Singer-songwriter and theater and film actress Yumi Lacsamana – better known as half of the Awit-awarded R&B duo Thyro & Yumi – is getting used to going about things on her own. For the past few singles, she has been releasing as a solo act and it is so with her newly released single titled “Pundi.”
This melancholy but tuneful piano-decked ballad is her best-sounding solo effort yet and that’s telling. Does that mean that Yumi is better off as a solo music act?
“Pundi” was originally written by Yumi and Thyro for the Viva movie Squad Goals.
And while the Thyro-Yumi duo hasn’t been active of late, it’s good to know that they do manage to still write together. Asked if anything has changed with their approach, Yumi answered, “Not really. I can say that our working relationship didn’t change that much. Except (now) when the pandemic hit. It’s a bit hard for us to write because we need to do it virtually. It takes time unlike before we can finish a song in one sitting.
And while the original version did not register past beyond the film it was in, Yumi’s take this time on the song is definitely inspired. And as per their usual, for every Lacsamana-Alfaro song, you have to pay attention to the lyrics.
It’s evident from the carefully crafted lyrics that the song drips with heartbreak and regret. But despite that, it takes a special kind of singer-interpreter to make a listener hang on to every syllable of every lyric. And that’s what Yumi did with “Pundi.”
And one can’t help but think if this song is about Yumi herself, who was once in a long relationship but is no more. Heartbreak is always good material for songs—just ask Taylor Swift. But is one song worth the misery and heartbreak?
To this, Yumi said, “As a singer, my job is to deliver the message of the song to the listener and make them feel what the song is about.”
And about “Pundi” being from her own experience? All she said about that is “I’ve been in a relationship in the past that didn’t work. So I tap the emotions I felt back then so I can deliver this song well now.”
And asked if she can dedicate this song to anyone in particular? Yumi answered that “Pundi” can be for anyone “who’s going through this kind of pain in a relationship. Those who tried their best to stay but in the end was exhausted.”
Yumi is a firm believer that there is always a silver lining in everything. Even when that silver lining is about fleshing out all the expressive feelings in a song about heartbreak from a failed relationship. As her favorite line in the song goes: “Ang pagdilim ng ilaw natin ay may kaliwanagan palang hatid.”
As someone who’s always in the service of the song, Yumi would certainly agree that a song is worth all that.