Apl.de.ap raves about collab with Sandara Park

Back in March Apl.de.ap, a prominent member of the Black Eyed Peas, released “2 Proud,” a joint project with K-Pop artist Sandara Park.

Allan Pineda, off-stage, Apl.de.ap is the proudly American-born Filipino rapper, singer, producer, and philanthropist. Famous worldwide for Black Eyed Peas’ hits, he is all the more beloved locally for always incorporating Filipino culture in his work and advocacies.

With Black Eyed Peas, Pineda released multiple hits such as “I Gotta Feeling,” “Where Is The Love?” and “Pump It.” Along with this, the group has regularly produced new albums in the past years, with a 23-track album entitled Elephunk (Expanded Edition) in 2023 to commemorate the two-decade success of the 2003 album with additional tracks.

His group is currently on tour, performing on numerous stages worldwide while on the fourth leg of their world tour with a few more stops coming up in North America.

The Black Eyed Peas member is all praises for the Korean celebrity (below photo) who he often saw before when visiting Manila. INSTAGRAM PHOTOS/APLDEAP, DARAXXI 

On January 8, Apl.de.ap released “Legend” with !llmind, A L and Prince Ya for his long-awaited solo track since 2013. Shortly after, his collaboration with 2NE1 icon Sandara Park for “2 Proud” went into high gear. The Korean artist is also beloved in the Philippines, having spent the early years of her career as part of local showbiz.

In a recent interview with select Philippine media, the musician expounded on his current projects.

Pineda shared, “I wrote this song during the pandemic, and I’ve been wanting to collaborate with Sandara Park,” adding that he had already worked with 2NE1 before and often saw Sandara when he was in Manila.

A pop-R&B track, “2 Proud,” discusses the complexities of a long-distance relationship.

Pineda happily recalled how he and Sandara finished the song despite being in different countries.

“We had to do it via the Internet and Zoom, even when shooting the video. We had to be creative about it and got it done.”

Set in the ’50s, the music video, directed by Ben Mor, features Pineda sporting classic suits while spending time in a tropical home. On the other hand, Park appears on a vintage TV screen showcasing the star’s timeless allure while representing the distance between the duo.

Pineda also talked about how he constantly explores fresh ideas and remains competitive, still as driven as ever in pursuing his music.

The artist stated, “I remain a student, learning from other artists, learning from other genres, experimenting, trying new things and competing.”

Pineda said inspiration naturally comes to him when experiencing deep emotions. “When you’re heartbroken, they always tell you to write about it, and usually I’m like, how can I write about it? I’m too in pain right now,” he jokingly added. The songwriter further explained the pieces he’s been working on, “I’ve been writing a lot more love songs, and I call it modern-day love songs. It’s like R&B, but with a cool beat you can still dance to.”

He is eager as ever to incorporate his Filipino and American cultures across his artistic ventures and, therefore, remains grateful to be part of an open-minded group that has always enabled his advocacies.

“One time, Will came into my studio, and I had the chorus of ‘Balita’ by Asin looping. He was like, “Yo, yo what’s that?’ ‘Oh, it’s a download,” I said, [and from moments like that], I’ve been able to incorporate my two worlds together and make something unique.”

Moving forward, the musician shared that he aims to produce the promising talents he encountered as a coach for several seasons of “The Voice Philippines.”

Remarkably, Pineda revealed since his collaboration with Sandara, he has already reached out to more collaborators.

“I have other collaborations with Filipino artists coming soon,” the singer enthused, promising fans they can anticipate new music soon.