Six Polish-Filipino siblings from Arnold have taken their love of music around the world. This year, Jared, Angelique, Gabriel, Manjo, Alyssa and CJ Patalinghug marked 10 years performing as the band JAGMAC with a worldwide album.
The 16-song project, titled “Ends of the Earth,” is the pop band’s first full-length album. The name is inspired by one of the refrains in the third-to-last song “Spread Love,” which reads “Spread love to the ends of the Earth” and was inspired by Isaiah 42:10 in the Bible.
“One of our missions is to spread love, to spread joy, to spread our talents to the ends of the Earth,” Alyssa said.
The writing and sound come from sources from all over the world. A writer from Ghana played a big role in creating the music. There are also Latin sounds and incorporations, along with many Filipino references.
“We wanted to reach out to everyone across the whole world,” Manjo said.
The album is the culmination of years of working to create songs in many places, including New York City and Miami.
“This was one of the first times we had a big say, and all of the producers just took what we wanted, our aspirations and dreams for the songs, and made them into a reality,” Gabriel said.
JAGMAC has released music videos for five of the album’s songs, “Motivation,” “Doin’ That Thing,” “April Fools,” “Amazing” and “Spread Love.”
They have also released two EPs, “Right Back With You” in 2018 and “Like a Band” in 2019, as well as several singles.
The name of the band, JAGMAC, is made up of the first initial of each of the siblings’ names. Their mom, Alicia Patalinghug, came up with the band name during a long car ride, first trying it oldest to youngest before flipping it to create the current version.
“It just became our identity because it represented all of us and not one person was excluded,” Alyssa said.
The siblings were exposed to music from a young age. Their mother is a singer, and their father, Carlos Patalinghug, is a former breakdancer. Different groups that inspire them include the Backstreet Boys, NSYNC and the Spice Girls. They also look up to other family groups like The Jackson 5.
Their Catholic faith has also been a driving force in their lives and career.
“All we’re trying to do is try to live life in a positive and joyful way, hopefully leading back to God,” CJ said.
JAGMAC’s first performance was a surprise for their father on his birthday. The oldest sibling, CJ, wrote the song and the band performed it with a dance. Carlos was impressed with their talent and encouraged them to continue to make and perform music as they grew up.
“We just found such a love and passion for it,” CJ said.
The siblings are also accomplished martial artists. When they’re not on tour, they help their father teach classes at Kick Connection, a family business in Millersville. The mindset and discipline help them learn choreography for their songs and weather the ups and downs of working in the music business.
“The martial arts is a reminder to just keep going even when it gets hard,” Angelique said.
In 2018, JAGMAC was named Radio Disney’s Next Big Thing, putting them alongside artists including Shawn Mendes and Camilla Cabello. They’ve also performed with Little Mix and a boy band called In Real Life, and toured across the United States, England and the Philippines.
This year, the band plans to make more music videos for “Ends of the Earth.” They also plan to return to the Philippines.
“We’re just ready to take this next step in our career and show the world what JAGMAC is all about,” Angelique said.
“Ends of the Earth” is available for streaming and digital download. The band has shows scheduled in Washington, D.C., in August and Baltimore in October.
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