New Sound, New Heights: Jenzen Guino Strikes the Right Chord

He recalls, “Simula po nung nag-viral kami as a group doing covers, doon ko nakita sa sarili ko na ito talaga yung gusto kong maging career balang araw. Madalas ko ring piliin ang music over other things na ginagawa ko.”

He continues, “Katulad noong pandemic, wala akong magawa sa bahay, to ease the anxiety na binibigay ng pandemic, doon ako nag-decide gumawa ng YouTube account at gumawa ng covers or vlogs. Yung paggawa ng covers, yun ang naging avenue ko para libangin yung sarili ko that time. Eventually, nakita ko rin na unti-unting nag-grow yung followers through covers and vlogs and somehow nakatulong sa family ko [using the platform]. Hanggang sa tumagal, mas nag-focus ako sa music.”

He has since found himself diving deeper into his craft, creating covers that found a growing community of supporters, until he decided to take things into greater heights by putting out original music.

This very dedication allowed him to grow throughout his journey, as he improved not just his vocal ability, but also in navigating the use of technical equipment needed to bring more quality into his music. His hunger for continuous growth easily demonstrated his full embrace towards becoming the next musical sensation. 

“Ang sarap sa pakiramdam, kasi bawat song na nagagawa ko — original man o cover — nabibigay ko ‘yung best ko, at sobrang nae-enjoy ko rin siyang gawin.”

Testing the waters on original music, he drew experiences from anecdotes of life, love, and hurt from himself and close friends. Fully committed to not just being the main subject of his own stories, he stood by the importance of telling the stories of others, signifying the magic of storytelling through music. After all, music is and has always been a shared experience, a universal truth that trickles down to the personal, where we find ourselves deeply immersed into the songs we dance, laugh, fall in love, and cry to. 

And with his commitment to tell a story comes the debut of his first original song “Hangganan” in 2022. Depicting a story of reminiscence and longing to grow from falling out of love, his first pride in songwriting came from immersing himself from stepping on the shoes of the subject in the song, letting him drive the rest of the song in fully depicting heartbreak in a raw acoustic tone. He notes, “The song is about a relationship na nagkaroon ng hangganan, and isa sa mga favorite lines ko dun ay yung ‘Ikaw ang sumuko, ikaw ang nawala, ikaw ang napagod sa ating dalawa.’ Inilagay ko po yung sarili ko sa situation na wala na ako magagawa kundi bumitaw, kasi in reality tapos na talaga ang lahat.”

Being the artist that he is, Guino is always finding to satisfy his thirst for growth as a songwriter from collaborating with fellow musicians like Gab Tagadtad. In a string of new releases “Rosas” and “Marupok”, he found a new world of possibilities in the way he uses his craft in telling narratives he feels strongly for and about.

He divulges, “Na-inspire akong mas maging open sa bawat experience ko sa buhay, at ilagay ‘yun wholeheartedly sa kanta. Hindi lang siya basta lyrics for me, part siya ng buhay ko kasama ang stories ng mga tao sa paligid na gusto kong i-share sa mga listeners ko.”

Finding the drive to push through in the middle of the climb can be tough when you have little to no support from people around you. In his continuous thrust towards building a bigger audience that what his million-subscriber base on YouTube has already set up, he fully recognizes the help and support he received finding new home in EMI Records and UMG Philippines. This led him to bring his music out of the confines of the four corners of his home’s makeshift recording studio for his loved covers and select originals, now with wings to step into an all new realm in his musical journey.

He opens up, “They’ve given me experiences na hindi ko magagawa kung mag-isa lang ako. Lahat ng kailangan ko when it comes to music, sinusuportahan nila, at ramdam ko yung efforts nila sa bawat gig, event, at lalo na tuwing may music release ako. I’m really looking forward to working with them for a long time.”

As such, as he currently embraces the mellow beats that grasps the many dimensions of love and heartbreak that make up the DNA of the Jenzen Guino sound, he looks to explore different sounds and messages while also keeping his identity as a musician. As an artist, he continues his journey in experimenting new sounds by expanding his music taste from different artists, even ones outside of his usual listening space.

“Sobrang grateful ako sa kung nasaan ako ngayon, pero sana, through my next songs, makuha ko yung big break na inaasam ko. Gustong-gusto ko talagang ma-share yung music ko sa lahat ng tao—dito sa Pilipinas at siyempre worldwide. Ang sarap talaga sa pakiramdam kapag yung mga tao sumasabay sa’yo habang kumakanta ka. Nakakakilig sobra.”

With only five years since his first strides into the music scene, Jenzen Guino is a testament of how far grit, passion, and a limitless worldview and vision bring an artist on a mission. Early on in his career as an emerging artist, he already encapsulates the heart of a true musician by believing in his musical trademark, while also allowing himself to venture many paths in his journey. As someone who once fell in love with music as a kid, he now takes on the other side of his journey in hopes to break the music industry and into the Filipino listeners’ musical sensibilities and be an inspiration to many kids eager to be inspired that he once was.

Now, with a string of recent releases backed by a new label and artistic home that’s set out to harness his inherent flair for telling stories through heartfelt hymns and catchy melodies, along with lyricism that’s reflective of his youth and with it, his universe of truth, Guino marks himself ready for take off and onto higher ground with a crescendo of new pursuits from upcoming new hits and a glowing promise to shift gears and take his artistry to new, greater heights.