Melina Duterte, known professionally as Jay Som, has released her new album 'Belong' on October 10, marking her return after a six-year period focused on production and songwriting for other artists. The new record explores themes of identity and purpose while featuring notable collaborations with Paramore's Hayley Williams and Jimmy Eat World's Jim Adkins.
Key Takeaways
- Jay Som's new album, 'Belong', was released on October 10, her first full-length project since 2019's 'Anak Ko'.
- The album features guest vocals from Hayley Williams of Paramore and Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World.
- Duterte explores themes of personal growth and finding her place within the alternative rock scene.
- 'Belong' marks a shift toward a more collaborative process, with multiple producers and instrumentalists involved.
- The six years between albums were spent working as a producer, songwriter, and touring musician with acts like Boygenius.
A New Chapter of Creative Partnership
After establishing her reputation with largely self-produced albums like 'Everybody Works' and 'Anak Ko', Melina Duterte intentionally shifted her creative process for 'Belong'. This new album is her most collaborative to date, a significant change from her previous work where she handled most of the instrumentation and production herself.
Duterte enlisted a team of producers and songwriters to help shape the album's sound. Key collaborators included Joao Gonzalez (Soft Glas), Mal Hauser, Steph Marziano, and Kyle Pulley. According to Duterte, this was a deliberate step to move beyond her established methods. "It was important for me to open that door and step outside my shell for a second," she explained.
Working with Musical Icons
The album features two prominent guest vocalists from bands that influenced Duterte's musical journey. Paramore's Hayley Williams contributes to the track 'Past Lives', and Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World is featured on the song 'Float'.
The collaboration with Williams took place in Nashville. Duterte described the experience as highly positive, noting Williams's creative energy. "She was super nice and spent, like, six hours in the studio with us, and had all these ideas," Duterte shared. She added that Williams's suggestion for the high-energy outro chorus was a key contribution to the final track.
"Pretty much all of the rumours about her are true: she’s a great, awesome person." - Melina Duterte on Hayley Williams
Working with Jim Adkins was a different but equally rewarding experience. As a longtime fan of Jimmy Eat World, Duterte called the collaboration a "dream come true." The two worked remotely but connected over music and gear. Adkins provided harmonies for the verses on 'Float', delivering his parts professionally and quickly.
Challenging Compositions
The song 'Past Lives', featuring Hayley Williams, proved to be one of the most difficult tracks to complete. Duterte revealed that she created six different versions of the song, calling it a "problem child" in the recording process.
The Search for Purpose and Place
The album's title, 'Belong', directly reflects the central theme of the record: a search for one's place in the world. Now 31, Duterte reflects on her personal and artistic journey with a new level of self-awareness compared to her early 20s when she first gained attention.
"Now that I’m 31, I’m a little too self-aware, so I’m still trying to find my voice again and figuring out what my purpose is when it comes to songwriting," she stated.
Navigating the Music Industry
A significant part of this search for belonging relates to her identity as a Filipino-American woman in the alternative rock genre. Duterte has been candid about the challenges she has faced in a predominantly white industry.
"The question of belonging has been with me my whole life... to be in alternative rock is sometimes isolating," she explained. "I sometimes don’t feel like I even deserve to be here because I don’t look like a lot of people that get famous or successful."
Duterte hopes the album resonates with anyone who has ever felt out of place. She believes the search for belonging is universal and finds strength in community with friends and peers who share similar experiences.
A Productive Hiatus
In the six years since 'Anak Ko', Duterte has been highly active behind the scenes. She has worked as a producer, songwriter, and mix engineer for a diverse range of artists, including No Rome, Beabadoobee, Jeff Tweedy, and Bombay Bicycle Club. She also contributed to the soundtracks for the films Three Months and I Saw The TV Glow.
Lessons from the Road and Studio
Duterte's experiences working with other musicians have profoundly influenced her own art. One of her most notable recent roles was as a touring musician and studio engineer for the indie supergroup Boygenius, composed of Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Lucy Dacus.
The Boygenius Experience
Touring with Boygenius and contributing to their album 'The Record' gave Duterte a new perspective on collaborative harmony and performance. She was particularly impressed by their vocal precision and teamwork.
"The way that they all sing together in harmony felt very athletic and pure," Duterte observed. "Every song, Phoebe, Julien and Lucy were just so on pitch and on time with each other. They never messed up." She attributed this to their mutual accountability and the immense practice they put into their performances.
She also drew inspiration from individual artists. Touring with Lucy Dacus, she admired her fast and direct songwriting style. Working with Sab Mai of No Vacation influenced her approach to lyrics, encouraging more poetic and stream-of-consciousness writing.
An Eclectic Sound and Personal Influences
'Belong' showcases a more varied sonic palette than previous Jay Som records. Duterte noted that the album's structure intentionally moves from more straightforward alternative rock songs into more experimental and lo-fi territory in its final tracks.
"I get pretty bored when I make albums, so I need to have every song be a little different from each other," she said. This desire to experiment led to the fragmented, field-recording-infused sound of the album's closing songs.
Duterte's personal music tastes also surface in the conversation. She identifies as a major fan of both Jimmy Eat World and Oasis. Her favorite Jimmy Eat World album is 'Bleed American', a record she and her brother listened to so much as kids that they scratched the CD. She also recently attended an Oasis reunion show and humorously mentioned her dream of one day producing for Liam and Noel Gallagher. "A girl can dream," she laughed.