WATCH | Rachel Alejandro takes ‘leap of faith’ with new single, ‘Takipsilim’
Currently based in New York where she spent most of the ongoing pandemic, singer-actress Rachel Alejandro has recently released a new single called “Takipsilim.”
The single is a milestone of sorts of Rachel, not only because it’s her first solo single in a decade but also because it’s also her first recording for Rebel Records, the new independent music label of singer-songwriter Nino Alejandro, who also happens to be her cousin.
What’s even more special is the fact that the “Takipsilim” is actually the result of an arduous search for the right original song that will anchor Rachel’s much-awaited return to the OPM scene.
“My wanting to create new music was a leap of faith on my part. When we asked OPM songwriters to submit their best compositions, we had some amazing submissions. When Rain Santana who is only 19 submitted his composition, ‘Takipsilim’ we fell in love with it immediately,” Rachel shared.
“It’s a beautiful song about the painful “What ifs” in any relationship. “When you look it up, ‘takipsilim’ translates to ‘twilight,’ that time of days when practically all the light has gone… but not quite.”
Rachel hopes that her latest song will be both a new anthem for romantics and an ode to everyone who’s struggling during this time. “As this ‘takipsilim’ continues for us displaced artists and unemployed professionals around the world, we cling to our faith, whatever that may be,” Rachel mused.
Following Rachel and Nino’s selection of “Takipsilim,” Rachel recorded the song within weeks at Nino’s studio in Parañaque and taped for the music video that premiered last March 12 with directors Chuck Ronquillo and Aris Magayanes in Alabang.
Although performers like Rachel were among the hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, she has no intention of putting her career on hold for long. “It’s an unprecedented time for performers like me around the world. For someone who loves her job as much as I do, to say it’s been tough is an understatement but while I can’t be performing in concerts right now, I can certainly be recording.”
Asked if she will release more original songs, perhaps a full-length album, after “Takipsilim,” Rachel is not ruling out anything this year. She’s already looking forward to her post-pandemic plans, which include two films, “Song for Selina,” a new independent film from the makers of the acclaimed “Quezon’s Game” and the musical “Song of the Fireflies” co-starring, Morissette Amon.
Produced by Nino Alejandro’s Rebel Records and released by Warner Music Philippines, Rachel Alejandro’s “Takipsilim” is currently streaming on Spotify.