SB19’s Justin is carving a path of his own with ‘Surreal’

Justin de Dios can instantly catch anyone’s attention. His breathtaking aura as one-fifth of SB19 is hard to miss — but “Surreal” is his way of allowing listeners to see how breathtaking the world can be from his point of view. Thus, the dreamlike vibe of the song and the visuals which reflect his own imagination.

But beyond his superstar status, he’s someone who loves Grass-type Pokemon and movies under the Japanese animation studio Studio Ghibli. So much that it translated into his identity as an artist and a creative.

“Ever since noong bata pa ako, may something special sa’kin ang trees, forests, grass — even pati sa Grass Pokemon. I don’t know why but there’s something about it. Even the movies na pinapanood ko, nagagandahan ako kapag ang set-up ay nasa gubat or bundok.” he told INQUIRER.net in a one-on-one interview held hours before a private launch for his solo debut.

In the hours leading up to the private launch, Justin confessed he was nervous about striking out on his own, veering from the comfort of his group. But he said he’s faithful to SB19’s motto to “get in the zone” to free himself from the nerves.

But from the looks of his cream polo, brocade vest, and dark brown pants, the spray of flowers on his buttonhole was enough hint of how he wanted to establish himself as a solo artist.

Labor of love

“Surreal” was a labor of love done with the help of people close to Justin. The lyrics were written by the SB19 member himself while the melody was produced by Radkidz, a producing duo composed of Pablo and his brother Josue. Meanwhile, Stell was one of the content producers and the makeup artist for the music video — where some of its scenes were shot in

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