. I wrote it when I arrived here in Cagayan de Oro during the pandemic so it was hard. It’s about love, cliché to say, but it’s something kind of personal. The story of the song is... parang atras-abante ang love. Here you are, sure and willing to give your all, but yung kabila, hindi. I made it as simple as possible so people can understand it better.”

As in his past works, he had real-life inspiration for Take All The Love. “Most of my songs, there are parts of them that I can relate to, while some are just fictional and plain storytelling.”

The artist who’s only in his early 20s has been singing since he was a kid, having early exposure to the music of Frank Sinatra, Al Jarreau, Michael Jackson, etc., and through parents and cousins who can sing. The first time he performed in public was when he was seven years old at a cousin’s debut.

He would start writing his own songs when he reached high school and college, and then stopped until 2018 when he met someone special. “She broke my heart. I wrote a song and then it became a cycle na.”

Nowadays, his writing inspiration comes from everywhere.

“Sometimes, it depends on what I feel like doing. Minsan naliligo ako or naghuhugas ng pinggan, may lyrics na pumapasok… Sometimes, a producer gives a beat. When I write, the lyrics and arrangement go together.”

Arthur admitted that he’s still exploring with his music. He might change his signature chill vibe, who knows? One thing is for sure, it has been a learning experience for him every day.

“Every time I release a song, may mga regrets na, this part sucks, or I like this one, or I’ll keep this style, or something. Every day is a whole new learning experience (for me). I don’t really listen to my songs after the release. But when I listen to them, I become a critic and I know it shouldn’t be that way, I shouldn’t be my own critic. It’s kind of weird that I don’t really listen to my songs, but when I do, I cringe sometimes. Maraming styles na pwede pa i-explore. I don’t want to be stagnant… I want to always move forward because the goal is to go worldwide.”

Arthur is set to record his sophomore album and is already working on his third one. He also plans to release songs written in the Cebuano language. “I wrote a couple of unfinished Bisaya songs, and I’ve contacted friends to collaborate and all. I’m still exploring.”

Amid his foray into the mainstream music scene, Arthur intends to spread the good word about his home city, Cagayan De Oro, and its homegrown artists. “The music scene is booming. At least, there are new artists coming out. Back in 2018, wala masyado, only TJ Monterde, but now CDO and Mindanao scene is floating. It’s solid,” he said.

“I don’t want to be the ‘representative’ of other artists. I just want my city to be known and (to let others know) that there are artists here.”