FOR much of the past two decades, Miguel Mendoza has been more familiar to listeners through other people’s voices than his own.
His songs have been performed by some of the country’s biggest artists-Sarah Geronimo, Regine Velasquez, Erik Santos, Jed Madela and Katrina Velarde among them-while Miguel quietly built a career behind the scenes as a songwriter, producer and creative collaborator.
Now, he is stepping back into the spotlight, not with a new composition, but with one that has already become part of Filipino pop culture.
For the first time, Miguel has recorded ‘Isa Pang Araw’ himself, nearly eight years after writing the song for the 2018 film Miss Granny.
Originally recorded by Sarah Geronimo as the movie’s official theme, the ballad went on to win the 2019 Awit Award for Best Song Written and Performed for a Movie, TV or Stage Play and earned a nomination for Best Original Song at the 67th FAMAS Awards.
The new recording is not intended to replace the version audiences already know. Instead, it allows the songwriter to return to words that were born from one of the most difficult chapters of his own life and finally tell the story in his own voice.
The ‘quiet architect’
LONG before he became known as a songwriter, Miguel was always a singer.
He first entered the national spotlight as a finalist in the inaugural season of Philippine Idol, before later becoming the third Star Dreamer of Pinoy Dream Academy Season 2. Yet, despite those early breaks, opportunities as a recording artist became increasingly difficult to find.
‘To answer you honestly, yes,’ Miguel said when asked whether there was a time people struggled to accept him as a singer. ‘That’s why I embraced the back end-songwriting. I thought maybe this was really where God wanted me.’
‘For years, you question yourself. You question your talent. But you just have to fight through it and believe in yourself.’
That willingness to keep going eventually opened doors beyond songwriting.
Away from television, he worked in production, handled teleprompters, directed live events and even took on jobs far removed from the entertainment industry, including working overseas as a seafarer, performing as a singer aboard a cruise ship, and, at one point, as a mascot.
Rather than seeing those experiences as detours, he now considers them part of the education that shaped him.
Returning to ‘Isa Pang Araw’
THE story behind Isa Pang Araw has long been known among music fans.
Miguel wrote the song after his first submission for Miss Granny was rejected. Drawing from grief following his father’s passing, he wrote another piece-one that eventually became the film’s theme song.
But writing the lyrics and singing them turned out to be two very different experiences. ‘When I was writing the song, I acknowledged the feelings, but I wasn’t really allowing myself to feel them,’ he explained.
At the time, he was focused on dealing with practical responsibilities left behind after his father’s death. The emotions existed, but they remained buried beneath everything that needed to be done.
Recording the song years later changed that. Throughout the sessions, Miguel said he finally allowed himself to become vulnerable, guided by his collaborators at FlipMusic.
‘I cried during the recording sessions,’ he recalled. ‘For nine years, I had kept all of that inside. It felt good to finally let it out.’
Even the lyric that resonates with him most has changed over time. When he first wrote the song, the bridge carried the greatest emotional weight. Today, it is the opening verse (Sa libong-libong taong nangangarap, binigyan mo ako ng pagkakataon) that affects him most
‘FlipMusic gave me another chance,’ he said. ‘I don’t even know anymore if this is my third, fourth, or fifth chance.’
A new beginning
MIGUEL has officially signed with FlipMusic Records as a recording artist, while his compositions will now be published under FlipMusic Publishing, making him part of the label’s roster both as a performer and songwriter.
He describes it not as a one-off project, but as the beginning of a new chapter. Plans are already underway for a full-length album next year, one that will allow him to write and record music intended for his own voice.
‘I’m excited because this time I get to write for myself,’ he said.
He also hopes to collaborate with fellow FlipMusic artists and songwriters as he develops new material.
Also, interestingly, after years of becoming known for emotional ballads, Miguel said he is ready to explore a lighter side of songwriting. Among the projects lined up this year is a Christmas song, one he promises will be far more joyful than listeners might expect.