Maki

Quick Facts

Photo: Maki – “Kahel na Langit” (Official Music Video)

About Maki

The Quezon City Kid Who Almost Gave Up

Long before “Dilaw” was topping charts, Maki was just Ralph William Datoon, the sixth of seven siblings growing up in Quezon City. He started writing his own R&B songs as a teenager and posted covers online, chasing a dream that, for years, didn’t seem to be chasing him back.

The rejections came early and often. He auditioned for The Voice Teens in 2017 and didn’t make it, then knocked on the doors of multiple labels only to be turned away again and again. He has been open about the stage fright and self-doubt that came with it.

By the time he was finishing a Communications degree at New Era University, he had made a quiet decision: once he graduated, he would set music aside for good. It was a plan born of exhaustion rather than any lack of love for the craft.

What kept the flame alive was a simple truth he once shared about performing, that singing is where he feels most himself. That confidence on the mic, even when everything else felt uncertain, is what gave the story its next chapter.

A Demo, a Friend, and a Record Deal

The turning point didn’t come from a stage or a competition. A friend, Zion Aguirre, passed along one of Maki’s demo recordings, and it eventually reached someone at Tarsier Records. In 2021, the label he’d been dreaming about signed him.

His debut single “Halaga” arrived that December, and the early releases that followed went largely unnoticed. He kept working, leaning into the warm, nostalgic R&B that would become his signature.

A breakthrough of sorts came in 2022, when his soulful reimagining of “Gusto Ko Nang Bumitaw” caught wider attention and hinted at the emotional directness fans would soon fall for. The pieces were quietly falling into place, even if the spotlight hadn’t arrived yet.

The Question Songs

In September 2023, Maki released his EP Tanong (“Question”), a collection anchored by one-word title tracks that all end in a question mark. “Saan?” (“Where?”) and “Bakit?” (“Why?”) became the songs that finally broke through.

“Saan?” went viral on TikTok and climbed into the Philippine charts, proving that his tender, conversational songwriting could connect at scale. He followed the thread with “Kailan?”, “Siguro?”, and “Sigurado?”, turning ordinary Filipino questions into aching little love songs.

It was a clever, deeply relatable formula, the kind of lyrics that feel like unsent text messages. After years of near-misses, Maki suddenly had an audience listening closely.

“Dilaw” Changes Everything

Then came “Dilaw” (“Yellow”). Released in 2024 and reportedly kept in his vault since 2023, the song reframes love as something calm, warm, and hopeful, using the color yellow as a metaphor for finding light after a painful past.

The response was historic. “Dilaw” debuted at number one and became the first song to top Billboard Philippines’ relaunched Hot 100, set a record for the highest single-day streams by an OPM song, and crossed over onto the global Spotify chart, only the third Filipino song to do so at the time. Its music video, co-directed by Maki and co-starring BINI’s Maloi, became a top-trending clip in the country.

Almost overnight, Maki went from hopeful underdog to one of the most-streamed male OPM artists alive, with millions of monthly listeners. The song swept year-end lists and turned “Dilaw” into a cultural touchstone.

Rather than repeat the formula, he built a whole palette around it, releasing color-themed singles like “Namumula” (“Blushing”) and “Bughaw” (“Blue”) that deepened his emotional range.

Kolorcoaster and Beyond

Maki’s rise moved off the charts and onto the stage. His first solo concert at the New Frontier Theater in late 2024 sold out and grew into a two-day run, and he has since become a fixture at the scene’s biggest shows and festivals.

In September 2025 he released his debut album Kolorcoaster, a ten-track record that gathers his rainbow of singles, from “Dilaw” and “Namumula” to “Kahel na Langit” and “ROYGBIV” — into one cohesive, color-coded journey. He toured internationally too, joining Silent Sanctuary across the United States and James Reid across Canada.

His pen also became one of OPM’s most sought-after. Maki wrote the 2026 ballad “dahon” for justin, the solo persona of SB19’s Justin de Dios, having also teamed up with him on his own single “habangbuhay pansamantala,” whose music video stars justin. He has collaborated widely, from “Sikulo” with Angela Ken to “Seasons” with American hitmaker JVKE.

Beyond the music, Maki has used his platform to speak out, joining anti-corruption demonstrations and lending his voice to public-health advocacy. For an artist who nearly walked away, he now carries his story like a badge, proof that the quiet ones sometimes end up coloring the whole sky.

