syd hartha reflects complicated attitude towards love and relationships on folk-pop single “kung nag-aatubili”

The Filipino singer-songwriter’s latest song will be part of her upcoming 2022 EP

Filipino singer-songwriter syd hartha returns to her roots on the stripped-down single “kung nag-aatubili.” 

The folk-pop tune will be part of her upcoming 5-track EP to be released in the first quarter of 2022, and serves as her first original material for 2021 after contributing vocals for Tokimeki Records’ city pop-inspired “Carnival” and participating in Coke Studio Season 4.

According to the 19-year-old artist, “kung nag-aatubili” reflects her complicated attitude towards romantic relationships and intimacy, which stemmed from the traumatic experiences that she endured during her younger years.

“I wrote this song a long time ago when I realized that I was starting to like someone, and I was already starting to let that person in my world, little by little,” syd admits. “Back then it just didn't feel right, and I feared the idea of getting to know me deeply and everything I’ve become. Looking at it in the present, I figured that these feelings are a by-product of the inner wounds, and my inability to move forward from the things that happened in the past. This also serves as an important lesson to me, that when I decide to commit to love someone, I should love them for who they are now, and accept them for what they’ve been through.”

Dialing back her sound to its bare essentials without sacrificing her newfound maturity in songwriting, syd hartha has penned another understatedly beautiful track that feels more introspective than her usual confessional entries. 

Marked by warm, laid-back guitar arrangements and soothing vocals, “kung nag-aatubili” starts restrained but assured of its exquisiteness, and builds into a musical wanderlust towards the end. In terms of production, her goal is to make it as raw and intimate as possible, arriving with the promise of a home—strong, unapologetic, but comfortable in her own shedding.

The song will be accompanied by a music video slated to be released in the coming weeks. The visual treatment is conceptualized by syd herself, who in turn, wants to make the storytelling mirror her personal truths. “For this music video, Swimming Pictures helped me execute my own ideas and it was amazing working with them,” says the folk-pop act.

“kung nag-aatubili” is out now on all digital music platforms worldwide via Sony Music Philippines. The lyric video is available here.