Maki reflects on viral fame, loyal fans, favorite city in America

While K-Pop and J-Pop have been in the forefront in recent years of Asian music genres making its way into Western culture, another genre has been on the rise.

OPM, or Original Pilipino Music, original music created by Filipinos, has been gaining traction with pop groups like SB19 and BINI, but another young solo artist has been gaining worldwide fans thanks to his smooth vocals and relatable music.

Getting this start just a few years ago, Maki has become one of the most recognized names in the genre following the viral success of his songs like "Saan?" and "Dilaw."

His music charts both locally and globally, reaching the top of Billboard charts.

Even though his music is in Tagalog, fans across the world listen and feel the emotion that he puts in his music.

"Whenever I think about a person listening to my music and really resonating with it, it really fills my heart, and sometimes I take it for granted, like I forget that people love my music. "Sometimes it can get to you when you're busy, but I make sure that every day when I wake up and before I sleep, I always make sure to be grateful," he tells FOX 13 Seattle.

With over half a billion streams of these songs, he credits a lot of that success to the loyal fans of the Philipines, and the Filipinos across the world who love music and support their artists.

Speaking on his rise in fame, Maki says, "It was drastic… I think one of the biggest changes that happened to me was my confidence, because I’ve always had the heart to do something… even if not through music, I always wanted to help people. I want to be inspiring from the things I do best."

Taking that fame and his inspiring and emotional lyrics, he recently embarked on this first U.S. tour, making a stop right here in Seattle on June 20.

"Whenever someone asks me what my favorite place I’ve been in America is, I would say Seattle," he says.

He says he doesn’t know if it was the rain or the peaceful vibes of the city.

Speaking on this tour overall he says, "It was something that I'll never forget. Even when I go home to the Philippines, because sometimes it felt like I was still in the Philippines because whenever I performed, the support was the same. Maybe even louder."

He recently released the single titled, "Kahel na Langit," which is a precursor to his upcoming new album, "Color Coaster."

"‘Color Coaster’ is an album about the colors of love. It’s about the feelings we don’t see. So, I am trying to make people visualize that love comes in every color," he explains.

He continues by saying that he wants to advocate for all the visual artists in the Philipines through the album that may not have good opportunities for art, or that may not be be as privileged to be able to do music like himself.

While a date hasn’t been announced, he tells FOX 13 that it may be within the next three to four months.

"I started music because I wanted to inspire others to do the same as me. To show that nothing is impossible as long as you put your heart and your mind to it, and if you don’t step on other people, and you be kind and humble," he says.

While his U.S. tour has concluded, his growing star power, and his online streams, continue to rise as he introduces new people to the world of OPM.

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