The Beat Manila’s Up and Coming: Alternative RnB Artist-Producer JC Torio

The Beat Manila’s Up and Coming is a bi-weekly series where we feature rising talented artists from the Philippines, giving them a platform to share what they’re passionate about and to promote the music they (and us too!) would love for the world to hear. Do you want or know someone who wants to be featured? Email us at [email protected] or slide through our DMs on Facebook or Instagram!

Picking up a guitar and learning how to play by yourself is probably an origin story that many musicians have. With thousands of tutorials available online, learning a new instrument or two has become easier without the need to pay an instructor or attend classes. Add a supportive family and environment into the mix and you have a musician with great potential in the making.

If you tune in to Spotify playlists like OPM Rising, Pinas Vibes, and New Music Friday Philippines to discover new songs and local artists, chances are you’ve listened to a song or two released by our next up-and-coming artist. For this week, The Beat Manila had the chance to interview alternative RnB artist and producer JC Torio to talk about how he got into music, where he gets inspiration, and what his plans are for this year.

Hi JC! Can you tell us how you got into music?

When I was a kid, I used to listen to Michael Jackson's songs because I was a big fan of his back then. And when I tried singing [his songs] at the karaoke, my parents discovered that I have a big potential to become a great singer because of my voice. That’s [when] I started embracing being a musician. I learned how to play the guitar and other different musical instruments, then I started doing covers of certain songs. I also started writing my own songs when I was in high school.

How was creating your first song like? Any stories about it you would like to share?

Creating my first song was a delightful experience because I was just using an acoustic guitar with the same progression of four chords, and I was able to finish a full song. Even though that was just basic, I still find it very memorable because reminiscing how you are in the past will inspire you to do better today.

Right now, I’m using the computer to produce different music and I can do more complex things when it comes to songwriting. In music, every day is a learning process. That’s why I always look forward to what will happen in the future.

Where do you get inspiration when making music?

I get inspiration from my experiences. Making music is just like telling a story. The more realistic your song is, the more it will have an effect on its listeners.

I could say my biggest influences are the top artists of the present day. They [have] set the standards for creating good quality music, and that’s why I need to be on par with the quality they produce if I want to be successful in the music industry.

Where did you learn to play the guitar?

I started playing the guitar when I was 11 years old, and I just learned it through watching YouTube video tutorials. I started with the basic chords. After that, I tried doing the bar chords which are hard at first, but once your hands get used to it, it will be easier.

What do you enjoy most about being an artist and producer?

The perks of being an artist and a producer are you can easily work with other producers, and you can properly communicate with them the sound you want to hear in your music. Other than that, you can also produce your own music without anyone’s help.

What do you consider your biggest achievement since you started making music?

My biggest achievement since I started making music was when I got almost 80,000 streams and 42,000 listeners on Spotify [in 2022]. This proves that I’m getting recognized by more people and if I stay consistent in producing quality music, my potential to be the next top artist will be higher. Other than that, collaborating with amazing local artists of this generation is something that I could be always proud of.

What advice can you give to someone who wants to pursue music?

If you really love it and music makes you happy, then pursue it. If the uncertainties are the reason why you’re holding back, just remember that you won’t lose anything if you fail or win in pursuing it because music will always be there.

If you could collaborate with or open a show for a specific artist (local or international), who would it be and why?

When it comes to the local music scene, I would love to collaborate with Just Hush or Jae K. I think they’re now the leading male RnB Artists, and having a song or performance with them will surely have a good impact on my career. 

Opening for a Daniel Caesar show would also be great because I’m a big Daniel Caesar fan and he’s one of my inspirations when it comes to music.

Can you tell us about "Time Fling" and how it came to be? How was it collaborating with different artists?

I invited Lance A. (another great local artist) to have a session with me and David Daliva, my amazing producer. He also invited Deyo with him, and Kaisai decided to join us.

We were just looking for samples to work with and we bump[ed] into this sexy and groovy guitar sample that we used to create “Time Fling.” Deyo was the first to come up with a tune, and we [found] it very catchy, so we decided to make it the hook of the song. From there, we wrote our lyrics, and the rest is history.

Collaborating with different artists is a very fun experience because you’ll also learn from them and help expand your creativity. On the other hand, this is also an opportunity to widen your prospect so that your music can also reach new audiences.

What's next for JC Torio? Any future projects or gigs you're participating in soon?

After I graduate college, I plan to invest more of my time and money in my music career. So, expect an EP or maybe an album this 2023. I still have a lot of unreleased music that surely surpasses the ones I made before.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. To know more about JC Torio, follow him on Instagram and Facebook. You can also stream his music on YouTube and Spotify.