ALTHOUGH they have been a band since 2013, it is only recently that their music has been slowly recognized. The Juans, whose songs like “Hatid”, “Sirang Plaka”, “Hindi Tayo Pwede” and “Manalangin” has been serenading listeners for the past months. The lyrics of their songs and the wonderful melody makes them such a big hit among the masses today.
The current members are Carl Guevarra (lead vocalist and keyboards), Japs Mendoza (vocalist and lead guitarist), Chael Adriano (sub-vocalist and bassist), RJ Cruz (sub-vocalist and acoustic guitarist), and Joshua Coronel (drummer). Former members include Jian Arroyo, Jason De Mesa and Daniel Grospe.
Here are some things you may not know about The Juans.
1. The group agreed on the name “The Juans” because they wanted to be relatable to ordinary people. “Juan” being the national personification of the Philippines, was chosen.
2. They were originally called D’Juans. They decided on that name at a coffee shop, after a One Direction concert.
3. The group has been around since 2013. The founding members are Jiad Arroyo and Daniel Grospe.
4. All members are known each other since childhood. In an interview, they said that they also attend the same church, where they played at the church band.
5. Their connections are not solely based on church and work, they are also actually neighbors.
6. All members contribute in writing their songs. However, in their recent album, the songs were primarily written by Carl and Japs.
7. The Juans you know now is not the original line up of the group.
8. The original members decided to pursue other endeavors after their contracts expired. Some of them pursued acting, while the others pursued personal business ventures.
9. During the contract expiration, the rest of the members considered on what to do next.
10. They used their TV show We Are The Juans to think of their next plans. According to them, this show enabled them to do some soul searching and reflections.
11. Carl and Japs, the last remaining from the original lineup decided that they would still write songs and put up music.
12. After they original line up left, some of their childhood friends decided to join the band, making the transition easier since they already had personal relationships with the new members. They are RJ, Joshua and Chael.
13. They usually fight over where to eat. They can’t agree on which restaurant to dine in!
14. According to Carl, they get their songwriting inspiration from daily lives – not just love lives. This makes their songs and lyrics more relatable and understandable to everybody, not just the broke hearted.
15. Chael is an engineer by profession.
16. RJ was still in high school when Carl and Japs found him to be a potential replacement. They were in the church band when the two started screening for other members. He is now a college student at the De La Salle- College of Saint Benilde.
17. Joshua pursued Marketing in University. He is the only married member of the group.
18. Several of their songs had become an OST to famous Filipino films. Their song “Balisong” was a soundtrack for the movie 100 Tula Para Kay Stella and “Darkness Fell” for the movie Sid & Aya.
19. Their first award as a group was on the Myx Music Awards in 2017. They won the Favorite Group of The Year and the Wish Original Song of The Year for their song “Prom”.
Although it is impossible to see them play and serenade us live with their exceptionally good music, we are still fortunate to be able to listen to their songs and watch them online. You can listen and watch them on their official social media accounts below:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/
