Rising producer/singer-songwriter raven and Rico Blanco produced a new single “S.U.K.I.” teaming up with indie pop artists Naila and somere — released via Sony Music Philippines.
The lo-fi jam by raven and Rico Blanco takes into account of pain ang longing to someone who gave his all, but failed miserably to mend what’s left of the romantic relationship.
Collaborators Naila and somere, who also provided their lilting vocals to the insanely catchy bop, are also credited as songwriters for this special project featuring different generations of musicians.
How it started
Alternative rock icon Rico Blanco posted a random challenge on TikTok where he played a piano while beatboxing for others to explore with either a rap verse or a vocal melody with lyrics.
Captivated by Rico Blanco’s challenge on TikTok, multi-instrumentalist and singer/rapper raven took the challenge seriously and wrote verses that sting with melancholic thoughts.
According to raven, “S.U.K.I.” was actually based from his own experience. It was a tribute to a young love that didn’t end up well, despite trying everything to make it work.
Up-and-coming singer-songwriters Naila and somere completed the musical narrative by writing and singing their own verse on the rap ballad, giving the material a refreshing perspective that complements raven’s bedroom pop treatment.
“It was when I finished reading a book about a couple with a very tragic love story, I was so attached to it to the point that I even made a poem using the female protagonist’s point of view. I was scanning my old notebooks that time and saw the poem that I wrote. I really wanted to make it into a song and then eventually, Sir Rico’s video showed on my timeline, which gave me an idea of duetting on his video and posting it in TikTok,” Naila, a 15-year-old artist said.
It took 16-year-old artist somere days to think of the words to “S.U.K.I.,” but ended up with lyrics of her own that reflects an important phase in her life. “Things became unfortunate, I had a very bad mental breakdown and words of pain suddenly came out of my mouth. I decided to duet Sir Rico’s video, thinking that maybe someone out there may be going through the same thing, and maybe I can use my voice to give that person a nice warm virtual hug.”
The collaborative ideas led to the low-key gem that is “S.U.K.I.,” which brought an entirely confessional safe space for the artists to bask in their individual pain and come up with a song that could inspire others to move forward and be better.
Its music video, which was shot in a lush greenery somewhere in Tanay, Rizal, features raven enjoying his sweet time outside of the city.
raven’s “S.U.K.I.” is out now on all digital platforms worldwide via Sony Music Philippines.
