MANILA — R&B artist Kris Lawrence is now on a concert tour in the US and Canada, with Billy Crawford and Jay-R. Before he left, however, Lawrence added another feather to his cap.

The acclaimed singer-songwriter finished something he never did before — creating a backdrop of trippy, ambient soundscapes for J Castles, the recently opened immersive theme park in Tanauan, Batangas co-owned by actor Daniel Padilla.

Since the amusement park’s soft opening last May 1, curious denizens have undoubtedly been mesmerized by the futuristic, awe-inspiring and Instagram-worthy visual effects adorning every room.

The themes – ranging from tropical, cosmic, crystal and even disco – seem even larger than life when experienced simultaneously with a thunderous 3D soundtrack, literally creating a multi-sensory overload.

Kris Lawrence (right) with J Castles theme park co-owner Daniel Padila 

Lawrence’s participation in the project came about when South Border member, Jay Durias, asked him to sing J Castles’ theme song, “Let There Be Lights.”

Lawrence was subsequently also asked to sing another song, “Sky Full of Colors,” which was played during the fireworks display in the soft opening.

“After, I’ve been holding songwriting camps there where I would go and set up my studio, bring a producer and a team of writers with us,” Lawrence disclosed. “I think it was during our second or third visit when we were asked to do the music for the rest of the rooms.”

Novel challenge

Being commissioned for such a project was something new to Lawrence and his producer, Cursebox. Despite their previous songwriting experiences, creating new, instrumental soundscapes for the theme park, seemed like a novel challenge that was just too good to pass up.

No stranger to the local music scene, Cursebox (Michael Negapatan) has written his own share of hits, including “Chamber” for Alex Gonzaga, “Geng Geng” for Boss Toyo and “Sige Lang” for Andrea Brillantes.

“It was an honor to be part of the first Disneyland of Tanauan and it was a challenge to haul our equipment from room to room, soaking up the vibe and creating the music on the spot,” Lawrence shared.

On paper, the task seemed pretty simple: Create the ambient music that would set the vibe for the theme park goers to appreciate each room.

Although the bulk of the material was instrumental, surrealistic soundscapes, Lawrence clarified that they wrote some songs, as well.

“For instance, they have this one crystal room and it was just a room full of mirrors, crystal and LED, and we had to create this vibe that was magical, meditative – just a serene and tranquil vibe,” informed Lawrence.

“So I brought my handpan and played live, handpan music. Cursebox played flute. It was a whole, magical vibe.”

‘Goosebumps moment’

All the hard work paid off during the soft opening when they all walked through the park and heard the music blaring through the speakers.

“It was a proud, ‘goosebumps’ moment when we heard the music play for the first time,” Lawrence recalled. “Together with all the futuristic visuals, especially seeing that people were enjoying the immersive experience.”

He added, “We’re still not done with all the music. There’s bound to be revisions and changes here and there. But overall, we’re happy with the outcome.”

In hindsight, Lawrence cites the J Castles project as the “perfect case” of being at the right place, at the right time.

“Cursebox and I were at the Vineyard, across J Castles, making music and we were asked to take a stab at making music for the whole theme park,” Lawrence shared. “It was an opportunity we couldn’t turn down.”

After hurdling such an out-of-the-box musical challenge, Lawrence is convinced he is ready to take on musical scoring chores for movies, music videos and the like.

“I would be open to scoring on a more regular basis, as long as Cursebox is my partner,” admitted Lawrence. “I believe we make a good team.’

‘Soul Brothers’

Meanwhile, wrapped up his US-Canada concert tour, “Soul Brothers,” last May 17 with Billy Crawford and Jay-R at the Hollywood Casino in West Virginia.

On May 19, Lawrence performed again with Crawford and Jay-R at the Asian Festival in Fairfax, Virginia.

And on Wednesday, Lawrence shared the stage with Jay-R at the Toronto Pavilion. On Thursday, he will be with Jay-R anew at the Calgary Chinese Cultural Theater in Calgary.

Lawrence is also dropping his new single produced by Cursebox this June.

When Lawrence first came to the Philippines in 2005, there was no more looking back after he bagged the grand prize in the ABS-CBN reality singing contest, “Star in a Million.” He has since chartered a successful singing career for nearly two decades now.