Traffic congestion wastes your precious time. And it may also cost you your love life.
This is the bittersweet theme of revitalized Filipino boy band 1:43’s comeback single titled “Trapik Tralala,” which speaks of a young man’s growing exasperation as he finds himself stuck in traffic on his way to see the girl of his dreams.
Written by Jim Paredes and arranged by Sonic State Audio Studio’s Jonathan Ong, “Trapik Tralala” was originally a part of the APO’s 1996 album Dating Alternatib that was not released as a single
“Pagod na pagod, inis na inis, sa haba ng trapik, sa tulo ng pawis / banas na banas mukhang hindi aabot / Inip na inip sa kahihintay, na-lowbat ang cellphone wala pang powerbank / Walang magawa kundi maghintay lamang,” goes the song’s intro.
The guy fails to make it to his date. But, what the heck! He opts to look at the brighter side of things—he penned a song while stuck in traffic.
“Sa tagal ng trapik nalanta ang sabik, ang balak na pag-ibig ay naunsyami / nasayang na ang gas, pagkakatao’y nawaldas / Hindi na umabot, hindi na nakita, ang balak na pag-ibig ay na-tralala / Di bale, okay lang, nakagawa naman ng kanta,” the ditty goes.
Although it has yet to be released on various digital music platforms, “Trapik Tralala” is already enjoying heavy airplay on FM radio stations nationwide. On Sept. 1 it became available on Spotify, iTunes, Amazon Music, and Deezer in over 240 countries worldwide.
Chris Cahilig, 1:43 founder and manager, is confident that “Trapik Tralala” will resonate with millennials, young office workers, and the new generation of music lovers whose professional and romantic lives are often jeopardized by the metro’s worsening traffic problem.
“Trapik Tralala is a song so close to home that nearly everyone can relate to it. After all, it shows that love can be tricky—when traffic gets in the way. The band had a great time recording it, and the fact that it is an original APO composition shows how 1:43 is totally committed to promote OPM,” Cahilig relates.
He further points out that despite the horror stories involving traffic, “Trapik Tralala shows that there are ways to turn things around and making music is one of them.”
The revitalized 1:43 features four talented and charismatic young men in the persons of Art Artienda, Ced Miranda, Jason Allen Estroso, and Wayne Avellano. The band bagged the 2013 Star Awards for Music Song of the Year for the monster hit “Sa Isang Sulyap Mo” and scored the “Most Promising Performing and Recording Group” recognition in the Guillermo Mendoza Memorial Scholarship Foundation’s 45th Box-Office Entertainment Awards.
Aside from the monster hit “Sa Isang Sulyap Mo,” 1:43 also popularized the songs “Hayop Sa Ganda,” “Pag-Ibig na Kaya,” and “Ang Saya-Saya,” which became the theme song of the GMA7 sitcom Ismol Family.
