The stars aligned for Press Hit Play’s ‘Pansamantala’
Press Hit Play’s lead vocalist and songwriter, CHRLS, made a promise: listening to Pansamantala will help you move on.
For a song that lingers on memories of an old flame, moving on from personal heartaches, as listeners, feels like reaching for the moon. With lyrics depicting what it’s like to be in a haze after losing someone and wanting to talk to them kahit saglit, Pansamantala feels like a song you listen to at 2 a.m. on your bed, staring at the ceiling.
Written while working as a nurse during the pandemic, a time of so much loss, CHRLS composed Pansamantala with the realization that everything is temporary. With these experiences intimately influencing his songwriting, it’s no surprise that Kring Kim, writer and director of the song’s music film, described it as powerful.
In an exclusive interview with Young STAR, CHRLS, Sev, JP, and Yuuki of Press Hit Play, together with the music film’s creative mind, Kring Kim, and main cast, Dustine Mayores and Kurt Deseo, talked about Pansamantala and the wisdom to be had from impermanence.
Written in the stars
During a private engagement, JP, the band’s songwriter and producer, accidentally played Pansamantala to Kring. She—a believer in the universe’s magic—knew within seconds that it was written in the stars for her to do the song’s video. “Whether they liked it or not, we were going to shoot the film,” she quipped, remembering the divinely driven resolve she felt then.
When the project was greenlit by Press Hit Play’s talent agency SuperbUs Entertainment Production, Kring immediately worked on the script, repurposing a Meteor Garden fanfiction she’d written, mixing in personal experiences and writing in lines she may or may not have uttered in real life.
The same alignment of the universe has guided the song’s release. After being pushed back by multiple circumstances, despite having been written a few years ago, the song perfectly coincided with Press Hit Play’s artistic evolution. “Last year, our releases were usually upbeat love songs. This time, we want to release more mellow songs. Pansamantala is among the first,” Sev, the band’s main vocalist, said.
When the idea of shooting the film was brought to the band’s attention, they were all excited and had no reservations. In fact, they were surprised to see their song interpreted beyond their initial vision. “We were already emotional just from the storyboard,” JP shared.
The OPM boy group’s new single and music film treat queer love seriously, depicting it in its most unconditional.
CHRLS described this as the right time working with the right people: a synergy that transcends the screens of our conference call.
Love as vast as the universe
Romantic feelings can complicate even the strongest friendships. The film further validates this. Centered around the friendship of Benj and Lance, brought to life by Star Magic artist Dustine Mayores and rising star Kurt Deseo, the short film explores what it’s like being teenage boys in the pilgrimage town of Manaoag, Pangasinan.
While it touches on familiar themes of young love, loss and longing, at its core, it’s also a story about faith. Armed with his personal bubog, Kurt’s deeply moving performance captured what it’s like to desperately believe in something for love, even when it remains unreturned—a trait he shares with his character. “Lance was willing to give his all for the person he loves. I relate to that.”
Dustine also finds a personal connection to his character. To better understand Benj, he wrote a backstory for him. “It’s part of my characterization,” he explained. “Although Benj has a lot of friends, his bond with Lance is different. We all have that person in our life.” This intimate understanding of his character, combined with his natural ease in front of the camera, was evident in his emotionally nuanced portrayal.
Despite its seven-minute runtime, both actors effortlessly carried the emotional weight required of their characters. On the surface, the film may be considered heartbreaking, specifically how it depicts one-sided love. For Kring, however, the film views heartbreak differently. “In unrequited love, you’re already expecting to lose even from the start. Yet you still go for it. It’s not heartbreak in the normal sense,” she said.
Stories about unrequited queer love saturate all forms of media. We watch, read, and sing about it. But for a boy band like Press Hit Play, a queer-themed music film attached to their song is something new. I would even say it’s brave. Considering fan service in the industry borderlines on queer-baiting, Pansamantala treats queer love seriously, depicting it at its most unconditional.
Everything is fleeting
The song and film embrace the truth that everything is fleeting. But this impermanence should not cause us despair. It should be our reminder to enjoy every moment and cherish what we have while we have it. For the cast and the band, that might mean their art, stardom, friendships, families, and good memories.
For Dustine, this temporality should help us speak our minds and hearts. For Kurt, we should hold on to our treasured relationships. For Kring, it's something else entirely. When asked what she wishes to hold on to, she replied: nothing. “Every single moment is the best moment we can have at that certain point in our lives. Whether or not it’s fleeting, it was meant to happen.”
It’s easy to feel despondent when confronted with our own mortality. Even stars eventually burn out. Despite that, there are countless reasons to believe in and hold on to the good things in life.
When CHRLS said that Pansamantala would help listeners move on, I was skeptical. But after spending an afternoon with the band, I now understand: for them, even the most consuming heartbreak is temporary. “There are no shortcuts in moving on,” Sev shared. “Emotions are natural; the pain will end,” JP added.
Pansamantala may not magically mend broken hearts, but the band offers something just as powerful that would help us move on — a song that would be there for us. “While listening to the song and watching the film, I hope that the audience would know that there are people who love them,” Yuuki, the band’s main dancer, said.
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Pansamantala is available on all music platforms. Its music film is streaming on YouTube.
