ROCK music is often linked with heavily tattooed and pierced men.
But what if we tell you that hidden in Candelaria, Quezon is a beautiful lass who is making waves in the rock music industry?
Meet Gloryen, a 25 year old singer-songwriter whose sound is personal and emotional with just the right amount of kick through rock.
In an exclusive interview with republicasia, Gloryen called herself an indie rock artist. She said that of all the music genre, rock suits her low voice best, with it helping her express her feelings seamlessly.
“Rock to me really spells out my emotions. In all technicality, my voice is at most comfortable yet at times still at the most uncomfortable place when I do rock so I get to have the best of both worlds with the genre while still conveying the messages and stories of each song I perform,” Gloryen said.
Perhaps as a product of a modern-day von Trapp family, Gloryen said that music is in her blood. Not only were both of her parents members of their community church choir, they also encouraged her to further her love for music.
“My mom sings and plays the piano and my dad [sang] too. So ever since I was young, music to me came out very naturally as ABC,” she said. “I also went to schools that are very encouraging with extra curricular activities like performance, acting, singing [and] all arts related.”
In high school, Gloryen said, she started venturing to performance arts, eventually falling in love with theater. So much so that she took up Performing Arts in Assumption College, and was a member (and eventual president) of Circulo, the college’s theater club.
Although exposed to music all her life, Gloryen did not have intentions of pursuing a career in rock music. But when there was a battle of the bands during her college days, she took a chance and realized that she can do theater and rock equally well.
And after college, as Gloryen became enslaved by the 9 to 5 routine (as we all do), she sought to do more and she decided to go back to her first love – singing. Eventually meeting Erasaherheads drummer and Sandwich lead vocalist Raymund Marasigan, who took her into his wing and became her mentor.
Three singles released (so far)
In her young career as a solo singer, Gloryen is now a signed artist of Lockeddown Entertainment, with labels under Polyeast Records and Filtered Music; and has so far released three singles titled Bago Ka Lumisan, Pagod Na, and Walang Kapalit.
While all these were not written by Gloryen herself, she still could relate in all of them.
“Bago Ka Lumisan is a song about longing for that one last good memory before your special someone, [may it be] your family member, your partner, your dog whoever is or was important to you part ways. Kind of like a beautiful goodbye… with this song, it calls for kinda like one last hug, one last kiss, one list happy memory before we move forward with life,” Gloryen described, having experienced her fair share of goodbyes.
For her second single, Pagod Na, Gloryen said it literally is just a song about being tired.
“People would say [that] I’m too young to scream that I’m tired but I beg to differ. An infant can get tired from crying, from lying down all day. So I think it’s just right for a 25 year old to sing at the top of her lungs how tiring life can be.”
When asked about her latest single, though, Gloryen got more candid, “Walang Kapalit on the other hand has two messages for me, one that’s petty and one that’s more matured I think.”
Opting to start with the latter, she said, “[I]n life, we experience disappointments not just with other people or experiences. I think the hardest disappointment in life is made by the self… [W]hen we experience these regrets, disappointments, mistakes that we made ourselves, I personally feel bad [and] I tend to rot… But at the end of the day we have to remind ourselves that [even if we may have] made these so and so mistakes, wala pa ring papalit sa ating mga sarili kundi tayo.”
Then Gloryen coyly added, “As toxic as this may sound, Walang Kapalit is a song for my partner’s ex. Basically it’s me saying that walang papalit sayo sa buhay ng jowa ko kundi ako kase ako na mahal nya ngayon.”
And now while manifesting to collaborate with Juan Karlos – with whom she finds similarities in style of storytelling through music – for a song about “failed relationship or something about the struggles with being human,” Gloryen continues to learn the art of songwriting; even teasing that we are bound to hear some songs written by her in the near future.
Finding her music’s purpose
Some people search their whole lives to find their purpose. But not Gloryen. She is proud to say that she has found the reason why she is blessed with the talent to sing.
“[B]eing able to share my music to people has always been a joy and kinda like food for my soul. That in my most happiest way, I get to put smiles on people’s faces by doing what I love.”
“I want people to remember me as someone that inspired them to do what they love. Because at the end of the day, it’s us who should be happy. It’s not about being selfish to others, but let’s not celebrate the idea of leaving out our happiness for the sake of others. But mind you, this should be without stepping or hurting others for your happiness because that hella different.”
