Ex-Callalily member Lem Bellardo reveals he was removed from their band

New OPM band Route XYZ recently took the spotlight in a GMA Playlist Live session, where the members performed their debut single "Madama" and shared the story behind the group's formation.

Route XYZ is composed of vocalist Ivo Gatela, guitarists Hiro Ozaki and Nico Climanco, violinist Sheila Angela Reyes, bassist Jonathan Gonzalez, keyboardist Daniel Asuncion, and mentor-drummer Lem Belardo.

During the interview, Lem Belardo explained that "Madama" centers on a love story filled with obstacles.

"Tungkol siya sa pag-ibig na maraming hadlang. 'Yung gusto mo siyang matuloy pero maybe [dahil sa] distance, ayaw ng parents mo, ayaw ng friends mo. Hindi kayo magkita sa gitna, at alam mo 'yung gusto mo na lang siyang mahalin nang palayo," he said.

Lem also looked back on the difficult period that eventually led him to create Route XYZ.

"After kong inalis doon sa former band ko. Chineck ko 'yung Spotify, may 2 million listeners pa, sabi ko sa sarili ko, 'Ba't ako susuko, kung merong 2 million na taong nakikinig pa rin ng song namin?'" he recalled.

The musician admitted that he initially considered holding auditions for a new band but ultimately decided against it.

"Sobrang down ako noon, pero dapat magpapa-audition talaga ako eh. Pero sabi ko, 'Parang ayaw ko na ng audition. Medyo nadala na ako doon eh."

Instead, he turned to the young musicians he had been mentoring.

"May mga tinuturuan ako na mga bata, mga 22 years old, 18 years old, sabi ko, 'Why not sila na lang ang maging banda ko?'"

According to Lem, building a new group from the ground up has not been easy, especially since the members are still relatively new to the music industry.

"And yes, sobrang hirap talaga ng struggle. Struggle talaga kasi mga bago. Medyo bago lang sa industry, three months pa lang halos 'yung band. Sabi ko, 'Hindi, kakayanin namin kahit araw-araw kami mag-rehearse, kahit mapuyat kami, kahit gumising kami ng madaling araw.' So that's the story of our band," he said.

Lem also revealed the inspiration behind the band's name.

"And the name Route XYZ, originated from our first album sa Callalily, which is Destination XYZ."

He added that the word "Route" represents his desire to return to the pure love of music after everything he had experienced over the years.

"Ang ibig sabihin ng route is gusto ko lang bumalik sa pinakaunang mahal ko which is 'yung music, kasi sobrang dami na nangyari sa buhay ko. Sabi ko, 'Let's go back to the basic na pure music. Mahal mo lang 'yung music at mahal mo ang mga taong nagmamahal sa music. That's it.'"

Watch the full interview and performance on GMA Playlist's official YouTube channel, and follow Route XYZ on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Spotify for more updates.