Here on the Monster, we’re suckers for good love songs and stories. That’s why this month of love was made even more special when The Morning Rush was joined by the singer-songwriter behind some of OPM’s most heart-wrenching ballads, Ice Seguerra! 

We discovered during the show that Ice actually prefers singing heartbreak songs over happy ones. “Ang weird ‘no? Ba’t parang mas na-eenjoy ko kumanta ng sad songs more than happy songs? And I don’t know why! Kasi, I mean, state of mind ko naman masaya ako, we’re doing very well. Nakakatawa lang,” he said, talking about his relationship with wife Liza Diño. “Siguro there’s something about sad songs, mas iba yung hatak niya sa akin.” 

If Ice were to name his top sad song, it would be Bonnie Raitt’s I Can’t Make You Love Me. “Iba siya eh! Ang sakit niya talaga.” Markki mentioned that one of his favorite ‘tagos puso’ songs is ‘Di Lang Ikaw, written by Ice along with Juris. Ice fondly remembered writing the track, saying, “It’s a beautiful song. Yung partnership namin ni Juris when we wrote that song, we both came from a very inspired state.” 

According to Ice, the song wasn’t actually written from either of their personal experiences. “I’m very good with imagining things,” he said about his songwriting process. Some songs are just stories, not based on real life. In fact, Ice finds it harder to write about his own stories. “If it’s super personal, I get so closed up. ‘Di ako masyadong magaling na mag-confront ng personal emotions.” 

One song that is personal to Ice? Ikaw Lang, written for his wife. Ice explained how the love song came to be: “Nasulat ko ‘to when she and I were both starting pa lang our relationship. Basta nag-away kami noon eh! Ang nangyari, she was in the States and I was in Australia. Eh ang hirap, kasi alam mo yung magkalayo kayo? She was about to go back to the Philippines, tapos biglang nag-away kami, so it kinda made her reconsider that decision of, ‘Hmm, am I gonna push through with this relationship? Or am I going too fast?’”

Ice was frustrated because they couldn’t be together in person, then, Ikaw Lang was released. “Because of that, nagkabati naman kami!” Turns out the solution to making up after a fight is writing a song – if only we all had that power! 

Ice and Liza have been going strong since then; they’ve been together for almost 8 years! They say opposites attract, and this is true for the little things in their relationship: their different interests, favorite food, and opposing movie genre preferences. “Nakakatuwa lang because yung mga things na hindi kami nagkakasundo, it still complements the relationship,” Ice said. Aww, they complete each other! When it comes to bigger things, though, they do share a lot of the same interests and views. Ice even said that they plan to work on music together in the future. “My wife is such a great lyricist. So may mga plans kami to start writing together.” 

Even for a well-renowned musician like Ice, it’s a normal thing to get stuck in a creative block. What does Ice do to get back in the groove? “I haven’t gotten back,” he joked. But Ice mentioned the effect of his depression and anxiety on his creativity. “If you’re taking antidepressants, you’re not actually feeling any highs or any lows. But when my dad passed away, I was able to write two songs for him.” 

This opened up a discussion about mental health on the show, and it was clear in the way Ice spoke that he truly advocates for mental wellbeing and de-stigmatizing mental illness in our country. “It’s not easy to live with it, but the more you talk about it, the more that masasabi ko na kahit papaano, masaya ako, that I can connect to more people.” Ice mentioned that he’s been living with depression and anxiety since around 2004. “A lot of people are seeing that you don’t have to be afraid to talk about it as well. It’s not something that you have to be afraid of. You know, it’s okay!” 

As Rica put it, the mental illness isn’t something that defines you, and Ice agreed. “I think when we are aware that we have depression, or any mental illness, mas magkakaroon ka rin ng understanding sa sarili mo, and sa ibang tao din,” he said. 

He offered this advice for anyone struggling with their mental health: “If one day at a time is too much, then go one hour at a time. If it’s still too much, then go five minutes at a time, or one minute at a time. You just have to step forward. Don’t stop walking towards being better.” 

A concrete step Ice took to managing his anxiety: Deleting Twitter! “Nagbabago din yung pananaw mo sa buhay. Hindi ganon ka negative, hindi ganon ka galit.” We feel that! Social media can be unkind and overwhelming, especially for public figures, so we’re glad to hear that getting away from its toxic side really helped! 

Before the show ended, Ice gave his own entry to The Morning Rush’s Top 10 #ThrowbackKiligStory: “My wife and I, we actually got together when I was 16 and she was 18. So lagi yung gagawin niya, susunduin niya ako sa bahay, pero bago niya ako ihatid sa school nagbe-breakfast kami together. Tapos habang nagbe-breakfast ako, sinusulatan niya ako ng tula.” Now, if that isn’t the sweetest thing we’ve heard all day! 

We had a lot of love and laughter on TMR with Ice Seguerra – you should definitely check out the full video for that “inuman conversation” they had during the Top 10! We can’t wait to see what’s next for Ice, but for now, watch the interview here: