This young artist is charting a career path by one name, Zer. It’s actually an offshoot of his real name.
“I discovered my love for music when in Grade 10. Though I never tried composing songs noon. Pero I told myself na itong music industry na tatahakin ko is for the rest of my life”, says Zer who hails from General Trias, Cavite.
“Dati mostly into punk ako, pop punk. Pero last December 2019, a friend introduced me to bands like the Beatles, Radiohead na hindi punk. At sobrang nagustuhan ko sila. So I injected their genres into my compositions, and tried making songs influenced by these bands.”
“My genre can be blues and even experimental at times. I like creating songs na hindi common sa pandinig ng listeners.”
“As an artist, I show my passion and dedication by playing in online gigs sa iba’t-ibang social media platforms. Also, when playing at live gigs, I always give my full best as if it is the last time I’ll ever play for my audience.”
“Ang hirap ngayon kasi pandemic. No live gigs, no interaction with the crowd. For now, my plan is to keep myself alive. Dobleng ingat para hindi magka-Covid 19. At para makabalik sa music industry after this pandemic at makatugtog muli ako.”
The pandemic situation has made Zer more creative to take the stage online. “The good thing is may social media kasi nakakapag-live ako. Though iba talaga ang feeling ng actual live sa virtual live.”
He is also connecting with growing followers by creating his own music. “Ang challenge now is on how to make good songs. Yung may good lyrics. Na kahit walang meaning yung kanta mo pero at least maipaparamdam mo sa kanila na wala talagang meaning. It doesn’t matter naman na kung may magkakagusto for as long as I enjoyed the music with my ears.”
Zer is thankful that despite the situation, he still receives good breaks. “I thank all social media pages that gave the opportunity sa aming mga artists to perform sa online gigs like Musikang Lokal and others more. I also thank my friends for supporting me dearly.”
His plan is to keep on writing songs. “These will soon be heard on my SoundCloud account. I will also keep on regularly uploading cover videos… every week pag kaya or every other week.”
By the way, Zer is also part of a band – Kids on Disaster. “We started by joining Battle of the Bands. Then nagprogress kami overtime from pop punk to blues and then to experimental. Ang plan namin is hopefully next year ay ma-release na yung first single namin ‘I’ll Never Start, Again”.
Zer has this advice for fellow young artists. “First is to believe in yourself. Second is to love your flaws. And third is to love the things you do. Magiging motivation mo ang mga ito para gumawa ng kanta or maging fruitful instrumentalist.”
“The main thing of being a musician is practice. Multiply your efforts by ten times more for beginners. Then to perform with all your confidence and passion. Basta just spend more time practicing, keep your dreams high then perform with all your heart.”
His message for Mendira Media: “Salamat po Mendira for featuring me in this page. I appreciate this opportunity. This platform truly helps new artists like me to be discovered.”
Zer’s music is experimental but excitingly leads listeners into uncharted territories.
His social media platforms:
Facebook: jones zer
Twitter: @zerjones
YouTube: zer
