Filipino singer-songwriter KZ Tandingan has released a music video for her newest single, ’11:59’.
The track and accompanying music video were released today (October 22), marking the singer’s first release under Tarsier Records.
For ’11:59′, Tandingan performs entirely in English and returns to her earlier sound of soul and R&B, following her more recent pop-focused efforts.
The song was produced by Grammy-winning producer Luigie “Lugo” Gonzalez, along with Paulino Lorenzo, and Idrise Ward-El.
’11:59’ is about the dilemma of giving a partner in a relationship one final chance, with lyrics like “I’m not holding on / About to let go / You better speak your soul because you’re running out of time”. Its moody music video captures that situation in a mysterious room draped in translucent tarp. Watch it below.
’11:59’ follows Tandingan’s single ‘Dodong’, which was released in June, and a feature on Filipino indie-folk band Ben&Ben’s album ‘Pebble House, Vol 1: Kuwaderno’ in late August.
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Tandingan collaborated with Ben&Ben on the song ‘Sabel’, which the band felt that she was a perfect match for. “Since it’s about powerful women, we couldn’t think of anyone else who could bring justice to it but KZ. We all felt she was the only one who’d complete the song,” Ben&Ben’s Miguel Guico told NME.
In a press conference, it was revealed that ’11:59’ was “written a long time ago” by Gonzalez and a team of songwriters, and that many artists have attempted to record it. Tandingan’s single is the first to be officially issued.
Tandingan said her producers were “super fun to work with.” The working environment, she said, “helped me relax with the flow of ideas. It’s probably one of my favourite recording sessions.”
Gonzalez in turn heaped praise on Tandingan, calling her performance on the single “legendary”. He said: “From the moment she opened her mouth in the studio, we were completely astonished. KZ was able to capture the original intent of the song. It took four full takes to complete the recording, and each take was amazing. It was difficult to figure out which to use.”
In March, Tandingan made waves internationally when she sang ‘Gabay’, the first-ever Filipino-language song released by Disney for its animated film Raya And The Last Dragon.
Tandingan has also released a string of singles this year, ranging from ‘Feel Good Filipinas’ with BGYO to ‘Bagong Umaga’ and ‘Miracles’. She has released two studio albums to date – 2013’s ‘KZ Tandingan’, and 2017’s ‘Soul Supremacy’.