‘Yun ang legacy natin as songwriters, kahit anong mangyare, kahit wala kana, buhay ka as long as buhay ang mga kanta mo.’ – Davey Langit
It has been four years now since I’ve had the hour-long conversation with Davey, but his strong passion for music feels as though I just heard of them yesterday. I guess when you meet a soul that is as vibrant and as pure as Davey, it will leave a mark, and like many other peers in the music industry, all it took for me to be inspired by Davey was one conversation.
Hearing about Davey’s passing made me relisten to the interview I had with Acel Bisa during our show Song In Focus. We were supposed to talk about just the song ‘Handa Na’ but ended up unravelling the artist within – someone who is sincere, growing, and a guy who is an excellent storyteller with a big love for life. He made people laugh with iconic songs like the ‘Selfie Song,’ and made memories special with his songs that don’t only hold meaning for him but for so many OPM fans.
He would be so humble as to talk about feeling small despite being a grand winner of Himig Handog P-pop Love Songs, a top 3 finalist of PhilPop, and his memorable stint in Pinoy Dream Academy. All I saw was an artist, having fun, doing his best, and learning to love the long ride of his ever-growing music journey.
As someone who has been struggling to choose a music career as my main thing, our chat with Davey made me realize how much I have neglected my craft. Through Davey, I see an artist who is willing to risk it all for love of art and understands that music is not just about fame or money, it is a legacy. It is beyond the sing-along hits, beyond the crowds of fans that sing back, it is in his words ‘a time capsule’ of memories worth keeping, and stories worth sharing even beyond our lifetime.
Seeing how much he had made an impact, from veterans and legends to new artists sharing stories of how he is the reason they started songwriting, is not a surprise. Afterall, I am one of the many peers in the scene that resonated with his dreams, and stood in awe of not just the talent but the courage to live his life fully for the things he loves, in the way that is most true to him.
The musicians we all respect and love? Loves and respects him, and his farewell is truly felt in every corner of the Filipino music community. From fans who share how much his songs have been part of their lives and fellow artists who have seen his genius up close to his closest friends and, of course, the family he has left behind, his muse in song, Therese.
I will never forget that line he said when talking about his album #WLNGPLNB (Walang Plan B), he said that as long as you don’t make your dream the ‘Plan A,’ you won’t ever be hungry enough to get there. And so now that his chapter of creating has come to a close, as he said, his story lives on forever, and from where I am seated, his songs, his life is celebrated more than ever.