Jayda Bares Her Most Authentic Self in the “Sad Girl Hours” Album

The “Pambansang Sad Girl” finally dropped the official soundtrack of your next senti session. In the melancholy wee hours of the night (a.k.a. oras ng pangungulila), you’ll be sure to find a soundtrack that you can relate to in Sad Girl Hours by Jayda.

The singer’s latest album is an 8-track record that takes listeners on a journey of Jayda’s own experiences of longing to be loved, heartbreak, growth, and a triumphant realization that choosing one’s self is the ultimate act of self-love. The album features songs in both English and Tagalog, with one song being Taglish. 

A longtime project in the works 

On March 27 this year, Jayda released her single, “Right Lover, Wrong Time” and hinted at it being part of an even bigger project. And after just a few months, she made good on her promise when she released Sad Girl Hours. The now 21-year-old singer has been working on this “Project Jayda” for a long time and even shared during her album listening party and press conference that some of the songs in the album she wrote as early as when she was just 18 years old. 

This is Jayda’s first official album with her current record label Universal Music Group and it’s pretty evident in the album that she definitely poured a lot of herself into this project. She worked with a lot of talented collaborators but she did write a good amount of the songs in the album. With journal-like storytelling, this deeply personal concept album gives listeners a front-row seat to the things she went through in different seasons of her life. 

Delving deeper into her artistry 

This may be Jayda’s first official album with UMG but it’s definitely not her first try in making a name for herself in the music industry. Her journey began with her debut single “Text” in 2018, followed by the EP In My Room, which included the fan-favorite track “Happy For You.”

She’s also very much involved in the conceptualization of her music’s visual form. One notable effort was directing the music videos of her songs “Paano Kung Naging Tayo?” and “M.U. (Malabong Usapan).” These creative endeavors not only show Jayda’s versatility but also how holistically she approaches her music. 

With this album, especially, Jayda hopes to display more of her creative side as she encourages her fans to look forward to special visual releases to accompany the songs on her album. Plus, she’s also hinted at exciting projects that will further showcase her creative vision. 

Listen to Jayda's Sad Girl Hours below: 

Know more about Jayda's Sad Girl Hours album and the creative process behind it in this Q&A:

Is there something you did differently, creative process-wise, when you put together this album?

“I definitely pushed myself creatively. Actually, one thing was I ended up going to Baguio for majority of this album 'cause my production team, Shad [Shadiel Chan] and Jovel [Rivera], they're both from Baguio. And, the condition with working with Shad was 'do whatever it is you envision for the song but you have to come to Baguio.' And for me, at the beginning of this year, when we produced 'Right Lover, Wrong Time,' I was like, 'Grabe, napakalayo. Well, hindi naman sobrang layo pero s'yempre it's an out-of-town trip. Biyahe pa rin siya. So that was definitely something out of my comfort zone. I worked new people, obviously. Jovel came kind of, sort of in the middle of the process as well. So, I think, one thing that I did differently was really learning to trust the creatives I was working with, even from the visual aspect, the Toothless team, Jonathan Talplacido, who can't be here today... But, I guess the whole team of Toothless, learning to kind of, I guess, pass over the reins to other creatives and really, kind of, letting them guide me through the process. I think that was one of the things that I had to learn and I enjoyed just getting to be an artist that time but also still being involved with the process. Like, I co-directed two of the music videos here, 'IDILY' and 'A.M.' But yeah, so, just learning to surrender myself to the process on another level.”

“I trauma dump to my friends (laughs). No, but for me, it's really just talking to people about my struggles. I also attribute it a lot to my faith. My faith that God is stronger throughout this process because I really had to lean on that aspect within my life because kung alam niyo lang, guys. Talagang grabe rin 'yung mga pinagdaanan ko para lang matuloy 'yung album in terms of not just visually but also from the creative process. I went through so much that I could probably sit here and talk about it all day. I've been through so much, and I think it's really just finding solace in the right people who have done nothing but uplift me. So, choosing the right people.”

“I really like the second verse I wrote in 'IDILY' which is 'I'll admit I was idealistic / In a sea of flaws, I looked for somethin' perfect / Never got around to find what I was lookin' for.' I think it represents a lot of what the first half of the album is about. I think the entirety of 'Rocket Science' as well is some of my strongest lyrically. I would also say the whole idea of 'Right Lover, Wrong Time' because it's usually 'right love, wrong time' but, again, I realized as I was writing the song, kaya nagiging right lover siya kasi it's really not just the love you share with that person but it's about that person, it's about that lover.”

You said that this album was inspired by a lot of the things that transpired in your life in 2023. So, what would 2024 Jayda want to say to 2023 Jayda?

"'It gets better!' No, that's true, it does get better. I really felt like I was dealing with a lot of inner battles with myself in 2023. So, for me, it was really just realizing that you can take yourself out of the dark and you do have to help yourself out. Like, before anyone else can help you, you have to help yourself. I think those are the things that I would like to say to my 2023 self: It does get better and something beautiful will come out of your pain and there's purpose for all of that pain."

Lead photo from @jayda