A SoCal pop maestro with roots in the Philippines and Sweden, Joveth has been building a multi-faceted presence from the ground up. From his evolving musical sound, to developing the lighting and sound design for his live shows, he has been making himself into an artistic force in the underground scene in Southern California.
With his latest single “Bubblegum”, an incredibly infectious bop that has gotten stuck in my head a number of times, Joveth seems primed to hit the next level. The artists took some time to speak with me about the latest single, and where he plans to go from here.
**
THE INDY REVIEW: First, congrats on your new single “Bubblegum”. The track is a real earworm and has a very timeless quality to it. What sparked the initial inspiration for the song?
JOVETH: What really sparked this song was one of my breakups. I know it sounds cliche, but the relationship was so twisted, and I was so in love that I totally forgot who I was when I was around this person. We weren’t only toxic to one another, but we also madly loved each other in an unforgettable way.
IR: “Bubblegum” musically is more upbeat compared to the other singles you’ve released. Were you wanting to write something that fit a different mood/vibe than other songs from your forthcoming EP?
J: Honestly, when making this song, I wasn’t thinking I needed an upbeat song in the EP haha, it just came out of nowhere. That’s usually how I like to make my songs. As a Producer and artist, when it comes to variety and the different styles, sounds, and genres I make, I generally would say I don’t like the limitation of being in one genre or style. So yeah, expect me to bend the rules in my music releases.
IR: Who were some of the musical inspirations you were drawing from for the song? The track definitely moves more into a pop/rock direction than the more R&B/dance sounding earlier singles.
J: That’s an amazing question, you wouldn’t believe me if I said The 1975 & Bruno Mars. I think The 1975 inspiration gives the heartfelt dance era and dreamy sounds. Bruno Mars gives that edgy and pop vocals feel.
IR: While you’re currently based in Southern California, you’re originally from the Philippines and spent your childhood in Sweden (a mega-capital of pop music). How did your time in both of those countries influence your taste and songwriting (if at all)?
J: It totally influenced my taste. I’d say growing up with my Filipino family; they showed so much love for singing and dancing. Now, it wasn’t until I was 7 when my family heard my potential in singing and being a frontman, since I was a little kid. I always wanted to perform, singing my biggest idols on Karaoke and pretending I was on stage. I’d say inspiration-wise, the Philippines totally gave me some emotional vocal influences. Sweden gave me the producer influences I feel like, I interned for XOV and got so inspired by how he produced his music. This led to me searching further into the complex world of writing songs and music as a producer and singer. Style wise, Sweden is well known for its pop genre, and I looked up to it with big open ears! America, where I’m at now, gives the extra taste of culture that I think I was very much drawn to. It gives it a bit of spice.
IR: One of the biggest surprises in your bio was that you decided to go into music after a James Blunt concert. What was it about that show that solidified your decision. Is Blunt a songwriter you admire?
J: Not only was it the first concert I ever watched, but honestly, I was invited by my closeted secret lover/friend when I was around 12 to this concert, and it was just so fun and inspirational. We were free and could be in the middle of the crowd, being ourselves. Just imagine at that age, haha. I only knew one song from James Blunt then, and it was “Your Beautiful.” Watching him play the piano and sing his song in one spotlight gave me this unexplainable feeling of emotions. A spiritual awakening, I’d say. Right then, I knew I wanted to do the same thing; I wanted people to feel those emotions of inspiration and meaning in life.
IR: With the Lonely Boy EP, what do you want to communicate to the listeners about yourself, both as an artist and as a person?
J: This whole EP is a mix-up of the things I’ve gone through the past 4 years, I’d say: toxic relationship, coping with alcohol abuse, battling my demons, and the trauma I was affected by. My songs are an open book to my life experiences. This EP showcases my growth in battling my broken heart and soul into the light. You’re born alone into this world, and you die alone. I assume you face your insecurities and trauma on your own as well. So there it is, my songs are my diary and self-help guidance. Lonely Boy is truly just a little taste of what is coming in the next projects.
IR: What do you have planned for the rest of 2025?
J: hmm finishing my next EP! I’m sooo excited!!!
**
Get your first taste of this up-and-coming artist in our A Single Sit-Down Playlist.
The Indy Review 