Singer-Songwriter

I knew early on that I wanted to take up art as a course in college because I grew up very close to my cousin who was a UP Fine Arts student. When I was in Grade 4, I saw her plates and her projects and I thought, “Wow, this is so cool, getting to study something that you actually really want.” There’s that, and as a kid, I always had that inkling to make art because my parents would buy me so many art materials — markers, oil paints, stuff like that. They’ve always encouraged me to express myself. I think that in my upbringing, I never felt that art was something discouraged. I felt the freedom to do what I wanted to do.

I went to college in 2007 and I was glad to have the option to take the Fine Arts program in Ateneo, which was relatively new at the time. I majored in Information Design and it was a wonderful experience. Regarding the program, there was still a lot to be improved at the time — we didn’t even have our own building, but it was a good environment to grow up in.

Social media wasn’t really a thing then. When I was in first and second year, wala pang Instagram. The social media platform for artists before was deviantART. There was no real pressure to be amazing from the get-go, and I was just freely doing my thing. I was trying to explore my creative side and I also wrote music. In college, I was part of Ateneo Musicians Pool and I accidentally formed Reese and Vica which is an indie pop duo in AMP. We were performing a lot inside and outside school. We continued that post-graduation, but never really thought of it as a career because we thought that nobody would pay to hear us. In some rare instances when we’d get “paying” gigs, bars would pay us in food, and we’d already be so happy. We didn’t even think we deserved to get paid! We thought - “How lucky are we to be eating for free in exchange for singing?” Haha!

I was forced to find my own way in the world after graduation. For a while, I struggled with what to do. I thought, maybe I could be a professional artist doing exhibits. Nobody really equips you for the real world questions, but thankfully, I had the luxury to rest and figure it out. Eventually, I returned to being a full-time student by taking a second degree in fashion.

Around 2013, I got into a singing songwriting camp called Elements where Filipino singer-songwriters from all over the Philippines were our mentors. It was a life-changing experience because my mentors encouraged me to put out my own solo music, which I never really seriously considered before. I eventually released my first album without any managers or record labels, only through the help of friends and family.

As an artist, I was primarily working for myself to satisfy my own curiosity and creative needs. I wrote songs to express my feelings, and to entertain myself. But once I released my music to the world, I started to realize that it had an impact on people. That’s what changed in me. Even though I make my music personal, I don’t forget that it resonates with other people, and that I am also telling their stories through my writing. That gets proven time and time again when I would meet a person who would say that this song or album of mine changed their lives.

Now I’m more aware of that power, and I intend to spread positivity and to remind people that they’re not alone in their struggles. I know that there are other people who are really listening, and who care, and who take these words to heart. Any one of us can affect people in small or big ways. But as an artist, your circle of influence widens. I try to use that power in ways that I’m comfortable with. With music, I can say my truths, and I can stand behind them.

Had it been a different story, I would have ended up working at an ad agency or design firm right away. Maybe I won’t be able to unlock that musician career for me. Malaking bagay yung encouragement ng environment ko and also coming from an arts background in Ateneo made me believe that I could make money, make this a career, and find fulfillment all at the same time.

— Reese Lansangan

Reese just released Orbiting which is her second single from #Reese2ndAlbum. You may stream the song through http://smarturl.it/e1b2th. You may also check out Reese’s original songs and collaborations through http://bit.ly/ReeseOriginalSongs.