As someone who loves wearing makeup and trying new things, I still experience different periods where I get into a creative rut. Call it overburden, fatigue, pandemic-induced burnout, or whatever else, but it happens to everyone. Sometimes, all the inspo I screenshot from social media stops sparking creativity and I'm left to seek it elsewhere. That's where I turn to other things, like music.
So you can imagine my surprise and delight when Buch Dacanay A.K.A. LILIM, approached me to write a blog post about a song he was planning to release called "Para Kay Ligaya" which translates to For Joy in English. I thought, let's do it!
About the Artist
Buch of LILIM is a singer-songwriter, theater artist, and playwright from Manila, Philippines. He started LILIM back in 2017 and is coming out with an album titled “Bagahe at Bagong Umaga” (or Baggage and New Tomorrows) sometime in April or May of 2021. This album has been in the works for quite some time, as LILIM started writing it in 2019. So far, two singles have been released on Spotify from the album, which is “Nothing but Sky Blues” and “Ma Chérie”. The 3rd single is "Para Kay Ligaya", which I'm talking about in this blog.
Taking a Deep Dive
When Buch sent me the audio file for the song, this was the image I immediately thought of when I first heard it:
Not surprisingly, the mental image I came up with matched LILIM's description of what the song is about:
The song is about missing someone who you have had a falling out with and reminiscing on that. On all the wrongs, all the rights, how it was good and when it was bad, then ultimately how they are right now because as the protagonist in the song you are not doing well without them. Though the song starts off sad and emotional it quickly transitions into being uplifting as a metaphor for pretending everything is alright in life or that you’re trying to move on and saying all the things that have happened or you have missed about the person helps with that.
With a description like that, I can see this song striking a chord with a lot of people. In the backdrop of lockdown amid the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone has been overcome by boredom, anxiety, and longing in some way. Many people cope with this by reminiscing and revisiting the past, even if it means remembering not-so-good things. Despite how painful those memories can be, the familiarity can be more comforting than living in the now when there's so much uncertainty.
With all this time indoors, people may dig up old keepsakes, stalk social media profiles, message former friends or ex-flings. Sometimes, a reprieve is found and other times, we convince ourselves we have. The song's blend of hip-hop vocalization and pensive post-rock instrumentation just adds the perfect background music to such feelings of yearning, remorse, hopefulness, and acceptance. I can say "Para Kay Ligaya" is not just something you listen to haphazardly, it's an experience that demands to be felt.
The Makeup Look
Since this song gave me visuals of beach sunrises, I knew I wanted to do a makeup look with shades of blue, pastel violet, and some iridescent glitter. Blues obviously go with the beach theme, but also because blue is associated with both sadness and peace. I used the light violet on the lower lash line for the underlying sentimentality that pops up throughout the song. The cheek and lip makeup is meant to represent beachy elements (sand, waves, and water) as I wanted them to complement the eye look.
Products Used
Eyes
Hey Hue Cosmetics Water Activated Eyeliner
E.L.F. Waterproof Eyeliner
Spoiled Lips Cosmetics Dear Diary Palette
SoSaddityLashes in the Call Me style (Use POMZ20 for 20% off)
Face
Glitter and Highlighter from the Dear Diary Palette
Essence Cosmetics Prime + Studio Pore Minimizing Mattifying Primer
Menagerie Cosmetics Whalesong Palette
Revolution Conceal and Define Concealer (C6)
BYS Pressed Powder in Light
Lips
B'ellegant Cosmetics Wave Runner Liquid Lipstick
My Final Thoughts
Sometimes, music is more than just a cacophony of sounds and voices that is nice to listen to. It can be what emotions sound like, no matter how complicated and tumultuous they may be. I think LILIM did a pretty good job capturing the emotions he wanted to convey in his song and composed something poignant that will stay with you even after the song ends. I also enjoyed coming up with the makeup look too as I haven't felt that inspired in a long time.
So if this blog post was enough to pique your interest in this song, listen to “Para Kay Ligaya” by LILIM (it's now on Spotify).
Follow LILIM on their socials:
Twitter: @DacanayBuch
Facebook: @lilimband
Instagram: @buchmalunggay
Youtube: Lilim Music
Spotify: Lilim
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