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FUDGE MAGAZINE – Philippines
September 2007 Issue
To the edge and back
By Jamie Rose Santos
Another Amboy singer
clawing his way into the Pinoy music scene? From an auditionee in American Idol
3 to possibly a new local pop star, Guji Lorenzana assures would-be listeners
that there’s more to him than the Fil-Am hype.
WHAT CAN YOU do when the you-deserve-someone-better line is
thrown at you and then a door slams on your face? “When you get hurt… it just
hurts, “Guji Lorenzana candidly admits about a break-up, while nervously
shifting in his seat. But why not use the break-up as a catharsis of sorts- like
go to the Philippines,
pursue a career in music, and end up performing on stage in an act christened
as “edgy pop?” Sounds better? After all, this Am-boy knows his craft well
enough, and his singing career is something he just wouldn’t give up,
broken-hearted or not.
“[I know] I
can make it. Everything is possible,” proclaims Guji. “So here I am now and
(making music is what) I’ve been doing.”
Before he came
to Manila with hopes of making it big in the OPM
scene, 25-year-old Guji had a life back in California. The singer says he used to wear
glasses, played trombone in a school band, and served as an altar boy in
church. “I was so nerdy,” he shares. “I barely had any friends because I liked
to be by myself.”
He took
Theater Arts in the University
of California, which
allowed him to get roles in Broadway musicals, and at the same time he
performed with a boyband called Hipe. He had many things going for him,
including a possible slot in season three of American Idol. But what would propel his decision to finally get
serious about music was when he got his heart broken by a girl he met at work.
One event causes another. Now, Guji’s full attention is on his first
full-length album, Without Your Love,
to be released under Anirak Records.
So what’s
with the “edgy pop” tag? “We made if up,” laughs Karin Araneta, Guji’s manager.
“Because that’s what it is. It’s like
pop pero hindi siya balladeer.” Guji likens it to mixing Gavin Degraw with
Maroon 5 and adding a dash of Robbie Williams. “The thing is, you wouldn’t know what edgy pop is until
you see me perform,” he kids.
His album
includes the carrier single “Tagumpay” and “I’ll Be Yours Forever,” which sound
more like rock ballads. “[It is] to show the OPM community that I can sing like
that,” Guji remarks. He lists Maroon 5, Robbie Williams, Michael Jackson, and
Gary Valenciano as his music influences. It may be ironic for someone who does
“edgy pop” to confess that he wears his heart on his sleeve but he only has his
parents to thank. “To this day, they’re so in love,” shares Guji. “I’m a
hopeless romantic. I’m the first to cry all the time.”
It took
Guji about a year and a half to get his album done, but his newfound Christian
faith has allowed him to deal with the challenge in a positive way. “I learned
a lot about the industry (in that time).
I met a lot of people, and I
began to understand that being an American is not an advantage.” Guji
reflects. “It’s really music; it’s really your talent that counts.” And even
with comments like “he doesn’t have any idea what his music is” or “he could be
better off with R&B,” Guji has a simple answer. “I’m not trying to be a Sam Milby and I’m not taking the avenue most
Fil-Ams have taken,” he explains. “I do know my music and I’m really taking
this seriously as a musician. That’s what I want to portray.”
Whatever
happens, Guji is fine just doing what he wants to do now. “You just really have
to be an artist. You have to keep going and keep coming up with new things,”
Guji shares. “We can’t let anything discourage us.” This Guji, he’s a trooper.
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