TJ Monterde

Quick Facts

TJ Monterde – SARILING MUNDO – TJ Monterde | Sunset Session

About TJ Monterde

From a Cagayan de Oro Radio Booth to Viral YouTube Fame

TJ Monterde was born Titus John Dabuan Monterde on December 30, 1989 in Cagayan de Oro, in the northern part of Mindanao. He grew up far from the Manila showbiz bubble, surrounded by the local music scene of his hometown.

His start in media came early. He was a radio jockey at just sixteen, and by eighteen he was already hosting the regional television program “MagTV Na” on ABS-CBN in Northern Mindanao. Somewhere along the way, the guitar and his own songwriting took over.

Around 2011 he began uploading original compositions to YouTube, and the internet did the rest. His self-written track “Ikaw at Ako” caught fire online, giving a young singer-songwriter from the province a national audience without a major label behind him.

The PolyEast Years and a Bisaya Heart

In 2012 that online buzz turned into a record deal with PolyEast Records, and “Ikaw at Ako” became his official debut single. He followed it with a steady run of heartfelt, acoustic-leaning love songs, including “Tulad Mo,” the fan favorite “Dating Tayo,” and “Mahika.”

He built his catalog through two self-titled EPs and the “Kahit Kunwari” EP, and in June 2017 he headlined his first major concert, “Ikaw at Ako,” at the Music Museum in San Juan. His warm, storyteller style made him a reliable hitmaker on Philippine radio and streaming charts.

Just as important, he became a champion of Bisaya pop. Cebuano-language singles like “Puhon” and “Inday” proved that a song sung in the language of Mindanao could win over listeners nationwide, and he has carried that advocacy with pride ever since.

Music, Marriage, and a Partnership With KZ Tandingan

Off stage, TJ’s story is inseparable from that of fellow singer-songwriter KZ Tandingan, whom he married on August 28, 2020. The two had already been trading duets, and together they became one of OPM’s most beloved real-life musical couples.

Their collaborations run deep, from the tender “Ikaw at Ako Pa Rin” to “Simula” and later the “TJ x KZ Version” of his biggest hit. Rather than blend into one sound, the pair leaned into their differences, his gentle balladry against her soulful, rap-tinged fire.

By the mid-2020s they were making history as a duo, headlining sold-out multi-night runs at the Smart Araneta Coliseum and touring internationally as a couple. Few pairings in Philippine music have turned a marriage into such a celebrated shared stage.

“Palagi” and a Superstar Second Act

Everything changed with “Palagi.” Written quickly and quietly as a promise song for his wife, it was released in 2023 with no expectation that it would become a phenomenon. Instead it slowly climbed into one of the defining OPM songs of the decade.

The turning point came in 2024, when “Palagi” was chosen as the theme for the blockbuster film “Hello, Love, Again,” after lead star Kathryn Bernardo personally reached out to ask for it. The song exploded, topping the Billboard Philippines year-end charts as the country’s number one song of 2024 and helping make TJ the most-streamed OPM artist on Spotify that year.

He answered the moment with the album “Sariling Mundo,” sold-out concerts at the New Frontier Theater and the Big Dome, and a world tour that carried his Bisaya-flavored love songs to fans across Asia and the Middle East. More than a decade after those first YouTube uploads, the boy from Cagayan de Oro had become one of OPM’s biggest names.

Videos

Albums

• Ikaw At Ako (2012)
• Sariling Mundo (2024)
• Sariling Mundo (Live at the New Frontier Theater) (2024)
• Sarili Nating Mundo (Live at the Big Dome) (2025)

EPs

• TJ Monterde (2016)
• Kahit Kunwari (2017)

Singles

• Ikaw at Ako (2012)
• Tulad Mo (2014)
• Us (2014)
• Dating Tayo (2016)
• Mahika (2017)
• Kahit Kunwari (2017)
• Karera (2019)
• Tahanan (2019)
• Puhon (2020)
• Hanggang Dito Na Lang (2020)
• Inday (2021)
• Walong Bilyon (2022)
• Sigurado (2022)
• Plano (2023)
• Palagi (2023)
• Darating Din (2024)
• Nowhere (2024)
• Unang Halik (2025)
• teka lang (2026)
• Conversations (2026)

