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| Monica Karina & Teza Sumendra |
PojokSeni/Jakarta - Soloist Monica Karina joins forces with male soloist Teza Sumendra for a brand new passionate single called “Gentle Agreement”. Containing straight-forward yet sensual lyrics, the song combines several influences like R&B, dancehall, up to neo soul. “Gentle Agreement” talks about a raging lust between two people without strings attached.
Teza Sumendra who came up with this title said, “From the songwriting theme, it talks about unspoken rules. It is about doing things with someone, with no strings attached, just pure feelings and lust. So ‘gentle agreement’ is a term coined for that specific situation.” Written by Monica Karina, Teza Sumendra, Ezra Kunze and produced by Greybox, this song actually was already finished three years ago before it got to see the light of day on July 26th, 2024 via Pon Your Tone.
The harmonization between Teza Sumendra’s soulful timbre with Monica Karina’s contrasting tones resulted in a pleasant sounding tune. Both singers are accompanied with catchy yet repetitive beats, making “Gentle Agreement” become an all rounder song. Through this body of work, Monica and Teza also had the chance to praise one another.
“I was truly nervous when I knew I got to work with Teza. Me, Ezra and Kiki (Greybox) are such huge fans of his work. The crazy part was, when we were recording and the beats started to play, Teza already found the melodies for the hook! It was so cool and it motivated me to create complimenting melodies that Teza had already started,” said Monica.
Without any past experience of doing dancehall beats, both musicians had no trouble finishing this song. “Vocally, these two have a very opposite vocal character. In this song, Teza started off with his powerful tone, then Monica complemented it with her soft tone. They matched each other well,” said Ezra Kunze as the co-writer of this single.
As a producer, Greybox chronicled that his vision of this single went through several changes. However, in the end, the first formula of this record remained to be the fittest according to him.
“There was lots of feedback questioning why we put the collaborator on the first hook despite the fact that this song belongs to Monica Karina. Actually, there is no official rule to put the collaborator in the middle or the end of the song. I see this move as a way to respect the collaborator,” uttered Greybox who has become a long-time producer of Monica Karina.
Paving her way back in the music industry after a 6-year hiatus, Monica Karina has released “Pon It” and “Gentle Agreement” in 2024. She admitted to having a nothing-to-lose mindset when it comes to the success of this song. The singer made an impact on the scene with the hit single “Money Honey” back then. “No pressure at all, but to have the same success will always be a good thing.
The most important part is the commitment to put out new songs and try my hardest not to overthink, so I could keep churning out new releases,” said Monica. “Gentle Agreement” by Monica Karina and Teza Sumendra could be enjoyed on various digital streaming platforms. Make sure to follow Monica’s latest endeavor through social media @_monicakarina on Instagram or Tiktok.
