Meet Jungee Marcelo, the hitmaker of timeless Philippine songs

Veteran songwriter Jungee Marcelo is reinventing his classic hits with a new twist in his new album Anniverseries, which celebrates his career in the music industry.

The album, produced by ABS-CBN’s Star Music, is a play on the word anniversaries, marking significant milestones of Marcelo’s popular songs, such as Gary Valenciano’s Hataw Na and Daniel Padilla’s Nasa Iyo Na Ang Lahat.

“Nag-usap kami nina Roxy Liquigan at Jonathan Manalo to come up with an album of my original songs, the hits and then reimagined them. I was thinking there are so many anniversaries of the songs like Hataw Na and Sa Yaweh ang Sayaw, which I wrote for Gary V now celebrating its 30th year, Nasa Iyo Na Ang Lahat is celebrating almost 15 years. With so many anniversaries happening, how do I put it into words? Naisip ko a series of anniversaries then put them together in ‘Anniverseries,’” he said.

The first single, released on May 10, features Sponge Cola’s pop-rock rendition of Kung Saan Ka Masaya, previously recorded by Yeng Constantino and Daniel Padilla. The song talks about having faith in God’s plan for one’s life.

Jungee with Jonathan Manalo, ABS-CBN Music AVP and overall head of creatives, content and operations.

“It’s about giving God the full control doon sa gusto mong mangyari sa buhay mo. Naisip ko this would be perfect for Sponge Cola kasi babagay yung kanta sa pop rock sound at sakto kaibigan ko si Yael kaya nung tinawagan ko siya aba hindi pa ko tapos magsalita um-oo na siya agad,” he shared.

Aside from Sponge Cola, he also teased several OPM artists such as Ben&Ben and Sunkissed Lola, who are lending their voices for Anniverseries.

“When I chose the songs that will be a part of the album, it was a combination of my preference and the artist’s preference. I want to let the artists have the freedom on how they will reimagine my songs because I know they’re brilliant and I also have a lot to learn from them,” said Jungee.

Looking back on his journey in music, he recalled the songs he wrote which completely changed his life. These are Kyla’s winning song in PhilPop 2014 Salbabida and Gary Valenciano’s timeless hit Sa Yaweh ang Sayaw.

Sponge Cola drops the pop-rock rendition of Kung Saan Ka Masaya, previously recorded by Yeng Constantino and Daniel Padilla. The song talks about having faith in God’s plan for one’s life.

“Salbabida would be it and it even won the grand prize in PhilPop mainly because it’s a lifesaver. It reminds us that you don’t have to be something extraordinary kasi yung salbabida goma lang iyon pero naliligtas niya tayo,” the award-winning songwriter disclosed.

“The other song is Sa Yaweh ang Sayaw because it is my life story and it represents the three things I love, music, dance, and God,” he added.

Crafting hit songs is like mining for gold — you have to keep digging until you find the golden prize. It is pretty much the same for Jungee, who continues to produce songs that can inspire listeners to rise above the hurdles of life.

“Ang greatest joy ko is a life song becoming a big hit. Becoming a big hit means more people hearing the song. Yung kasikatan, yes, it’s nice, but more people hearing the song and being inspired, iyon ang waging wagi sa akin.”