Videos

Albums

• Kolorcoaster (2025)

EPs

• Tanong – EP (2023)

Singles

• Halaga (2021)
• Para Sa Buwan (2022)
• Saan? (2023)
• Bakit? (2023)
• Kailan? (2023)
• Siguro? (2023)
• Sigurado? (2023)
• HBD (2024)
• Dilaw (2024)
• Kurba (2024)
• Namumula (2024)
• Bughaw (2024)
• Kahel na Langit (2025)
• Ako Ang Simula (2025)
• habangbuhay pansamantala (2026)

Song Collaborations

• Thinkin’ Bout Your Smile (Gessie – 2022)
• Better (KaixAaron – 2022)
• Gusto Ko Nang Bumitaw, R&B Version (Moophs – 2022)
• Balse Ng Gabi, Remix (Cesca – 2024)
• Sikulo (Angela Ken & Nhiko – 2024)
• Seasons (JVKE – 2025)
• Turning Green (Joan – 2025)
• habangbuhay pansamantala (feat. justin – 2026)

Maki also wrote the 2026 single “dahon” for justin.

Awards

Myx Music Awards

• Breakout Solo Artist of the Year (2024)

PMPC Star Awards for Music

• Male Pop Artist of the Year (2024)

P-pop Music Awards

• Breakthrough Artist of the Year (2024)

Awit Awards

• Song of the Year (Dilaw – 2025)

Aliw Awards

• Best Major Concert Act, Male (Kolorcoaster – 2025)

ALTA Media Icon Awards

• Best Male Recording Artist (2025)

Music Rank Asian Choice Awards

• Asian Artist of the Year (2025)

New Hue Video Music Awards

• Male Artist of the Year (2025)
• Song of the Year (Dilaw – 2025)

VP Choice Awards

• Headliner of the Year, Music (2025)

Nominations

Awit Awards

• Song of the Year (Saan? – 2024)
• Best Pop Recording (Saan? – 2024)

Jupiter Music Awards

• Male Artist of the Year (2025)
• Song of the Year (2025)

Perspective

There’s a particular magic in songs that sound like something you’d whisper, not shout, and Maki has built an entire rainbow out of them. He takes small, everyday Filipino words — a color, a question, a blush — and turns them into these aching, self-aware confessions that feel almost too personal to be pop hits. Listening to him is like reading someone’s diary and realizing, halfway through, that it’s somehow also yours.

Praise for the Artist

…Maki… has built a reputation for crafting heartwarming melodies and deeply relatable, sentimental tracks...

– Mark Bonifacio
SB19’s Justin enlists Maki’s songwriting magic for new single
The Manila Times

With its poignant lyrics, breathtaking visuals, and compelling performances… “habangbuhay pansamantala” showcases the artist’s growth as a storyteller.

– Arambulo Live
Maki Explores Love Across Universes in “habangbuhay pansamantala”
Arambulo Live

…what makes Maki such a compelling artist is his silky smooth vocal chops and relatable and affable persona as an artist.

– JV Ordoñez
Album Review: Maki’s Kolorkoaster Leans into Catchy, Colorful Pop Tunes
Esquire

Contact

• facebook.com/clfrniamaki
• x.com/clfrnia_maki
• instagram.com/clfrnia_maki
• youtube.com/@MakiMusic
• tiktok.com/@clfrnia_maki

Bookings

• Maki – Tarsier Records

Listen

• Spotify – Maki
• Apple Music – Maki

Apple Music

On Instagram

Trivia

• His stage name comes from a childhood nickname, Mackie, which his family gave him. He has since shortened it to Maki.
• His stage name leans into the sushi wordplay, using the handle @clfrnia_maki (a nod to “California maki”) across his socials.
• “Dilaw” wasn’t a fresh idea when it blew up. Maki had reportedly kept the song in his vault since 2023 before finally releasing it.
• He has a black pet cat named Cloud for whom he wrote the song “Itim na Ulap.”
• Maki guested in the Indonesian comedy show, Lapor Pak!, endearing himself to the audience through his chemistry with the cast.
• Maki’s fandom name is Zushi.
• He reportedly told his team that it had to be BINI Maloi or no one else for his “Dilaw” MV.
• His EP Tanong, which had songs with questions for titles like “Saan?” and “Kailan?” represent actual questions posed to real people who had walked out of his life.

Posted: July 9, 2026