In 2022, Filipino singer-songwriter Jace Roque made waves in the music industry with his timely comeback. He released four singles, which became the tracks for his mini album Inferno. Yet Inferno represents more than Jace’s return—it has also served as his platform to express his feelings about a traumatic relationship and highlight an underrated genre in Philippine pop music.
Electronic Dance Music (EDM) is a popular genre across the globe, and Jace added his spin by combining meaningful lyricism with upbeat melodies. As Jace released his singles for Inferno, he found the experience cathartic, contributing to his growth and healing as a private individual.
Before 2023 ended, Jace released Inferno wholly, the four singles completing the lineup.
“‘Yung four singles na ni-release ko this year is the four tracks na included sa Inferno. Nauna ko na rin naman i-announce yung Inferno nung April pa,” he said during an exclusive interview with Manila Standard Entertainment.
However, he followed the strategy of releasing every track as a single. Yet his audiences have more to expect from his recently released mini album.
“It’s a more updated version with minor adjustments, like volume discrepancies and mga mixing improvements. It is something to look forward to because it’s slightly different from the single mixed version,” the local artist said.
While there’s nothing wrong with the initial version of his singles, Jace saw the need to add these changes because it reflects his growth as an artist, especially with his mixing skills.
According to Jace, he loves the mini album and its compositions, but as the months progressed in 2022, he saw his mixing skills improving. He considers his talent different as the year ended than when he entered 2022. Upon discovering a new side to himself as an artist, Jace tried to incorporate it to keep his music up to date and show off his technical skills.
“I do produce my music. I mix and master my own tracks na makikita rin nila yung creative part, yung technical part. Inferno is my totality as an artist. It’s like whenever we post selfies; Minsan nakakailang takes tayo because gusto natin i-improve, minsan nai-post mo na pero ide-delete mo, mag uupload ka uli ng mas maganda,” Jace said.
He added that it’s like a similar experience, where after the record label published his initial work, he still wanted to show something different. Releasing the mini album late allowed him to accomplish such a task.
This 2023, Jace’s fans and local music enthusiasts will see a different side to the artist. During another exclusive interview with Manila Standard Entertainment, Jace shared his plans to release the sequel to his musical journey, Paradiso, after the literary genius of Italian poet and scholar Dante Alighieri.
Unlike Inferno, Jace teased that his new project would show the healing process of his previous traumatic experience. Moreover, he’ll also exhibit a different facet of his personality. Lastly, audiences can expect a more adult-themed side to the local artist.
“I’m exploring different sounds pa sa dance na hindi ko pa nai-introduce. These are things na makikita rin nila next year and I wanna learn from other artist rin kaya very open ako next year to collaborate with other artists,” he assured.