MANILA, PHILIPPINES — After championing the resurgence of the rap-rock genre with the release of “Determinado” a few weeks ago, SB19’s PABLO continues to exceed expectations with another banger that doesn’t sound quite like anything he has released so far.
On “AKALA,” the P-Pop star drops a hard-hitting track that blends hip-hop sensibilities with trap beats and atmospheric production. Sonically captivating and heartfelt, PABLO surprises at nearly every turn with a song that hints at a new level of creative inspiration, songwriting and production-wise.
The track also marks another collaboration with his brother Josue of Radkidz, who is also responsible for co-producing his previously released track “Determinado,” and SB19’s viral smash “Gento.”
PABLO, on the other hand, brought improvements in structural developments and dynamics and penned the majority of the lyrics. He shared, “I added some singing parts and a hook and gave the song a resolution in terms of musical arrangement. We wanted it to be a song that’s easy to listen to and sing along to, just like how it is when friends gather and sing together.”
According to PABLO, “AKALA” was conceived during the pandemic when Josue had him listen to one of his beats with a partially written verse about finding escape in getting wasted. While both of them have different perspectives about alcohol consumption, the SB19 leader and main rapper found it intriguing and interesting enough to revisit the track and improve some parts of it.
“Even though we have different practices in terms of drinking, we agree on the idea that alcohol is not the answer to problems,” the talented multi-hyphenate explains. “I asked him if I could also write my verse in the song and tweak some parts, and he agreed. I didn’t want the song to just be about getting wasted, so I thought of a way to introduce my perspective through rearranging the letters of alak and that’s how ‘Akala’ materialized. My mother also pitched in a line in the song and it made more sense.”
The breakout artist behind La Luna sums it all up: “Everything that I have released so far features intense and heavy instrumentation, but ‘Akala’ follows a completely different direction this time around. It has a more laid-back, dreamy vibe to it.”
PABLO’s “AKALA” is out now on all digital music platforms worldwide via Sony Music Entertainment.
