OVER AGAIN: FIRST RELEASE AS ZEL BAUTISTA
- Zel Bautista
- Jan 20
- 2 min read
I felt like this is right time to release something under my own name, and “Over Again” seemed to be the right song to do it with. The past year has changed me in ways I never expected. I have no plans to distance myself from December Avenue. The band is very much active and currently preparing for a Valentine’s Special at the Araneta Coliseum this February 14. This is about having the courage to face a quiet dilemma most artists eventually feel, going back to the core of why we started creating in the first place. Stripping things down, listening to that original drive, and honoring the part of me that simply loves to write, and tell stories.
“Over Again” isn’t just a romantic song. It’s about cycles, choosing someone, or something, again and again. Becoming a father reshaped how I understand love. There’s a different kind of falling in love that happens now, the kind I feel every time I look into my daughter’s eyes. That sense of wonder, protection, and quiet promise found its way into this song. The timing of this release also feels just right, leading into Valentine’s Day, a season that naturally celebrates the kind of love this song speaks about.
When I thought about collaborating, I knew I wanted a female voice, someone younger, to balance the perspective and mirror the message of the song. I had already known Mix Fenix through Yamaha Music Philippines, and it felt natural to reach out. She’s grounded, present, and deeply authentic, qualities that align with the vision I have for this project. Beyond that, she’s a truly gifted artist, steadily building her own body of work, and her voice brought a sincerity and warmth that completed the song.
The album artwork is a photograph I took myself during The Velvet Tour in Canada. It’s a quiet lake in Elk Island National Park in Alberta, a place that felt still, calm, and suspended in time. That stillness reflected exactly how this song feels to me, a pause, a breath, a moment of clarity before moving forward again. Over Again, Zel Bautista featuring Mix Fenix Out on January 30, 2026, Released under my own label ava records (above velvet air Records) distributed by Symphonic Distribution. Pre-save Over Again now and fall in love with it from the first play. https://hypeddit.com/zelbautistamixfenix/overagain