P-Pop artist Mona Gonzales releases new single ‘Tagahanga’

Mona Gonzales started becoming known with her collection of anime soundtracks that went viral and resulted in her having more than 17 million followers on TikTok.

“It just happened and hobby ko lang po kasi talaga ang magpost ng mga kung ano-ano sa social media. Una po nun, mga contents talaga like fashion or video and other stuff pero nung time na parang wala na akong mai-content, dun na po ako nagstart magpost ng mga singing videos and it just happened,” Gonzales said on reaching 17 million followers on TikTok.

The Medical Laboratory Science graduate at Butuan Doctors College and P-Pop recording artist releases her second single “Tagahanga,” under Sony Music Philippines and ShowBT Philippines Corp., the entertainment company responsible for popular boyband SB19.

“To an extent, I'd say that these memories come from a place of love and adoration,” Gonzales shared.

“I took the experience to heart when I decided to start a career in music, because at some point in my life, I know how it feels to be a fan.””Tagahanga” serves as a follow-up to her debut single “Always Remember,” a song that values the importance of self-worth and preservation in facing one's fears.

Like her debut single, the track was produced by Oh Won Lee, an industry veteran who has helmed tracks by K-Pop icons Stray Kids, SHINee's Taemin, and Wanna One, and the Philippines' very own SB19. She also wrote “Tagahanga” herself.

“I learned a lot from him. He helped me how to properly attack and interpret the song which is why I'm happy and thankful to work with him. He is also very professional,” the Always Remember act added.

As a P-Pop artist, she went through a lot of training similar to that of a K-Pop artist. She also experienced some struggles during her training.

“Singing, dancing, personality development, your toughness, your mindset, sobrang dami! And even how you carry yourself, paano ka mag-aayos ng sarili mo, pananamit mo, pananalita mo, lahat ng 'yon napagdaanan ko. I think my main struggle is the language. Coming from the province and being Bisaya, I've been used to speaking in Visayan. When I first came to Manila, I found difficulty to express myself in Tagalog. And to add with that, nahirapan din po ako kasi naging malayo na po ako sa pamilya ako. So, yung struggle po na pagiging mapag-isa, lalo na po sa panahon iyon ay napagdaanan ko po,” Gonzales shared.

For her, music “is like my milk when I was a little kid. You know when you're a kid, you need nourishment and you need food to survive. And I see music as that way, like the moment na pinanganak po ako sa mundong ito. Ang mundo ko, kaagad, ay napuno ng music. Mula pagkabata, I grew with music. Habang tumatanda ako, yung music nandiyan pa rin po siya.”

The future star thinks people love P-Pop because it is very diverse.”Wala po siyang distinct na tunog kumbaga, it's very wide. And to be honest, it's evolving at the same time. Dahil sa sobrang ang dami niyang varieties, maraming audience ang narereach ng P-pop. Kung ano man po estado sa buhay, kahit ano man pong edad, o kahit anong lahi, kasi umaabot na po siya sa ibang bansa. Sobrang unique po ng P-pop Music,” Gonzales said.

She doesn't mind being compared to other P-Pop artists.”I am very aware na lahat po tayo ay may iba't ibang opinyon, iba't ibang understanding ng mga bagay, iba't ibang gusto. That's why it doesn't matter to me being compared with other people or other P-pop artists. They have the right to do so, it's not something that I should worry about,” Gonzales said.

As a new artist, she hopes to leave a mark in the music industry.

“I want to be known because of my music, my songs, my story, and especially my voice to serve as an inspiration to other people as well. Like I want to see other people sing my songs, make covers of my songs or do something inspired by my songs, or inspired from me or something like that,” Gonzales said.

Gonzales' “Tagahanga” is out now on all digital music platforms worldwide via Sony Music Entertainment.