Maki shares creative process behind ‘Bughaw’ music video, teases full-length album

Maki says he wore both his directing and acting hats for the ‘Bughaw’ music video

MANILA, Philippines – Maki is a creative at heart. He’s a singer-songwriter, but Spotify isn’t the only place you’ll be able to find his artistic endeavors. 

Take a look at some of his music videos. He first co-directed the music video for “Dilaw” starring BINI’s Maloi, and now, he’s back with another visual masterpiece: the music video for his latest single, “Bughaw,” but this time, he took the reins. 

“Bughaw,” which came out in December 2024, is all about friendship, and going through life’s ups and downs with the people you’re sure will stay by your side forever. 

“Alam ‘nyo ‘yung feeling na, kahit magcollege na kayo ng mga high school friends mo, magwork na kayo, you still look at the same blue sky? Whenever you gather and see each other again, it’s still the same. ‘Yun ‘yung feeling na gusto kong i-incorporate sa message ng mismong song, and sa mismong music video,” he told the press during the “Bughaw” music video launch. 

(You know the feeling of when you and your high school friends go off to college or work, you still look at the same blue sky? Whenever you gather and see each other again, it’s still the same. That’s the feeling I want to incorporate in the song’s message and in the music video.) 

Starring HORI7ON’s Kyler, singer and TikTok creator Zeke Abella, and YGIG’s Alexei, the “Bughaw” music video, Maki says, is “very special” to him. He revealed that the paintings you see throughout the music video were all just made by them, and he and the team had spent hours just trying to get the timing of the clips right. He previously revealed that the music video was inspired by the 1993 Studio Ghibli film Ocean Waves. 

Maki is a Communication Arts graduate, so directing his music videos seemed like a natural path for him to take. He shared that while he served as its co-director, his role in the creation of the music video for “Dilaw” leaned more towards acting. For “Bughaw,” though, he had worn both his directing and acting hats at the same time. 

The singer even fondly recalled how he would discreetly instruct HORI7ON’s Kyler on what to do while the cameras were rolling. 

“It was really a challenge for me but it was something I really really loved to do. Of course, si Alexei, si Kyler, at si Zeke, sobrang dali nila katrabaho, so sobrang good vibes kami talaga (Of course, Alexei, Kyler, and Zeke were so easy to work with, so it was all good vibes). I would love to direct more of my music videos,” he said. 

Kyler and Alexei, who were both present at the music video launch, also said that Maki was fun to work with as a director. Kyler praised Maki’s attention to detail, while Alexei shared that she had been in awe watching Director Maki in action. 

New album in the works

It’s become increasingly clear that Maki’s releases have always followed a common theme. The song titles in his Tanong EP were all one-word questions, like “Bakit?”, “Kailan?”, and “Sigurado?”

The singles he’s been releasing over the past few months, meanwhile, all make up colors — with “Dilaw,” “Namumula,” and most recently, “Bughaw.” It would only be a matter of time, then, before Maki completes the whole rainbow. With this, he revealed that he had a full-length album underway, and it was going to be called KOLORCOASTER. 

Maki made his debut in 2021 with the single “Halaga.” He has since gone on to release numerous hit singles, such as “Dilaw,” “Saan?” and “Bakit?” – Rappler.com