Through his performances, Maki gives back to OPM fans at home and from afar

November 8 ------ Maki doesn’t just perform. He gives back to his fans (whom he lovingly calls Zushis) and fellow Filipinos in different parts of the world through his performances — and he’s very passionate about doing so.

“Marami kasing Filipinos sa ibang bansa that I really want to interact with,” he explained to reporters in a recent interview when asked why he finds joy in performing in different locations. “Not only napo-promote ang music ko internally, but I also get to see Filipinos outside the country who support OPM from afar. Para sa’kin, pag-give back kasi ‘yun eh,” he continued.

Earlier this year, Maki traveled to the US, Canada, England and Australia, as well as several stops in the Philippines, as he said meeting Filipinos in different parts of the world means a lot to him. “[Gusto kong] iparamdam sa kanila na namimiss na [nga] nila ang Pilipinas and lagi akong excited sa mga ganito. Bukod sa nakakapunta ako sa ibang lugar, nakikita ko ang mga Pilipino sa [iba’t ibang parte] ng mundo. Who knows, magkaroon ako ng fans na hindi Filipino?” he said.

The singer-songwriter released his debut album “Kolorcoaster” last October, a culmination of his color-centered hit songs “Namumula,” “Dilaw,” “Bughaw,” and “kahel na langit.” A labor of love, the album contains songs centered on various colors as a way of expressing emotion, which Maki considers as the “ride of [his] life.” “In the middle of making [‘Kolorcoaster’], may mga challenges. I had to attend to this and that, and I don’t wanna be that kind of artist na dahil lang may ginagawa ako naiiwanan ko na yung ibang bagay,” he said, noting there were moments when he took it upon himself to beat his deadlines. “At the time, I was like, you know what? I’m gonna wake up at 8 a.m. just to do this. I had to beat the deadline. I had to finish the song in a span of just a few minutes,” he continued.

While it is clear that “Kolorcoaster” shows Maki taking full control of his music, identity, and story, he admitted that he wants to be an artist who “fights for the things that are right.” “Morally speaking, I know that I’m fighting for the things that are right. And I will say things that I believe are right. Confident ako na magsasabi ako ng ga’nun sa social media platforms ko aside from [performing] on the stage,” he said. “Because it’s just so sad that we’re living in a country full of love pero ‘yung nagseserbisyo sa’tin, sila pa ang hindi tayo mahal. Mahal lang nila tayo tuwing botohan and kapag nandyan na sila sa serbisyo, [iniiwan] na nila tayo, and I don’t think that’s love,” he added, noting the recent political controversies hounding the country.

Source: inquirer.net