TJ Monterde opened up about his songwriting process and how both lyrics and melodies can serve as the starting point for his songs.
In an interview with Kara David, the singer was asked whether the lyrics or the melody usually comes first when he writes a song.
"It's always case to case. Masasabi ko sigurong sobrang dami kong melodies sa phone ko. Meron akong bank of melodies dun. I hum all the time and I hear random melodies," he relayed.
TJ explained that whenever a melody suddenly comes to him, he immediately records it even if there are no lyrics yet.
"Kunwari randomly ngayon nandito ako tapos biglang uy parang ang ganda nito, ire-record ko 'yun. Wala muna siyang laman tapos 'pag na-strike ako ng usually it's a line. When a line strikes me, na parang oh my gosh ang ganda ng line na 'yun. I can make something out of it," he said.
The singer also shared the songwriting process behind his hit song “Palagi,” which was inspired by a milestone in his relationship with his wife, KZ Tandingan.
"I was just looking for a word to celebrate 'yung isang milestone namin ni KZ (Tandingan) nung 2023. Ano bang pwede kong i-describe sa kanya? And I stumbled upon a word online na pinost ko na pala dati. Sinulat dun, 'Andito lang ako palagi,' parang ganun. So ginawa ko, I write palagi and then write words and phrases all over, tapos parang jina-jumble ko until it becomes like a poem. Tapos I get my phone and look for a tune, so ganun 'yung proces ko," he shared.
READ: TJ Monterde shares how ‘Palagi’ became the OST of ‘Hello, Love, Again’
For TJ, songwriting ultimately comes down to finding the right balance between words and music.
"Kasi for me songwriting is it's the perfect marriage of melody and lyrics. Dapat 'yung nababasa mo sana, 'yung nababasa ko, 'pag binasa ko siya at pinatugtog siya, same 'yung mararamdaman ko, sana ganun. So if you get the perfect marriage of lyrics and melody, napakagandang kanta nun," he highlighted.