How do you help bring to life an emotional song like Ben&Ben’s The Ones We Once Loved? By working with your ex-girlfriend, of course.
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Ben&Ben is no stranger to releasing emotional tracks. After all, it seems that their life’s mission is getting us in our feels. But when they recently released their international single, The Ones We Once Loved, the group may have just reached a new level of hurt. Written by the band’s very own Paolo Benjamin, the ballad is an emotional one with the breakup tune having us reflect on our past relationships, the hurt experienced, and what it means to say goodbye. “The painstaking process towards that state, the cycles of anxiety and catharsis that the writer went through, and the eventual expression of all of that in the form of this song, as an encapsulation of such a heavy journey, is what makes this song stand out among our other songs,” said the band during the song’s release.
The tune is quite Adele-esque as Ben&Ben get realer than real, exploring the cycle of breakups and forgiveness. So, when it came time to visualize the track for its music video, the best way to do so is to tell a tale of a couple breaking-up and moving on. While Ben&Ben could have easily casted actors to do this, they decided to turn the emotions to a 110 as the video stars Paolo Benjamin and his real-life ex-girlfriend, singer-songwriter Bea Lorenzo.
LEAVE YOU IN THE NIGHT
Directed by frequent Ben&Ben collaborator Niq Abalo, The Ones We Once Loved music video stars ex-lovers Bea Lorenzo and Paolo Benjamin as a couple enduring the harrowing process of a breakup. Making sure to keep things as true as possible, the storyline is based on the former couple’s real-life story. The visuals add to this by giving the viewer an intimate look at how healing starts with owning up to one’s mistakes, apologizing for the pain committed during the relationship, and taking steps to forgive yourself in order to completely move on.
While working with your ex may be a no-go for many, that wasn’t the case for Bea and Paolo. But what the former couple had going for them was that they achieved something many exes are still trying to find, closure. That closure helped bring the song’s story to life in the mv. “We recognize that it is quite rare to attain the kind of closure that Pao and Bea have, and much more so create a piece of art that gives respect and honor to the relationship that has passed,” shares Ben&Ben a statement. “Everyone in the team really gave it their best to amplify that message to all who watch the MV: that closure, even if it is a painful process, is cathartic.”
FIRST COMES HURT, THEN THE GROWTH
As the music video goes on, it unfolds the journey of the two musicians as they navigate the ups and downs of a relationship, part ways to restore the sense of self, and let go of any resentment and anger towards each other with newfound learnings in life and love. It’s all in service of what director Niq Abalo calls “making amends with one’s self, and the person on the other end of the grieving process.” It also helps that Bea and Paolo’s energy comes from a real and poignant place.
Breaking up with someone isn’t always easy and some of us may never be able to forgive an ex. But may we learn from Bea, Paolo, and this song that indeed, while it does hurt, there can always be a light at the end of the tunnel. We just have to learn to find that strength to move on to greater things. And properly close that chapter when it needs be. Easier said than done, but as we have seen, it can be done, in one’s own time, of course.
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