There’s a certain tenderness that soothes the inner parts of your soul when you listen to Johnoy Danao; a personal serenade of warm melodies matched by lyrics that echo our unspoken feelings into song.
For this CLAVEL feature, we had a little chat with the singer-songwriter to tackle the simplicity in his story behind all the aura that surrounds him after more than two decades of making music.
Kahapon
The fuse that lit up the spark in a young Johnoy Danao’s heart to pursue music came about in one faithful day in 1994 from a cassette tape brought home by his sister, which was Eraserheads’ Ultraelectromagneticpop. He immediately fell in love with how their songs represent what his youthful self felt at that time, and led him to devote his career in the realm of music.
“Kahit course ko dati was engineering sa UP Diliman, music was always in the back of my mind that I wanted to pursue. When I started, there was no turning back for me. Masaya siya but challenging at the same time.”
From acting as the frontman for Bridge to regularly performing solo at cozy bar gigs and cafès, Johnoy has been a mainstay in the local music scene, carving out a cult following with his mellow songs that speak to people from all walks of life – the ideal soundtrack for both healing and heartache.
Ang Panata
Diving deeper into how he constructs his songs, passion is the process. He constantly tries to find ways to express the feelings of love over and over again to stand out among thousands of love songs out there; he makes a unique spin on it that’s still genuine and authentic to what he feels.
That’s the magic of Johnoy Danao: he creates songs based on true feelings and puts them out there into the world; not forcing anything and just letting the creative juices flow in what can be done with it. From taking hours to even months to write about, his songs have equal amounts of emotion pouring through them and you feel this yourself after each listen.
He details that one of the quickest songs he wrote about was Ikaw at Ako, arguably his most popular track from his repertoire. It took him just mere hours to finish the track after getting inspired for its melody by a quick drive.
“Yun for me yung best way para sakin, if sinulat ko siya sa madaling panahon – it’s raw and perfect for me.”
Liwayway at Dapithapon
After 25 years in the scene, Johnoy Danao keeps his takes fresh when it comes to both his writing and his performances, changing up certain chords or arrangements when it comes to certain events to evoke a different feel but same emotion throughout.
With hundreds of intimate gigs under his belt, he’s set to have his first ever solo concert in the Metropolitan Theater, in which he’ll be accompanied by a full band set-up and orchestral arrangements fit for the grand stage. Admittedly feeling anxious given the scale and gravitas of these shows, he tends to take it one day at a time leading up to it – his mantra for how he tackles everyday life, which mirrors the shows’ themes of Liwayway at Dapithapon.
The rhythmic cycle of sunrises and sunsets beautifully echoes Johnoy Danao’s artistic odyssey as a creative, weaving life’s experiences and translating it into works of art that calms the tension of his listeners. This is your chance to experience the culmination of his journey, so get your tickets while you still can.
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