Callalily changes name after Kean Cipriano 'disengages' from the band

What used to be Callalily's Facebook page is now called LILY Music.

The profile and cover photos have been changed to white backgrounds, with these changes appearing to have occurred this week.

Reports on Thursday said Kean Cipriano left the band that he fronted for 17 years.

On Messenger, LILY Music told GMA News Online that they will release an official statement soon. "We just have to consult with our lawyers," they said.

In an exclusive interview with GMA News Online, Chynna Ortaleza, Kean's wife and O/C Records Vice President, clarified he did not leave the band, but rather disengaged from them.

“He did decide to leave the set-up of being in a band. However, Callalily kasi was always under his intellectual property. The brand stays with him.”

Chynna added, “If I look kasi into how it’s being phrased at the moment, syempre it’s easy to say na, ‘oh, he left Callalily.’ But he just left the format of the band. He did disengage with his former bandmates but the name Callalily stays with Kean Cipriano.”

Chynna also said Kean wanted to license the name to his former bandmates, “but I don’t think they understood what that meant. And it’s being loosely thrown in social media na he stole [the name]."

“Sabi ko nga, we know the truth naman and if they cannot understand what happened, I guess that’s just how the story is. And they have more years ahead of them to learn about the rights and the business of music.”

According to Chynna, they tried to "fix things properly" with Kean's former bandmates. "Sino ba naman yung gustong to leave things in the air na hindi siya plantsado?" She reasoned.

"We really wanted to fix things legally with them, like a proper label release was something that I was thinking of doing with them," she said.

Chynna also mentioned how Kean was "actively trying to set a meeting with them because he had the best intentions for his bandmates as well."

"It was more of a decision of progressive growth for each member than a solo decision na ‘I want out.’ Hindi siya ganun,” the Kapuso actress explained.

According to Chynna, Kean had been thinking of disengaging for years and going solo but needed time to process until it felt like the right time.

“It’s just very unfortunate that his bandmates didn’t want to talk to us anymore despite the continued efforts of trying to get in touch with them because we want to fix things," she emphasized.

When asked whether Kean and his former bandmates are on good terms, Chynna answered, “no, they’re not. Kasi parang Kean was really trying his best to reach out but he just kept on getting no replies eh. They didn’t want to talk to him."

“But I guess that’s just how their response is and we really can’t do anything about it. Kean naman is very open-minded and you can’t force a certain kind of reaction sa mga taong hindi ready or hindi nakikita yung paths [for growth].”

Callalily became one of the top OPM bands since they debuted in 2005. Their songs like “Stars,” “Magbalik,” and “Pansamantala,” remain top hits to this day.

Their most recent single “Bahala Na” featuring This Band was released in 2021 under O/C Records.

On LILY Music's Facebook page, many fans have commented how much they miss the band. — LA, GMA News