Ely Buendia’s Bulaklak sa Buwan sets the stage for solo album Method Adaptor

Ely Buendia treats fans to a funky, little dance in the music video for Bulaklak sa Buwan, his new alt-rock track that sets the stage for his comeback album Method Adaptor.

Produced by Ely’s frequent collaborator and Pupil bandmate Jerome Velasco, it’s also the first single off his upcoming sophomore solo work coming out on Nov. 8 via Sony Music Entertainment and Offshore Music.

“I was also taken aback when the director suggested during the pitch for the music video, ‘O dito sasayaw ka.’ Sasayaw ako? Okay. Kaya kong sumayaw in the first place,” he told The STAR in an exclusive chat about the music video directed by KNYA Collective’s Niko Cezar and Aimee Aznar.

“In the second place, what kind of dance would I do? And then they were like, this is like a ‘Joker’ moment by Joaquin Phoenix. So, I didn’t really prepare anything. I was just like, sige, whatever happens will happen. It was my body parang just reacting to the music when they said action.”

Ely's new music officially marks his return to extensive songwriting since his last solo release in 2021 with Metro.

That dancing added to the playful energy of the Bulaklak sa Buwan, which, upon closer inspection, could be taken as a deeper message about disinformation.

But Ely clarified there’s no specific message in the song and that he will leave it to the listener’s interpretation.

“Bulaklak sa Buwan is a metaphor for anything that takes root in a person’s mind about reality. That’s as far as I want to define it,” he said.

When further asked if it’s a commentary or a protest song of sorts, Ely said, “I generally tend to shy away from those terms like challenge the listeners to protest anything. It’s just something that I wrote for myself that I think helped me to, yun nga, overcome those hurdles. Because I have so many ideas about this particular subject matter that whatever the listeners feel about a song, they’re welcome to put me into it. It’s not like waving a flag or anything, you know.

Bulaklak Sa Buwan, now out on all digital music plat- forms worldwide, is the first track from his upcoming album Method Adaptor.

“It’s like a conversation piece, in the simplest terms, na parang if it starts a conversation, no matter how light or deep it is contributing to that, I think music is still one of the best parang sources of change in people’s thinking.

“But then again, disclaimer: I’m not out there to change things. It’s up to the person, it’s up to the listener if he wants to change his mind about anything, especially with this song.”

Ely bared that Bulaklak sa Buwan is inspired not by current events but rather by past events. “It’s my take on a lot of ‘social ills’ that we’ve been seeing through the course of history,” he said.

As a fan of documentaries, he said, “I think that’s where the ideas came from for the song, like (documentaries) on wars, certain historical documentaries like on the uprising in Texas. Something that has to do with religion, stuff that has to do with ideologies throughout the course of history. So, I just wanted to put that all in one song. (Philippine docus) part na rin yun. Anything that has to do with upheavals and society, that song also touches on that.”

In terms of tone, if fans are reminded of his past works as the primary songwriter of his ‘90s band Eraserheads, he clarified, “I wasn’t really thinking of any kind of writing and singing style. I was just writing and singing just how I am now as a person and as a songwriter.”

“As a person, I’m trying to be as conscientious as possible and just try to be really grounded. And then as a musician, I’d like to think I’ve improved somewhat because I really put in the effort to be a better person or musician today than I was yesterday.”

But he appeared to have no qualms about the comparison. “Of course, hindi maiiwasan, lalo na ‘pag fan ka, a certain type of sound, yun ang unang-una mong maririnig. I can’t do anything about that.”

Asked how Bulaklak Sa Buwan is setting the tone for the album slated for release in November, Ely said, “I think what stands out among the comments is that it’s not your usual pop song and I’m proud of that. Because I took pains not to be… obvious. And that’s what the whole album is. If they like it, they will see more of that in the album. It’s in the mixing stage, but all the tracks have been recorded.”

He teased that the album tackles subjects he’s been fascinated with throughout his career, such as mortality, consciousness, and society in general.

The song and the album officially mark his return to extensive songwriting since his last solo release in 2021 with Metro.

Asked what took him so long to release solo music, he said, “One, was I didn’t want to face the challenge yet of coming up with solo material. I guess it was self-inflicted; the pressure and the writer’s block were self-inflicted because I didn’t want to face that.”

When he finally decided to dive into the songwriting process, he struggled at first because of the limited time frame.

“I really wanted the album out this year,” he explained. “You know what they say, to strike while the iron is hot. With the E-heads touring and all that, I thought it would be a good idea to come out with an album for the fans and general audiences.”

“Writing was also the most difficult part because I haven’t written so much material in a while,” he added. “Usually, it was just a single I came up with, and most of the time, may collaborators pa ako dun. So it was hard.”

However, Ely said, that “when I got over that hurdle, it was very enjoyable, surprisingly, for me to do it.”

“When I got into it, it became easier. It helped that the subjects are something I’m passionate about, so the words came easily after that.

“There are days off naman where I could just be alone and focused on writing. So, it’s just a matter of compartmentalizing.”

He hinted that Method Adaptor will showcase the evolution of his music methods and how his creative process is not fixed but flexible.

“It speaks to me about how I, myself, as an artist, tend to work in my songwriting and music-making process. Like, literally, the method that I adapt to so that I can create.”

“My method has changed for this album,” he admitted. “But it’s really a case-to-case basis. The constant thing there is I really have to set rules for myself and set parameters in the way I write a song.”

Ely further reflected on his personal journey as a songwriter, especially in the context of his new music.

“On a personal note, it’s just me trying to figure out who I am currently as a songwriter. I mean, we’re all trying to figure out who we are, aren’t we, as people? And the same goes, I guess, for any artist, especially for me, who has seen decades of changes overall in the industry and the trends,” he said.

“Add to that the expectations of everyone, from labels to family to friends to fans, of course, on what my music should be. So, it’s me trying to filter out all the noise and come up with something really honest and what I think reflects who I am as a person.”

(Bulaklak sa Buwan is available on audio streaming platforms.)