SB19’s Justin begins a new chapter of his musical journey, while stepping out temporarily from the realm of the foremost Filipino boy band, with the release of his debut solo single “surreal.” Written two years prior to its release just yesterday, 29 February, “surreal” embodies the singer-songwriter’s fascination with meaningful coincidences and dreams, exploring the transformative power of timing, perseverance and hard work.

As a P-pop star, Justin brings a unique perspective to his solo venture, infusing his lyrics with vulnerability and introspection. He collaborated with producers Pablo and Josue from the Radkidz duo to make his vision for “surreal” be meticulously brought to life. Additionally, Gelou of the Filipino girl group YARA lends her vocals to the track, adding depth and flavor to the bridge and final chorus.

Justin performed “surreal” in public for the first time in an intimate private launch on 27 February at the Versailles Event Garden of Novotel Hotel in Araneta City. He got a rousing reception from the audience, including his bandmates Pablo, Stell, Felip and Josh Cullen who gave their all-out support. Later on, Justin shared insights into the making of his debut recording during the program proper.

“Basically po ‘surreal’ means having someone who imagine things the same way you do,” he said, “so parang kung meron kang (it’s like having a) special someone na parang parehas kayo ng (who have the same) vision, nagkakaintindihan kayo (you understand each other). So ’yung feeling no’n, ’yung gusto kong ilabas for ‘surreal’ and nag-come up po s’ya from a song na nasulat ko from before and ayun na-decide ko nang i-release (That feeling was what I wanted to express in ‘surreal,’ which came from another the song I wrote before and then I decided to release it).”

He added, “Two years ago, nakasulat ako ng mga four or three songs po that time and si ‘surreal’ ’yung pinaka almost done or parang, ‘Eto okay na s’ya. Parang ’yun ’yung pinaka na-feel ko po do’n sa song. Na-decide ko na i-conceptualize na s’ya, gawan ng kung ano ang visuals n’ya. So doon, ‘Okay, pasok talaga siya para gawing debut single (I wrote about four or three songs, and ‘surreal’ came out the most done and something that expressed all my feelings. So I decided to conceptualize more, like visuals, and it came out perfect for a debut single).”

When asked about a surreal experience he’s had, Justin replied with several incidents: “Siyempre po ’yung pinaka surreal talaga is when kami as SB19, ’yung nag-viral po kami. ’Yung gabing ’yun, talagang surreal talaga s’ya kasi hindi ka makatulog kung nangyayari ba talaga. ‘Hala, totoo ba ’to? (Of course, the most surreal would the time we, as SB19, went viral. That night was truly surreal because you can’t sleep, thinking if such thing was really happening. Is this for real?).”

“And siyempre, hindi mangyayari lahat ’to kung hindi nangyari ’yun and other than that, ’yung siguro ’yung mga experiences ko na makapunta sa iba’t ibang bansa, na makita ko ’yung magagandang lugar sa buong mundo. Ayun nakakatuwa, pero it feels surreal talaga, and lastly, s’yempre itong situation ngayon na makakapag-release na ako as solo (And of course, all of this wouldn’t have happened if not for that occurrence. I also got to go different countries and see beautiful places. It’s heartwarming, but it feels surreal. Lastly, this situation now, that I’ve released my solo single).”

Justin also shared the inspiration behind the visuals in “surreal” and its music video: “Actually po, ever since na bata pa ko (I was a child), growing up, parang may (there’s) something special with nature, forest ganyan (like that), trees. Parang hindi ko alam bakit, pero basta may (I don’t know why, but there’s) something na parang gusto ko lagi (that I always like). Kapag nagbabakasyon parang gusto ko sa mga gubat-gubat ganyan (When I go on a vacation, I like going to forest-like places).”

He then showed his humorous side when asked to whom he dedicates “surreal,” quipping, “’Yung song po ay hindi dini-dedicate. ’Yun po ay sinulat. Hindi sya madikit (The song is not to be dedicated. It was written. It’s not sticky).” Turning serious, he said, “’Yung song po is for everyone naman, kung sino ang maka-relate. Para sa inyo (The song is for everyone, whoever can relate. It’s for you).”