With his distinct Gen Z energy, hit songs, and undeniable talent, get a peek into Maki’s colorful mind.
Related: How Maki Turned Dilaw Into The Unexpected Self-Love Anthem Of The Year
“Colorful”. That’s how Maki would appropriately describe OPM in 2024. And he isn’t wrong. 2024, so far, has been another strong year for OPM, especially with the genre’s performance on Spotify. From smash hits to breakthroughs, the year had its fair share of memorable moments. And helping lead that charge is Maki. He proved himself to be no one-hit wonder as he built off the success of Saan? to be one of the most successful OPM acts on Spotify this year.
And aside from his growing stable of earworms, Maki established himself as a creative Gen Z force to stay with how he brought a fresh, distinct, and exciting energy to the scene. Maki has secured that rising star bag. It’s no wonder how, if given only three words to describe his 2024, he goes with a phrase we’d all heard before, but one that has made meaning to so many people. “Ikaw ay Dilaw.”
A CREATIVE THROUGH AND THROUGH
To know Maki is to know that he’s an artist who knows what he wants to do with his craft. Like any great creative, Maki has a unique pov you’ll only get from the Gen Z artist. It’s one of the key factors in why Maki has endeared himself to his fans (fondly called Zushis) given how much personality he puts in his music and craft in general.
Fittingly enough for a Gen Z like Maki, his flair is rooted in his love of nostalgia. “Maybe it’s because of my outlook in life and siguro nabibigay ko yung nostalgia sa songs since I really love yung mga 90s stuff,” says Maki in an interview with NYLON Manila, “Nagreresonate din yung personality ko sa music, which I love.”
Even outside of his music, Maki’s self-expression never fails to resonate, from his looks that include his keychains, toys, and other anik-anik that have become the signature Maki ‘fit to the art he creates, and more. And when it comes to the foundation of the Maki print, like the creative that he is, he credits his love of movies. “Kasi ako, sobrang film enthusiast talaga ako ever since bata ako. I think marami akong influence sa mga plot, even sa music videos, kasi dati dream ko talaga maging director din. So, nag-aral din ako ng scriptwriting, different forms of theatre, ang dami kong inaral na may kinalaman sa storytelling and creating something out of nothing.”
Maki’s inner cinephile still jumps even if he’s on to a different career path, and we’re all the better for it. “I think yun yung pinaka nagbibigay ng uniqueness, nagbibigay ng edge, sa mga bagay na ginagawa ko and my perspective in life. I think dahil yun sa immersive experiences sa mga bagay na love ko, and patuloy ko parin siya ginagawa. Ayokong nawawala yung spark ko sa mga ganun. Kaya hanggang ngayon, patuloy ko parin siya ginagawa kahit iba na yung hobbies ko, iba na yung schedule ko.”
Maki’s creativity never fails, but, as a young artist who’s been conquering the charts with hit after hit, the inevitable give-and-take between giving what the people want and being creatively curious rears its head. To that, Maki welcomes the shift. “I always tell my friends and supporters that we all grow up, as much as we don’t want to, may changes talaga na mangyayari but and sinasabi ko sa kanila, dapat kasama nila ako sa mga changes na yan.” For Maki, while balance doesn’t necessarily come easy for him, he does see it as an opportunity to authentically explore his craft.
“It’s something na hindi dapat pilitin but it should come naturally, kasi magreresonate yun sa mga tao, mafefeel nila yun eh. So ako, I just write what I want first, and then I think of what people want from me, and kung ano yung current state ng mundo, ng listeners or audience ko, then titingnan ko yung current state ko, and then I’ll combine it in the most natural way possible na kaya kong i-portray through music and visual art.”
ON OUR RADAR
If Maki was known as just the guy behind Saan?, or, for the OGs, his K-pop covers on TikTok, the past year has been nothing but W after W for the young artist. Dilaw was the definition of a smash hit that continues to rake in the streams. He’s one of OPM’s biggest success stories of the year, and as it should be, which got a boost after Spotify partnered with Maki to give him a platform on the streaming service.
“Yun yung gusto kong maexpress na isa sa mga pinakamalaki kong achievement in life,” gushes Maki on Spotify recognizing him as an artist on the rise. “From a big platform ng music in general, isa sila sa mga malaking platforms talaga na nagpapalaganap ng OPM. It’s a huge validation for me to be chosen as one of the RADAR Class of 2024 and I hope that they continue to support me all throughout kahit 2030 na, 2100. It’s very thrilling to see na someone has your back in this industry.”
Since Spotify first launched in the Philippines in 2014, the streaming platform has been changing how Filipinos listen to, enjoy, and live with music. And what makes it even better is how Spotify Philippines has been a consistent champion of promoting local artists not just to Filipinos, but worldwide. And the numbers speak for themselves.
