Arzen Rose Dulzura

Maki reveals how he handled rejections in the past: ‘It’s hard to be soft’

Article (news)

Rhea Manila Santos

Push Team

<p>Less than three years since his songs &quot;Saan?&quot; and &quot;Bakit?&quot; first went viral, Maki’s popularity continues to rise. From writing and performing songs to successfully directing his own concert, the 26-year-old OPM artist continues to inspire and impress his Pinoy fans, here and abroad.</p><p>During his exclusive interview on PUSH Bets, Maki shared that he has had his share of challenging moments and learned how to deal with getting turned down. </p><p>“I learned how to handle rejections and I learned when to believe it and when not to. Kasi one of my rejections na nangyari was it involved something that I really didn’t like. It took me a lot of years to realize that other people don’t control my dream and it is my dream so why should I give it to other people’s hands? Why should I listen to their opinion towards me? I can just improve and improve and improve. Because this is the thing that I want to do for a long time. That’s why I just kept on doing it and I kept going and I’m still here,” he shared with PUSH Bets host Gary Ann Lastrilla. </p><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-0" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DRwhEa_k-H3/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=768&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A3921454.4000000358%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="889" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-0" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/music/2026/2/23/exclusive-maki-reveals-his-worst-fan-encounter-on-stage-last-year-1923"><strong><u>READ: EXCLUSIVE: Maki reveals his worst fan encounter on stage last year</u></strong></a></div><div><br/></div><p>The Kolorcoaster director admitted that despite the hardships, he remains genuine and sincere to his fans and his music. </p><p>“We live in a society na sobrang daming judgmental na tao so it’s hard to be soft. Sabi nga nila soft boy ako, yun ang ano nila sa akin. Well yeah, I’m a really soft guy. I’m a really emotional person, but at the same time, I have this wall that kumbaga, defense mechanism para i-protect ang sarili natin. Especially in this industry where everything is crazy, everything is going very fast-paced. So I like to keep myself protected,” he said. </p><div><br/></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/celebrities/2025/4/20/exclusive-maki-reveals-which-band-he-would-love-to-collaborate-with-the-most-1459"><strong><u>READ: EXCLUSIVE: Maki reveals which band he would love to collaborate with the most</u></strong></a></div><div><br/></div><p>Maki was also not shy to admit that he still feels moments of self-doubt, even with all the success he has already achieved.  </p><p>“Yung doubts kasi minsan hindi natin siya napapansin. Unconsciously, we sabotage ourselves into thinking that we love a certain thing, but we don’t deserve it. Yun yung nakakainis na part sa brain ko. I don’t know why I’m like this, but it was for a reason. It was for me to tell these people and to write it on paper, to tell them and to make them feel na, ‘Oh my gosh, hindi lang pala ako ang ganito mag-isip.’</p><p>&quot;Ako kasi I write love songs and I write heartbroken songs, but deep inside that thought process when I was writing it, it was also mainly because I have this attitude or this mindset that sometimes I think I’m not good enough for something I like. So it never stops sometimes. Pero what adds to my mindset is yung validation na nakukuha natin na awards from the people that we love, kung paano nila tayo i-support. And of course, yung confidence mo into making new songs, new concerts, every year,” he explained. </p><p>Now working on continually improving and growing as a person and as an artist, Maki shared that he can now look back and be proud of how far he has come. </p><p>“Ay, iiyak ako pag sinabi ko. I was always harsh with myself. But lagi ko sinasabi yun na pag nag-grow ako, 21, 25, 30, 40, dapat I always try to remind myself na, ‘You did your best that time. You actually did your best that time.’ So you don’t have to overthink. One of the things that I did as a manifestation is, right now, I think of my higher self. And yung higher self ko ngayon, siya yung nagiging idol ko. Ako pa din siya. Pero siya yung idol ko. Tapos siya yung magsasabi sa akin na ganito ka, ganyan ka. Whenever I overthink, whenever that I think about the things na parang ang pangit ng ginawa ko, parang I’m going to give myself a chance na to do better because nag-exist ko yung higher self ko na yun and someday, magiging ganun ako. So I’m going to take my time. I’m going to sit down and feel and be in the moment,” he admitted.  </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH MAKI WITH PUSH BETS HERE: </strong></div><div><br/></div><div><iframe width="674" height="379" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-7RQQbQeWNM" title="Maki on reinventing himself: ‘I had to die a million times’ | PUSH Bets" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><p>Watch new episodes PUSH Bets, hosted by Gary Ann Lastrilla, every Friday at 7:30 p.m. on ABS-CBN.com and on the PUSH YouTube channel, and catch them every Sunday at 11:05 p.m. on Kapamilya Online Live. Subscribe to the <a href="http://bit.ly/PushAlerts">Push</a> channel.</p>

<p>Singer and songwriter Maki shares in an exclusive interview with PUSH Bets how he overcame past challenges and continued to pursue a career despite initial rejections.</p>

Singer and songwriter Maki shares in an exclusive interview with PUSH Bets how he overcame past challenges and continued to pursue a career despite initial rejections.