EXCLUSIVE: Dia Maté’s “Ganda Gandahan” Encourages You to Be Unapologetically Beautiful
Dia Maté starts her pop girl era with a self-love single that tells Filipinas to never let the ugly in others kill the beauty in them
Singer-beauty queen Dia Maté embraced her power as a woman, thanks to her time in pageantry this year, which influenced her single “Ganda Gandahan.” Not only was this a love letter to herself, but also a song meant to empower and bring confidence to everyone around her. Aside from talking about her pop single, the musician also talked to MEGA Entertainment about her time in pageantry, the contribution of music as an empowered morena, and being in the same industry as her boyfriend Juan Karlos.
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Gandahan Ang Puhunan
“Ganda Gandahan” is a celebration of one’s unique beauty and individuality. This self-love track was Dia Maté’s turning point from her sad girl music, going for witty, fun, and unserious lyrics with a catchy melody. “It outrageously champions beauty,” the artist explained with a smile. With a lyric like “gandahan ang puhunan,” she quite literally tells us to invest in ourselves, invest in our unique beauty.
Written with dear friend and artist Dom Guyot, the artist shared how this song is not just for her, but for all the people in need of empowerment. “I really wrote this for the girls and the gays, because there are a lot of people in the community that need to be empowered,” Maté explained.
This single is simply the beginning. “Ganda Gandahan” is just the first from her upcoming album that will be released next year, and the beauty queen-singer shared how it will be focusing more on her happy, confident side. “Whether you’re in the car getting ready with your friends that make you feel confident, I want people to have that, to hold and cherish that because it’s amazing to have music that will uplift you. That’s my main goal for this album next year. It’s going to be more fun, it’s more pop.”
Empowerment in Music
Like other musicians, Dia has considers music as a therapeutic and empowering tool, using it as an avenue to share her beliefs and experiences, hoping that her music could also reach and help those who listen. Being part of that space now, especially as a morena, the singer feels that Filipinos are now more appreciative of our own features.
With the rise of morena artists today, their music is more than just successful, they have also made their mark as Filipino musicians in the industry. “We’ve always had morena representation,” the artist thoughtfully said. “I just feel that it’s more mainstream and appreciated now by the masses. It’s really nice to see because it’s healing my inner child.”
Transformative Journey in Pageantry
Dia has dedicated her 2024 mostly to pageants. Hailing from Cavite, she represented her hometown in the Miss Universe Philippines stage along with Continental Queen Miss Universe Asia Chelsea Manalo. After, she participated in Miss Worlds Philippines, where she landed the tenth spot, and then proceeded to be appointed as Reina Hispanoamericana Filipinas.
It’s no secret that beauty queens undergo grueling training for months to be molded into a certain way. “It’s not all glitz and glamour,” Dia said honestly, even admitting how her time training as a beauty queen was a difficult journey of gaining her confidence. “You may see beautiful girls on stage, but we really go through a lot, especially when it comes to haters and people that don’t believe in you. When you’re on the pageant stage, everyone feels like they can have an opinion of you.”
In contrast with being an artist, there is a kind of creative freedom that they are privileged with. Dia Maté is both, and if there’s one thing that she will always bring with her from being a beauty queen, it is discipline. With her many voice and dance lessons, rehearsals, and performance evaluations, music is not just about talent, but the discipline and dedication she puts into being an artist. “Being a musician is not just about making the art and being passionate about the art. It’s putting that work into making your art and performing your art,” the beauty queen explained.
Mentor and Boyfriend Juan Karlos
Aside from being a disciplined beauty queen and a talented musician, Dia Maté is also a loving and supportive girlfriend of singer-songwriter Juan Karlos, known for his works “ERE” and “Buwan.” While it’s not uncommon to have a couple in the same industry, Dia has mentioned that it is her and JK’s first time dating someone within the industry, which the beauty queen admitted to being weird at first. Nevertheless, with the couple being in the music sphere together, it gave Dia a sense of relief to see that they were both going through the same experience, just on a different timeline.
“There’s never a dull moment, especially being a musician, and we understand each other’s jobs,” Dia said, mentioning how boyfriend JK also helped produce one of her past singles this year. “It’s so nice to be able to ask him for advice because he’s a different ear that helps make my songs better, and vice versa. It’s just a beautiful thing to experience having someone who loves the same thing as you and does the same thing as you on a professional level because you can just relate like no other.”
Despite growing in the industry at a different timeline, the couple see each other as equals, and not just as “the rockstar’s partner.” “I love being the rockstar’s girlfriend, but I also love being me,” Dia shared, especially how her singer boyfriend JK loves to empower her, emphasizing how her success will never be connected to him. “As much as possible, we like to grow on separate paths so that we can make names for ourselves in our own way.”
Featured Image and Photos: RADICAL MUSIC INC., DIA MATÉ (via Instagram)
The post EXCLUSIVE: Dia Maté’s “Ganda Gandahan” Encourages You to Be Unapologetically Beautiful appeared first on MEGA.EXCLUSIVE: Dia Maté’s “Ganda Gandahan” Encourages You to Be Unapologetically Beautiful
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