Spotify’s Philippines’ Top 50 chart now comprises 75% local tracks. Pinoy Hip-Hop has seen a massive 600% increase in global daily streams over the past five years. Meanwhile, P-pop, experienced a 138% year-on-year increase in streams on Spotify in the past year alone. To celebrate its 10th anniversary in the country, Spotify held its first-ever Spotify Lounge in the Philippines, which brought together the who’s who in OPM, and included live performances from Maki, Ben&Ben, and Illest Morena.
With Spotify’s support, Maki has definitely had a great year. But now that he’s seen as one of the hitmakers of the new generation, does he feel the pressure? “Alam niyo ako, I don’t really like thinking about yung big things,” he confidently asserts. Pressure will always be there, Maki says, but it’s how you respond to it that speaks to who you are.
“Whatever the world gives you, ano yung response mo dun—dun lagi nagmamatter. And for me, yung response ko sa mga ganyang bagay is I don’t think about it too much. I just do what I have to do. I maintain peace of mind. Lagi kong tinatry na may peace of mind ako sa music kasi music ang pinaka love ko sa mundo. Ayoko naman kainin ako ng sistema na parang ‘music music ka, si Maki ay ganito, si Maki ay ganyan.’ Ang pangit naman isipin na ganun. Mas tumitingin lang ako sa perspective na I love what I’m doing and I should enjoy it at the moment. Yun yung pinaka nagmamatter sakin ngayon.”
GEN Z CORE
With that confidence and self-assuredness, Maki knows what he’s doing, and, more importantly, is helping hero Gen Z in OPM. From the rise of P-pop groups whose members are predominantly composed of Gen Z to the popularity of young artists like Maki, Filipino Gen Z are asserting themselves in not only how OPM can sound and look, but also how it is consumed. “Malaking bagay kasi we have a platform that we could promote very easily,” he states.
“Napakalaking platform na binigay samin to be able to speak about the things na hindi na lagi napag-uusapan. Nilalagay namin siya through music and I’m really honored na I get to be one of the people na nagpapalaganap ng ganung music especially sa OPM industry. Lahat kasi kami as an artist, iba-ibang principles in life and the things na we want to fight for.”
While acknowledging the work the previous generations did in laying the foundations for what OPM is today, Maki is excited about what new upcoming eras of Pinoy music have to offer, especially with Gen Z and their boundless bravery at the forefront.
As he puts it, “Siguro hindi na tayo takot sa self-expression. Kasi mas marami nang nakakaintindi. Kumbaga, it’s all in the app. Nandito na lahat. nakalabas na all the topics na gusto natin pag-usapan dati pero hindi natin mapag-usapan because it’s hard to talk about it. But now, we get to share each other’s platform sa mga taong may similar experiences and principles. We get to collaborate and bring it to the table which I really love sa generation namin ngayon sa Gen Z. Yung fearlessness to be yourself and talk about things we don’t always talk about.”
It’s this kind of thinking that leads to songs like Dilaw, which on the surface sounds like a love song but was actually penned as a self-love anthem on being kinder to yourself after Maki realized he needed to love himself more to love other people.
ON THE UP AND UP
Don’t get it twisted, OPM has been thriving. But these past couple of years have seen the genre reach new heights. Yes, we will always have our foreign acts, but OPM is OPM, and it still hits different. Even listeners outside the Philippines have been getting the memo. Maki can attest to this, with how his music has reached the four corners of the world and has made fans of international artists, with K-pop group ZEROBASEONE covering Dilaw and Maki singing the song on stage at the Philippine Arena with LANY just to name a few.
And as for those who still avoid OPM, to each their own. But Maki wants you to know there’s no need to shade genres in this club. “My music is not your music. If you don’t like it, okay lang. Di mo naman kailangan pakinggan; Di mo kailangan i-degrade. Simple as that. If you don’t like OPM, hindi ka naman pinipilit; di mo naman kailangan i-discrimnate. Sobrang ganda ng mga songs na lumalabas especially sa OPM and hindi lang tayo nakikinig, halos buong mundo na. Filipinos get to see na hindi natin kailangan na mag-speak ng kahit anong language. We can thrive, we can push, we can promote using our own.”
So, where does OPM go from here? Maki dreams big, and with the success he has, he might as well achieve it next year. “Well kasi ngayon, Koreans nagpeperform na sila sa mga international stages. Why not tayo naman. Kaya natin yan. I think after 10 years, makakarating tayo diyan. Kahit next year. Gusto niyo pa next year na eh.” We have out fingers crossed, Maki.
Photos courtesy of Spotify Philippines
Continue Reading: Spotify RADAR Philippines Class Of 2024 Artist Denise Julia On Keeping It Real And Seeing Women Win
