History has proven that there are artists who spend their entire lives in pursuit of that one break, and there are artists who just seem to be born with the gift of effortlessly fusing melodies and words together and naturally connecting with audiences of all shapes and sizes.
Jireh Lim has proven again and again that he belongs to the esteemed latter, and he’s not taking a step back to admire the scenery, as he is working even harder to come up with hit tunes like his latest single “Gumamela,” which is arguably his finest work to date.
Riddled with a bouncy pop and RnB styling, a slick and well-calculated sonic production, and catchy-as-hell melodies, “Gumamela” sounds like a natural and seamless evolution of Jireh—who cut his teeth and honed his talents more than a decade ago, armed with a handful of cover songs with just an acoustic guitar and a smooth and refined voice.
The song’s theme—albeit rooted in the traditional “doing-whatever-it-takes-for-love” idea and musings—is taken to greater heights with Jireh’s knack for infusing cleverly relatable and totally sincere lyricism that seems to fall effortlessly into musical cadence and phrasing: an obvious by-product of the singer-songwriter’s dedication to consistently improve both his passion and craft.
“I wrote this song back in 2012—I was just humming a catchy melody with my guitar in hand, thinking about all the happy moments with the love of my life, and how easy it was to do anything without hesitation for a loved one,” Jireh shared.
When asked about the difference from his previous singles (like “Magkabilang Mundo,” “Sabik”, and the widely popular “Buko,” all of which had a simpler acoustic vibe), Jireh revealed a deeper mission than just sonic variation.
“Personally, I feel like I have been given a gift, and it’s something I want to use to inspire people and even myself: to be better… which is why I’m always willing to step out of my comfort zone if it means becoming a better musician;” and added, “And I never take anything for granted: I do this consistently because I remind myself that everything I have is mainly because of the listeners and the people who supported me, and both related and believed in what I do.”
“Gumamela” is another musical milestone to add to Jireh Lim’s ever-growing and impressive body of work. Needless to say, things are only looking to get better, now that the artist is more dedicated than ever to keep fighting the good fight.
“People ask me all the time what or where I’d be if I wasn’t a songwriter, and I’ve never been able to give a specific answer because this is really the only thing I know how to do and I am fully passionate about—so I don’t think I’d have a happy life if I wasn’t doing this… so right now, after the release of ‘Gumamela,’ I simply just want to create more music, release more music videos and play more shows… I just want to be busy with music: that’s all I ever want.”
“Gumamela” is out now on various digital music platforms.
