2 weeks ago
15
For Javelona, songwriting begins in the smallest, most private spaces. A voice note recorded alone in his room, and a guitar line repeated until it settles into feeling, a moment of emotional clarity that arrives at any hour. On his new single “WHAT'S A GUY GOTTA DO”, he captures one of those moments as it unfolds, tracing the fragile emotional aftermath of a love lost with a tenderness and sincerity that never loses its weight.
The song stemmed from a specific heartbreak in his personal life, written without distance or hindsight, instead confronting the intricacies of the immediate feelings that came with it. “I discovered a hard truth, and I wanted to capture the emotions of having sleepless nights and really going through that moment,” he explains. “I wrote that song at the time that I was feeling those feelings. I wanted to document it and move on and try to find peace, even though it was hard to.”
That instinct toward documentation, and preserving emotion before it fades or reshapes itself, sits at the very centre of Javelona’s creative process. He elaborates that his songs are intended to operate like journal entries set to a melody, grounded in relationships and interior reflection, but written with an openness that invites recognition. “I want to write songs that people can relate to and emotionally attach to,” he says, describing songwriting as a form of translation between his inner thoughts and the outside world.
Beginning as a stripped-back sketch recorded on his phone, the track was later developed in London with producers WAVSDNTDIE and Tèo alongside songwriter Darcy Tighe. Gradually unfolding into something fuller without losing the warmth of its original form, even at its most expansive, the song retains the closeness of a bedroom recording. It's a balance that reflects Javelona’s wider creative rhythm, moving between solitary compositions and more collaborative sessions in London.
His sonic language carries the traces of where he grew up, and the music he was listening to at different times in his life. Javelona was raised on South London jazz and R&B, whilst still being drawn to the lyrical sensitivity found in the indie songwriting of artists such as Steve Lacy and Malcolm Todd. He also feels equally shaped by more formative years spent in the Philippines, crediting his experiences there to his moral compass today. Learning to produce during lockdown only deepened that sense of self-containment, transforming boredom into craft and, eventually, into musical momentum.
His 2023 breakout track “Go Away”, written, produced and performed entirely from his university bedroom, has since grown into an underground success, surpassing 30 million streams worldwide. Whilst earlier releases often leaned towards restraint, this new single feels more exposed and vulnerable to Javelona. A central lyric, “When did the lights turn from yellow to grey,” captures the disorienting instant when happiness slips into uncertainty, using colour and light as a metaphor for love’s sudden dimming. It’s a simple image, but one that lingers, highlighting the debilitating suspense of memory.
More than anything, “WHAT'S A GUY GOTTA DO” feels like an act of grounding for Troy Javelona. It never provides a definite resolution to his personal heartbreak, but the decision to remain present and sit with feelings of uncertainty are what make the track feel so powerful, giving it its emotional pull. With more music already on the way, during what he has described as a deeply creative period of his life, “WHAT'S A GUY GOTTA DO” stands as a compelling introduction to an artist learning how to hold vulnerability without softening his own emotional truths.
English (US) · 