Songs for Selina and the unspoken truths in the music industry

WITH its harrowing yet grounded portrayal of the music industry’s grim realities, Songs for Selina is set to open new conversations about the struggles of Filipino musicians who aspire to make it big.

The film follows Selina (played by Mica Javier) and Maya (Rachel Coates) as musical soulmates whose bond is fractured by the unforgiving and cutthroat nature of the industry they once dreamed of conquering together.

A theme of the film is the importance of independent storytelling in a commercially driven industry, according to one of the film’s executive producers, acclaimed Filipino R&B musician Jay R, who is also the chief songwriter of the movie’s original songs. At a virtual press conference on March 5, he explained that the film draws from real experiences.

“The message is for artists to be original because that’s the route we took for this movie. We didn’t license any songs. We created everything from scratch,” he said.

Aside from Ms. Javier and Ms. Coates, the cast boasts a strong ensemble of actors with film, theater, and music backgrounds. It includes Rachel Alejandro, Audie Gemora, Nicole Laurel, Leanne Mamonong, Gian Magdangal, and Jay R himself.

Another thing that sets the film apart is that the songs are diegetic, which means the music is part of the story, as if written and performed by the characters themselves. Jay R shared that the songwriting process for it was challenging compared to writing songs for himself.

“The songs have to hold up weight to be good enough to listen to on the radio. At the same time, it’s telling the story of what’s happening in the movie,” he explained. The original motion picture soundtrack, now on streaming platforms, mainly features solos and duet performances by the two lead stars.

For Ms. Javier, although Songs for Selina was shot back in 2019, the film remains very relevant in the US and the Philippines today. “It’s about the struggles of artists that are trying to make it in the industry and how those paths can be completely different,” she said.

“I think with TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube shorts, the internet is giving everyone access to what goes on behind-the-scenes. This increases exposure and awareness of issues like ghostwriting or creators’ works not getting properly monetized or paperwork problems,” she added. “It does happen in the industry. This movie doubles down on those facts.”

Ahead of the Philippine theatrical release on March 18, the film had been picked up by Amazon Prime US and Tubi for its North American release last year.

Ms. Javier explained that the film has become “a proof of concept that Filipino creatives, from behind the scenes to in front of the camera, can compete on a global level.”

Songs for Selina is also a way for Filipino talents to “put their best foot forward,” according to Ms. Alejandro, who plays a supporting role as a music industry bigwig.

“Filipino singing talent is one of the best, if not the best, in the world. I feel like it’s perfect that this film focuses on music and it’s a story about music. That’s who we are as Filipinos,” she said. “We’re putting our best foot forward in the world, showing what we do that’s so special and extraordinary.”

Songs For Selina, directed by Dean Rosen, is produced by Homeworkz Entertainment and distributed in the Philippines by Black Cap Pictures. — Brontë H. Lacsamana