MANILA, Philippines — James Reid praised the talents of his fellow singer TJ Monterde, whom he collaborated with for the track "Pahinga."
The Careless label co-founder sat down with Philstar.com after his Fete de la Musique main stage debut last June 21 to talk about how the collaboration came about.
James initially made the song with Jason Marvin Hernandez and Brian Lotho but left one verse open in hopes of getting someone to collaborate.
The singer told his Sony Artists and Repertoire team that he wanted to feature TJ on the track, and fortunately for him, TJ's music manager was just a floor above and listened to "Pahinga."
James also sent a message to TJ on Instagram, "We made it happen right there and then. He was really top of mind, I thought he would be so good on the track."
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The artist could not compare TJ's singing with his songwriting as he believes the two go hand in hand.
"I think he's amazing at both, on 'Pahinga' especially, I think he was a 10 out of 10," James said. "His lyrics, what he came up for the second verse, and how his vocals sound... I think it suits his voice better than mine!"
James was blown away by Philstar.com's summarized interpretation of "Pahinga," which this writer said was akin to the saying "I'd rather lose the battle than lose you."
His girlfriend and fellow singer Issa Pressman, who was present in the room during the exclusive interview, reminded James that this sentiment was expressed in the lyrics, "Ikaw ay mas mahalaga, kaysa sa maging tama."
"That's what I mean when I say that line. Very well said!" James ended, giving a thumbs up.