Teeth frontman and solo star Glenn Jacinto: ‘Habang Buhay’ has inspired listeners

Glenn Jacinto may now be absent from the local music scene after flying back to his home base in the US last August, but there's no doubt his presence is still keenly felt with the success of his single "Habang Buhay."

Jacinto came home last March after living in the US for 14 years to do a series of reunion shows with his 90s band Teeth.

He stayed for six months and in that time recorded a bunch of songs, including his current single. The official music video has just come out and it was shot in Manila before he returned to the States last August 31.

Yahoo Philippines got in touch with Glenn to catch up and find out more about his plans in the coming months.

We rarely see you without your dark glasses, which you don't wear in the video. It suits you because you still look cool.

GJ: I only wear dark glasses when I sing but with my solo project, I also play the guitar and wearing dark glasses makes it hard for me to see what note I’m playing.

How was the experience shooting the music video of your first single?

GJ: It was fun! I have not shot a video in so many years and it was exciting especially shooting in my hometown, in BF (Homes) Parañaque which I have not been in for 14 years. And also having friends from school, fans and from the music industry participating and giving their support. All the more exciting having RA Rivera direct it, and with no other than Francis Brew playing the guitar with me, plus of course the awesome drummer Pat Sarabia of Wilderness and bassist Lea Celestial of The Jeffrey Zulueta Experience.

What was the inspiration behind both the shoot and the song?

GJ: My drummer here in the US, Tim De Ramos wrote the song “Habang Buhay” a few years back. The song speaks of commitment which I guess was inspired by his friend's wedding.

I've been planning to release a single and a video in the Philippines, and as I have been busy doing shows with Teeth and took a few out of town trips during my stay here, I was only able to do it two months before I left. With the limited time and budget that we had, we decided to do a simple but fun video. It's just a live gig at a bar sort of thing.

We understand "Habang Buhay" really got a lot of requests when it first came out. How do you hope to sustain that momentum?

GJ: I have been getting a lot of messages from people saying they love the song. That it inspires them and motivates them to become positive in dealing with life's struggles. And I’m thankful as it also inspires and motivates me to do more. Tim and I will continue to write more songs with honest lyrics and simple melodies, to reach out to a wider audience and to hopefully sustain the momentum.

How many more songs do you intend to release and when are they due?

GJ: Tim and I have a couple of songs ready but we are still writing new ones. We just released a video for the first single, so probably we will release the next one sometime in January 2015. The second song we plan to release is entitled "Wala." We also plan to release a full-length album soon instead of the previously planned 3-song EP.

You're now back in the States. What sort of gigs do you get there and tell us something about your US band.

GJ: Here in the US I have my solo band playing original songs and I also have a Top 40's band playing classic rock, new wave and OPM covers. We play regularly every first Friday of the month at Gerry's Grill in Artesia, California plus a few other bar gigs and special shows in between.

I will also be playing in New York and New Jersey on January 23-24. It's for the Filipino-American music community.

When do you plan to return to the Philippines?

GJ: No concrete plan on when yet as of the moment, because I am also busy with my day job and my music here but I hope to come back real soon.

In spite of your solo outing, you're still a member of Teeth. Is Teeth thinking of putting out new songs? Why or why not?

GJ: My Teeth bandmates Dok (Sergio), Mike (Dizon) and Jerome (Velasco) are busy recording for their respective bands Pupil and Sandwich, while Tim and I are also busy working on new songs. Maybe sometime in 2015 when I get the chance to come back, we will do more Teeth shows and record new stuff.

What's on your Christmas wish list?

GJ: To stay happy, live a simple life, more success in my music and just be healthy coz health is wealth.

Glenn Jacinto’s “Habang Buhay” is available for download and streaming on Spotify, iTunes, Deezer and Spinnr. For more updates followglenjacintorocks on Facebook, @glennjacinto on Twitter and glennjacinto420 on Instagram.

Read more MUSIC stories