THE moment he emerged from backstage, Star Pop artist Drei Sugay immediately captured the hearts of his audience even before he performed his song at the Lead Like a Pro workshop in Makati on Friday, May 12.

Embodying both vocals and visuals, the 19-year-old singer enthralled spectators as he sang his debut single Ganun Talaga, a song that reminds listeners to keep moving forward despite the confusion brought on by life’s uncertainties.

Although a newbie in the music industry, Sugay is certain about the path he wants to tread, which is to continue writing songs for his immense love for music.

In photo: Drei Sugay as he performs his single Ganun Talaga during the Lead Like A Pro workshop at the iAcademy Auditorium. May 12, 2023. | Photo by: Ryan Baldemor / republicasia

Drei’s kontesero era

Sugay loves singing, but according to him, he wasn’t initially fond of joining contests. He just wanted to share his talent by performing in front of a crowd.

“I’m not a kontesero,” he said. “I just wanted to sing in front of people and share my talent.”

But he later changed his mind.

In an interview with republicasia, Sugay shared he started learning how to play the guitar back in 2018. He was around 14 when he first strummed the chords to the Eraserheads classic Ang Huling El Bimbo.

It was then that he began to give serious consideration to singing.

“I started taking singing seriously nung natutunan ko na yung guitar,” he said.

He joined the reality television singing competition The Voice Kids Season 2  in 2020 and had the opportunity to be part of Filipino-American rapper and singer Apl.de.ap’s team.

Although he didn’t win the contest, it marked the beginning of his musical career.

In 2022, he became one of the participants in another singing competition on TV, Idol Philippines Season 2. He reached the Top 12 before ending his journey in the show.

Releasing his first single

Several months after his Idol Philippines adventure, he was given a chance to sign on as one of Star Pop’s newest artists. On February 24, he released his debut single Ganon Talaga under ABS-CBN Music.

Sugay wrote Ganun Talaga in the middle of the pandemic in 2020. 

He noted that it was a difficult time for everyone, and he penned the song as a reminder to keep moving forward instead of dwelling on things and people that have been long gone.

“This song is about moving forward. We always tend to look back sa mga nangyari na, we focus on the could’ve would’ve should’ve, the what if’s,” he said.

“We try so hard to change things that cannot be changed. So we gotta remind ourselves na sometimes, ganon talaga eh, wala ka nang magagawa minsan eh,” he added.

There are going to be a lot of things that will not go according to plan, and we won’t have any choice but to live with these, he further said. 

What’s next for Drei

Looking back on his humble beginnings, Sugay said he sometimes feels blown away after realizing he is now performing with the artists he used to watch on TV.

“It gets overwhelming sometimes, kasi maaalala [ko na] I used to watch these dudes and now kasama ko na sila, parang ganun yung feeling,” he said.

But he plans to write more songs and to keep moving forward.

Coutesy: Drei Sugay on Instagram (@dreisugay)

He also told republicasia that he and his label are planning another release some time next month.

“We’re cooking a lot of stuff,” he added.

HIs next song will be something deep and passionate, he said.  

“I wanna say what this song feels like: everyone deserves to feel loved like that,” he said.