I had the privilege of being invited to ‘First Listen,’ a private listening session of Cattski’s new surprise release, Limerent. There was no pre-launch promotional noise or big buzz around it. Quiet, yet powerful, just like the songs on Limerent—as if to say, “Here I am. I’m just happy to be here.”
Cattski shared that 2023 was the most transformational year for her, and Limerent definitely reflects that. As a friend, I found myself in tears of joy when the first track “Tattoos” played, which is one of my favorites from the 8-track album. The other one would be the reimagined version of “Drunk.” It’s hard to shake off old Cattski favorites, but Limerent does offer new ones, for sure.
I asked her a few questions to dig deeper into the making of Limerent.
Why Limerent for the title?
Because this is an album that talks about a boundless form of affection that is not dependent on receiving anything in return. It transcends circumstances, flaws, and limitations, and it is characterized by acceptance. The internet will give you another definition. But here I am defying that.
You mentioned the importance of intention during First Listen. What is your intention with this album?
To celebrate myself. The bad parts. The good parts. All of me. I’m seeing them all clearly now – those unpleasant parts of me. And yet, even as I have all these reasons to HATE myself further, as if I don’t already hate myself enough, I made a conscious decision TO LOVE MYSELF INSTEAD.
LIMERENT is the beginning of this journey of self-discovery and acceptance.
With LIMERENT, I have sat in the discomfort of my flaws, toxic traits and traumas, and made a commitment to work on my healing.
And with LIMERENT, I basked in the joy of being ME. I have a beautiful mind. I am exceptionally creative, I have artistic genius and, more importantly, I have a huge capacity to LOVE.
Who is this album for?
I honestly didn’t write this FOR anyone. I did this for me. I am done with the whole “I-wrote-this- for-you” narrative in songwriting. I wrote this for myself. Sure, it could be ABOUT or BECAUSE of a person, circumstance, or situation but it’s NOT for them. Sure, there were triggers and provocations, as much as there was a strong inspiration but, at the end of the day, this is for me.
I will defy the age-old Filipino sentiment of writing FOR someone – as in the “harana” mentality. It’s 2024. It’s a new day.
So, let’s just say, this album is FOR anyone who feels something when they listen to it. Because, after all, why live if we don’t allow ourselves to feel.
Was there a song that was emotionally difficult or challenging to write or finish?
It wasn’t that challenging but it really took a while, there were some words that just wouldn’t come and it only came on the last day of production with the submission deadline the next day. I’m talking about BACK 2 U. I started writing BACK 2 U while in Cambodia in January. It was easy crafting the choruses but I’ve revised the 2nd verse so many times. I kept revising but the song just didn’t want it. It kept saying NO. The songwriting gods finally approved my final revision on the last day of mixing and it just made sense. Those were the words necessary for this song.
It seems so simple but this took a really long time -
“You were never meant to blend in with the crowd but you need to love yourself out loud. And you were really meant to always shine a light, never to hide behind the night”
To some degree, I consider Back 2 U the most important song - that is why I opted to put it as the last track instead of Drunk (Bonus Track).
It’s been 12 years since you released a full album. Fill in the blanks: l am more _____ and less ______ now than 12 years ago.
l am more SELF-AWARE and less CRUEL TO MYSELF now than 12 years ago.
Limerent is on all streaming platforms. Go take a listen and be reminded to live out your own truth unapologetically.