WHY is the new album of Luke Mejares called Blackbird?
“It all started as a joke among my closest friends. We have Asia’s Songbird Regine Velasquez; and there’s Asia’s Nightingale Lani Misalucha. So someone asked, ‘If you were a bird, what kind of bird are you?’ Tapos lahat sila replied in unison, ‘Blackbird!’ I’m half-black, as many already know. It kind of sounds cool, so it somehow stuck.”
So when Mejares was thinking of the title for his new album, the idea of Blackbird came to mind and every one in his team agreed that it will be a beautiful title for a CD.
“The album took almost two years to finish,” he shared, adding, “I’ve been listening to the evolution of soul, Motown and R&B from the past decades, and it dawned on me this is the kind of music that I really want to do, the kind of songs that I’d be truly happy to perform.”
For this new project, Mejares wanted everything to be as personal as possible. “I wanted to collaborate with not only my friends in the music business, but friends who know and breathe music, and know me and the music that I like.” He spent long hours with industry friends like Marcus Davis Jr., Keith Martin, Top Suzara, Arnie Mendaros, Vehnee Saturno and Jude Gitamondoc to conceptualize, choose and work on the songs.
The CD contains a duet with Suzara, former frontman of the band Freestyle, titled “Maybe Forever’s With You”, and another duet with R&B crooner Jay-R, titled “Paano ang Gabi”.
Mejares, born of an African-American father and a Boholana mother, shared that he grew up listening to Motown artists like Stevie Wonder, Stylistics, Kool & The Gang, and the late music icons Prince and Michael Jackson. “Their music continues to inspire me and my artistry. Their songs are so filled with passion and inspiration, and are deeply rooted in me, especially Michael Jackson—he and his songs will always, always be a part of me.”
The 41-year-old Mejares was catapulted to music popularity when he replaced the frontman of the popular soul band South Border in 1998. He stayed with the band for four years. Aside from his solo stints, he is also part of the vocals group Sabado Boys, where he pits musical skills with Paolo Santos, Jimmy Bondoc and Myke Salomon.
“Those three guys are my good friends from way back, and we’ve come together to perform as a group, a fun spin-off of our individual careers, and we all realized we’re having more fun as we get older,” he explained.
How does he keep up with the challenges of the music industry? “As far as the things I have no control over, I don’t really waste too much time on these. But as a performer, I try to constantly reinvent myself, hoping to keep up with the times and the millennial generation. So many things are popping up in the music and live-performance scenes, and people expect to be truly entertained. Despite the challenges, though, I will continue to sing because singing is part of my being, and performing is one of the greatest passions of my life.”
When not pursuing his professional duties, Mejares shared that he is a private person. “I bring my kids to school every day. Father-child themed movies almost always make me cry. I’m basically a family man, with simple dreams for my children—that they grow up kind and fair and loving, and free to pursue whatever they want, wherever they can be happiest.”