Lola Amour, Oliver Cronin collaborate on new ballad

LOCAL pop rock band Lola Amour has been featured on the latest single of Australian singer-songwriter Oliver Cronin, titled “Maria,” born from an unexpected collaboration last year.

The track follows the release of Lola Amour’s album concert documentary back in November, indicating a more global presence. For Mr. Cronin, the track is part of the deluxe edition of his new EP Edge of Paradise, a lead-up to his upcoming debut album Paradise.

Both artists, who met at a music camp in Malaysia last year, found a sense of synergy with each other and decided to explore it.

“Maria” centers on a fictional woman, according to Lola Amour’s lead singer and rhythm guitarist Pio Dumayas.

“It’s not about a real person, but we made up this woman that me and Oliver are both blindly in love with. We made the song around that concept,” said Mr. Dumayas at the song’s Feb. 6 press launch in Manila.

“We experienced a new songwriting process that allowed our style to blend with Oliver’s,” he explained. “It’s not our main sound, but it’s like a side quest for us.”

Lola Amour keyboardist David Yuhico added that the ballad was “a result of a unique experience.”

“It was our first time joining a music camp. It’s a good thing we gave it a chance because it was one of the best things that happened to us as songwriters,” he said.

The song has a classic boyband sound to it, with a bold saxophone solo by Lola Amour member Jeff Abueg, capturing the styles of both artists. In a statement, Oliver Cronin described the collaboration as “an incredible experience.”

“Their 7-piece dynamic brought something fresh and magical to ‘Maria,’” he said.

On the band’s slowly expanding global footprint (with Spotify detecting thousands of listeners from Indonesia, USA, Canada, and Australia), frontman Mr. Dumayas added that their international appeal is but “a natural progression.”

“All of our planned releases as of now are songs in English. It’s not intentional, but we welcome new audiences outside the country,” he said.

The band racked their brains as to what single word could describe the coming year — “busy” was an immediate answer. After some thought, they settled on “growth.”

“Maria” is out now on all digital music streaming platforms. — Brontë H. Lacsamana