Ben&Ben, Pamungkas collab ‘Stand By You’ gives ‘Panininidigan Kita’ a whole new level of depth

After wrapping up last week his first Manila show, which was attended by around 700 people, it's safe to say that Filipino fans love Pamungkas "To The Bone!"

But if you need more reasons to watch out for the Indonesian singer-songwriter, he just dropped a collaboration song with Ben&Ben titled "Stand By You," an English rendition of the nine-piece folk-pop band's hit song "Paninindigan Kita."

Last week, Ben&Ben and Pamungkas gave a sneak peek of what they were working on at Soundcheck Studio in Pasig City, and on Friday, the cat is out of the bag as they release the official music video for "Stand By You."

According to Pamungkas, it's been his pleasure to work with one of the Philippines' biggest bands today.

Photo: Ben&Ben/Instagram

"They [Ben&Ben] have great music, apart from having great hair," the singer told GMA News Online in an exclusive interview.

After a series of Zoom meetings for the collaboration, Pamungkas finally met Ben&Ben on Aug. 5, straight to the studio where they tested the song arrangements in person. And with more or less 12 hours at the studio, "Stand By You" was born.

"I find ['Paninindigan Kita'] to be a very rich [song]. It carries a level of depth, values, and essence with it. Because I find the original [Tagalog] lyrics super rich, I made a little adjustment [to enhance it more], and, hopefully, I didn't take away the essence," the singer said.

Photo: Hermes Joy Tunac

When asked what his favorite line from "Stand By You" was, Pamungkas said the "Paninindigan Kita" line reigned supreme. But if he had to choose another one, it would be, "Until we get older, I'm still yours."

"[That line] has a lot of commitment and bravery there," he said.

Because it's a two-part collaboration, Ben&Ben and Pamungkas will also cover "I Got To Get You" from the Indonesian singer's latest album, Birdy, but it's still in the works as of this writing. – RC, GMA News