It was a full-circle moment for Filipino singer-songwriter TJ Monterde, who recently shared how he went from being a fan of South Korean artist 10CM to becoming his friend and collaborator.
On his social media page, TJ opened up about the story behind their friendship.
Photo credits: @tjmusicmonterde and @10cm_official_kr on Instagram
“FROM FANBOY TO CHINGU 😊,” TJ said. “Isa talaga ‘to sa mga masasabing kong career highlights ko.” (This is truly one of the highlights of my career.)
TJ recalled how he became a fan of 10CM, whose real name is Kwon Jung-Yeol, back in 2018.
“Sobrang fan ako ni 10CM since 2018, been listening to his songs over and over, lalo na nung time na medyo nahilig ako sa K-drama. I just love his music!” he added.
(I’ve been listening to his songs over and over, especially when I got hooked on watching K-dramas. I just love his music!)
Then came an unexpected message in 2023 that changed everything.
“One random day in 2023, bigla na lang siyang nagmessage sa IG ko, he stumbled upon my video on YT (YouTube) daw, and loved my song ‘Palagi’; wondered if he could come visit the Philippines and talk about a possibility of doing a project together,” he recalled, calling the experience a wild moment.
(One random day in 2023, he suddenly sent me a message on my Instagram account. He said that he stumbled upon my video on YouTube and he loved my song ‘Palagi’.)
TJ couldn’t believe their first interaction and how his idol liked his song, saying, “of all the songs online, he listened to mine, LSSd, loved it, and yes, he doesn’t even speak Tagalog.”
Their shared passion for music soon blossomed into a genuine friendship. The two supported each other’s concerts and exchanged visits between Seoul and Manila.
“Fast forward, both of our teams met in BGC, we became friends, I went to Seoul to watch his concert sa KSPO Dome, he came to Manila to guest sa Concert ko (Twice! NFT and Big Dome!), I went to Seoul again to record,” TJ happily expressed.
With a new found friendship from artists of different countries, the once dream of collaborating has now come to life in the form of "Acoustic Romantics", a joint project between TJ and 10CM, featuring two tracks: “Silver” and “After 3.”
“Now here we are, I cant believe I'm saying this —'Acoustic Romantics' by TJ Monterde and 10CM. 💚 DIBA. WILD,” he said. “Lord, Ikaw to, walang iba. Thank You po! 🙌🏻”
(Now here we are, I can't believe I'm saying this — “Acoustic Romantics” by TJ Monterde and 10CM. This is wild, right? Lord, this is You. No one else. Thank You!)
In a post shared by 10CM’s management page, they shared the story of the fateful meeting of the two artists who both appreciate and like each other's music.
"Two years ago, 10CM came across the music of TJ Monterde by chance. It was a voice he had never heard before, but for some reason, it stayed with him, so he reached out," the statement read.
"The connection felt natural, as if they were never really strangers. They began to talk, and made a promise to create music together one day.”
READ: TJ Monterde and 10CM’s first song collaboration to be released this May
"That promise never faded. Between Korea and the Philippines, they slowly built something together. And now, it‘s time to introduce the music they’ve created—and each other—to the world. We now introduce 10CM and TJ Monterde—through their first collaboration.”
TJ and 10CM first performed “Silver” live during TJ’s Sarili Nating Mundo concert last February, ahead of the track’s official release.
“I always dreamed of my collab with Jung Yeol (10CM) and ito na iyon,” TJ expressed in an interview.. “I listen to him. Pinapakinggan ko siya and ngayon may ginawa kaming music.” (I used to listen to him—and now, we’ve made music together.)
TJ described “Silver” as a song about friendship and the kind of love that transcends time and distance.
READ: TJ Monterde performs collab song with Korean singer-songwriter 10CM
“This song talks about the love of a best friend that surpasses time. Ito yung pagmamahal na kahit wala siya, kita mo pa rin at ramdam mo pa rin ang pagmamahal niya,” he said. (It talks about the love of a best friend that surpasses time. Even when they’re not physically present, you can still see and feel their love.)
Adding a personal touch to the song, TJ revealed that he asked 10CM to write the second verse, making the collaboration even more special.