Maki has revealed that he had long admired James Reid and had even tried to join the Multimedia Prince’s record label and talent management company, Careless.
The “Dilaw” singer recently released his latest single, “Luck,” featuring Reid.
“Nag chat ako sa Careless dati— way before. I was trying to sell myself. ‘Hi, I am an artist I want to be an artist sa Careless.’ Tapos hindi ako nireplyan. I told James that. He said ‘What?! Sayang!’ It was a fun moment for us,” Maki said during the press conference for their collaborative song “Luck” in Quezon city, Wed.
Maki explained his journey may have taken a different direction, but it ultimately allowed him to grow as both an artist and a person.
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“But I had to go through a lot of circumstances in my life to discover myself as an artist and person,” he reasoned.
The admiration was mutual. Reid shared that he had also long been a fan of Maki’s work, revealing that his song “Marisol” was partly inspired by his “Saan?”
But what impressed Reid the most was Maki’s intricate world-building.
“What stood out to me was the world he created. It is so intricate and intentional. It is so impressive to come up with these. He has a great team but a lot of it comes from Maki himself. It is so cool,” he noted.
“Luck” continues Maki’s “pink era,” which began with “habangbuhay pansamantala,” expanding the colorful and intricate universe behind his music.
Maki, James join forces on new single "luck"
Reid said collaborating on the track was an opportunity he didn’t want to miss after Maki shared the song with him while they were on tour in Canada.
"It sounds so international. The song sounded like it would transcend borders, and it felt so fresh. I was like ‘Maki is this really you?’ It sounds so different,” Reid recalled. “When I heard it I was so jealous I wish I wrote it. Thankful to be in it.”