Song Collaborations

• Ikaw at Ako Pa Rin (KZ Tandingan – 2014)
• Simula (KZ Tandingan – 2020)
• Little Things (YELO – 2021)
• Palagi (TJxKZ Version) (KZ Tandingan – 2024)
• Silver (10CM – 2025)
• After 3 (10CM – 2025)
• Pahinga (James Reid – 2025)
• Hiraya Manawari (KZ Tandingan – 2026)

TV

• MagTV Na (Host, ABS-CBN Northern Mindanao – 2000s)

Awards

Awit Awards

• Best Performance by a Male Recording Artist (Karera – 2020)
• Favorite Male Artist (2020)

Wish Music Awards

• Wish Pop Song of the Year (Palagi – 2024)

VP Choice Awards

• OPM Song of the Year (Palagi, TJxKZ Version – 2025)

Billboard Philippines

• No. 1 Song of the Year (Palagi, with KZ Tandingan – 2024)

Official Philippines Chart

• Local Song of the Year (Palagi – 2025)

Nominations

Awit Awards

• Best Performance by a Male Recording Artist (Puhon – 2021)
• Best Regional Recording (Puhon – 2021)
• Best Ballad Recording (Puhon – 2021)
• Best Collaboration (Simula, with KZ Tandingan – 2021)

Wish Music Awards

• Pop Performance of the Year (Puhon – 2020)
• Wishclusive Pop Performance of the Year (Inday – 2022)
• Wish Artist of the Year (2024)
• Wish Artist of the Year (2025)
• Wish Pop Song of the Year (Sariling Mundo – 2025)

Myx Music Awards

• Mellow Video of the Year (Palagi – 2024)

Filipino Music Awards

• Artist of the Year (2025)
• Tour of the Year (Sarili Nating Mundo: World Tour – 2025)
• Concert of the Year (Sarili Nating Mundo at The Big Dome – 2025)

Perspective

TJ Monterde makes the kind of love songs people play at weddings and send to the person they cannot stop thinking about. There is no irony in his music, just plainspoken devotion set to warm, unhurried acoustic pop. Press play on “Palagi” and you understand why a whole country decided to fall in love to it at the same time.

Praise for the Artist

His sincere songwriting and charming acoustic sound has made waves across millions. Selling out concerts nationwide, TJ’s influence among the Filipino soundscape has been immeasurable.

– Rome Saenz
TJ Monterde and KZ Tandingan on Crafting Serenades That Speak to Millions
Billboard Philippines

Such incredible heart, touching storytelling and moving visuals… Thank you for being an example of the greatness that happens when you stay true to yourself…”

– Catriona Gray
‘Iba ka!’: Catriona Gray praises TJ Monterde after getting emotional during concert
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Contact

• facebook.com/tjmusicmonterde
• x.com/tjmusicmonterde
• instagram.com/tjmusicmonterde
• youtube.com/@tjmusicmonterde
• tiktok.com/@tjmusicmonterde

Bookings

• TJ Monterde – Cornerstone Entertainment

Listen

• Spotify – TJ Monterde
• Apple Music – TJ Monterde

Apple Music

On Instagram

Trivia

• He sang a radio ad jingle that was highly popular in Cagayan de Oro for a local business, United Bookstore, when he was a very young child.
• He affectionately describes himself as a “cheesy storyteller,” fully embracing sincere, kilig-inducing love songs rather than chasing trends.
• He reportedly wrote “Palagi” in under an hour and first performed it for KZ at a surprise garden dinner, never imagining it would become a nationwide hit.
• He and KZ Tandingan renewed their wedding vows exactly three years after their 2020 ceremony, on August 28, 2023.
• In 2025 he and KZ signed on as Dunkin’ Philippines brand ambassadors, cheekily billed as “Ang Palagi.”
• He earned a Development Communication degree from Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan in his hometown before music became his full-time career.
• His Cebuano single “Puhon” was a milestone for Bisaya pop, with its lyric video alone racking up more than a million views.

Posted: July 22, 2026