Singer-songwriter Jay R is on cloud nine after the tremendous success of his collaboration with rising star Dionela.
The two teamed up on the song “Sining”—the top OPM track on Spotify Philippines for seven consecutive weeks, and has climbed to No. 60 on the Global Charts as of August 11, 2024.
This weekend, the song has 56,905,536 total streams on Spotify and a whopping 7,392,633 monthly listeners.
The overwhelming public reception prompted Jay R to return from the United States to the Philippines for a quick visit to help promote the song, including filming promotional content.
“Actually, hindi scheduled ito, e. Pero sa sobrang success ng ‘Sining,’ sabi ko, dapat makauwi muna ako, kasi sayang,” Jay-R told PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) in an interview at the Cornerstone Entertainment office in Quezon City.
Continued Jay R, “Dapat mai-promote, dapat mag-shoot kami, mag-shoot ng mga live videos, mag-perform kami ng mga live performances so, you know, mas lalong dumami yung mga streams namin and mas mas dumami yung aming reach.”
DIONELA: FROM A FAN TO COLLABORATOR
Dionela and Jay R are bonded by their love for rhythm and blues music, popularly referred to as R&B.
Growing up as a big fan of Jay R, Dionela frequently covered his idol's songs because they matched his style and musical preferences.
Jay R made his mark in the early 2000s with hits “Ngayo’y Naririto” and “Bakit Pa Ba.”
Over his career, he has released seven studio albums, five of which have achieved platinum and gold status according to the Philippine Association of the Record Industry (PARI).
Jay R reminisced about how he and Dionela first met, setting the stage for their eventual collaboration.
Said Jay R, "Si Dionela, kinakanta niya yung aking mga kanta ko ever since five years old, so he's always wanted to do a collaboration with me."
A mutual friend introduced Dionela to Jay R, and the two exchanged contact details and kept in touch.
But it wasn’t until an event organized by an FM radio station that the two had the chance to really talk and toyed with the idea of working together.
"Nakita ko si Dionela, naggigitara lang, doon siya sa floor, tapos kumakanta kasi set niya na. Narinig ko siya tapos talagang ang galing, na-impress talaga ako," Jay R recalled the moment.
He added, "After ng set niya, kinausap ko na siya, sabi ko, 'Bro, ang galing mo. Talagang interesado ako mag-collab."
That encounter set the wheels in motion for their collaboration.
Jay R mused on the song's pull on listeners: "I think yung 'Sining' is very appealing, kasi first of all, yung melody super ganda.
"Tapos, pag narinig mo na yung mga lyrics, may mga meaning, parang may hidden gems around the lyrics.
"Parang, ang dami nangyayari. You're getting stimulated by the melody, you're getting stimulated by the nice lyrics."
DIONELA AS THE NEW PINOY R&B ROYALTY?
Given the success of "Sining," many now view Dionela as the potential new face of Filipino R&B, possibly succeeding Jay R as the genre's leading artist.
It seems Dionela has Jay R's vote of confidence, as demonstrated during their guest appearance on the noontime show It's Showtime on August 13, 2024.
"Sa interview portion, sinabi ko, 'You know what? Genius na genius ka, Dionela. Ito meron akong announcement: Meron akong korona and I'm officially passing the crown of the King of R&B to you!'" Jay R remembered telling Dionela in front of the camera.
Dionela replied, "'Wait, may announcement ako. I'm officially passing it back [the crown] to the one and only King of R&B. Walang magbabago. Ayan, sa iyo talaga iyan.'"
Jay R, beaming about their exchange, remarked, "Nagbolahan kami dun sa Showtime."
But make no mistake, Jay R and Dionela share nothing but mutual respect for each other, both personally and as artists.
As Jay R put it: "Mabait siya, very talented, very driven—yun talagang nag-inspire sa akin na mag-collab sa kanya."