Why Bamboo waited 11 years to release new musicl
MANILA, Philippines — It took Bamboo MaÑalac 11 years before releasing new music.
The OPM icon is officially back in the recording scene with Alon, his first new solo single since his 2015 album “Bless This Mess.” After more than three decades in the music business, he said he would rather take his time than put out a song he wasn’t fully convinced about.
“I am not pressured. I feel no pressure. I just want to create something special. I want to create something special,” Bamboo said during an intimate presscon when asked about the lengthy gaps between his releases.
It has to be intentional because his thinking is that songs, once introduced to the world, become part of his career for years. For one, he still does older material from his Rivermaya and Bamboo days, giving him all the more reason to be selective about new music.
“The one thing I was really careful about was putting out something that seemed real to me or something I can breathe and live with for the next, whatever, 20, 30 years, right? So I take my time,” he said.
There were personal reasons, too. Although he continued performing, touring and working with other artists, the years without a singular release afforded him room to concentrate on life outside a recording studio.
“The (personal) reason why there’s a little bit of space is because there’s a life to cover. There are certain things in life that you have to prioritize. In the helter-skelter pace of working in music, you have to deliberately keep hitting that pause button, ask yourself what’s real and reflect on purpose,” he said.
Written by his longtime collaborator and keyboardist Ria Osorio, Alon went through several iterations before Bamboo settled on its final sound. He revisited the song’s earlier demo and collaborated with Osorio and guitarist Ardie de Guzman on an arrangement fusing stripped-down electronic elements and textured guitar.
“Alon was years in the making... I had to find meaning, and at this point in my career I just didn’t want to settle until I found the sound I wanted,” he explained.
Despite its haunting sound and lyrics about emotional pain — it can also be interpreted as a take on the times that we’re in — Bamboo doesn’t deem Alon a sad song.
“I feel the pain of the song, the emotion, but I don’t accept it as a sad song. I accept it as a song as if I’m resisting sadness,” he said.
Which is just fitting given the place he’s finding himself in nowadays, because, as he put it, “I choose to live with a lot of joy these days. I choose to be with people who I like to be with. It’s the best job in the world because I get to play with friends.”
Meanwhile, the release reunites him with PolyEast Records through its sub-label filtered music. His relationship with them dates back to 2004, with his two solo albums, “No Water, No Moon” (2011) and “Bless This Mess” (2015), also released through the label.
As for what follows Alon, Bamboo revealed to The STAR that he has been writing during the 11-year gap, even if he hasn’t been dropping the material.
“Because 11 years is a long time, but it didn’t mean that I didn’t write as well. There is stuff there. So I look forward to releasing stuff and collaborating again with these guys,” he said.
He hinted that Alon establishes the sound of his next releases, saying: “I think it does. I think this is a tone setter.”
When asked whether more songs would come out before the end of 2026, he teased, “No... it should be for next year.”
After 34 years in the OPM scene, Bamboo has no fixed blueprint for the next phase of his career. In fact, he appeared more excited than ever about not knowing exactly where his music would take him.
“The uncertainty of that (next chapter) is something I look forward to. That’s why I can’t say na paano yun. Because that’s what excites me. To be surprised at being 34 years in a business,” he said.
What matters more now is keeping music “meaningful,” both to him and to his listeners.
“I think that’s the key word moving forward for me. It’s defining purpose for that next chapter.”
(Alon is now available on all major digital streaming platforms released by filtered music.
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