Angela Ken, Maki, and Nhiko 

MANILA  -- "Sikulo," a collaborative track by rising singer-songwriters Angela Ken, Maki, and Nhiko, is a testament that OPM is in the hands of a new generation of talents that can drive it to new heights.

The storytelling prowess of the trio was apparent from the music production that mirrors the cycle of a struggling relationship to the evocative lyrics that weave in a painful narrative that anyone who has ever loved can relate to, and the music videos will have you visually hooked. 

"This experience has been so surreal. It was all a dream, still a dream. I can't even grasp that we are the new generation of OPM. There is pressure but we know we should just enjoy it. We are so grateful for the labels helping us, for supporting our creative freedom to express what's in our heart," Maki said in an interview during the launch of the music video in Makati City, Friday evening.  

Angela Ken and Maki came up with the track on the way home from one of Star Pop’s campus tours.

"At the time, our conversation was very aligned. We talked about relationships and it just clicked. I thought it would be nice to put in the chorus, 'paikot-ikot nakakapagod.' I said let’s continue this, from there we went to the lobby of Angela’s place. It would be a waste if we lost the momentum. It was fun and memorable," Maki recalled. 

"We recorded the raw in a voice message and sent it to Nhiko. And we thought the three of us should finish it," Angela Ken added. 

Nhiko shared that they finished the title in just a few hours. 

"When they got into the studio, it was a chorus and a verse, no arrangement. It was not hard to do the song," he explained. 

According to Maki and Nhiko, the emotive title is about  the vicious "cycle of what ifs." 

"We were talking about our frustrations when it comes to relationships. It is like when you want to do something but you know you should not. Like, you want to forget or move on but you can't. It is a cycle of what ifs, what if we try again. It is a very complicated story and is realistic. I think Gen Z can really relate to it," Maki said. 

"You let go, you go back, it does not work," Nhiko said. 

As of this writing, "Sikulo" had already hit the one million mark on streaming giant Spotify.