Ralph William Datoon (born November 27, 1999), professionally known as Maki, is a Filipino singer and songwriter from Quezon City.[1] He first gained attention with his viral songs "Saan?" and "Bakit?" from his debut EP, Tanong, released on September 22, 2023, both of which saw significant success on Spotify.[2]
In 2024, Maki reached mainstream popularity with his single "Dilaw", which charted on the global Spotify chart, making it the third Filipino song to do so.[3][4] The song also became the first number-one track on Billboard Philippines' relaunched Philippines Hot 100 chart.[5] Maki is currently signed to Tarsier Records.[6]
Early life
Ralph William Datoon was born on November 27, 1999. He began writing R&B songs during his high school years and independently auditioned at various recording companies. He completed a bachelor's degree in communications at New Era University.[7]
Career
Datoon initially posted videos of himself singing on social media,[7] and in 2017, he auditioned for the first season of the reality TV singing competition The Voice Teens but was rejected.[8] As he was about to graduate from college, he planned to step back from his musical career.[9] However, a friend discovered a demo tape he had recorded, which ended up with an A&R representative at Tarsier Records and caught the label's attention.[8]
In 2021, the label signed him, and he adopted the stage name Maki, without providing a reason for this choice. "Maki" is relatively common in Japan as both a unisex first name and surname, and in the context of food, it means "roll", as in California maki.[7] He then began appearing on TV shows such as It's Showtime.[10] He also performed at gigs and busking events to promote his music. His debut single, "Halaga", was released on December 17, 2021. In 2023, he issued "Saan?", a song dedicated to people struggling to express feelings of separation anxiety. He initially teased the song on TikTok by posting a series of snippets, which went viral and garnered over 500,000 views.[11]
Maki released his debut EP, Tanong, on September 22, 2023, which featured the tracks "Saan?" and "Bakit?" He described the songs as questions directed at people who were no longer in his life, missed opportunities, and reflections on himself.[12] He gained widespread recognition in 2024 with the song "Dilaw", which topped local Spotify and Billboard charts and eventually made its way onto the global Spotify chart. It became the third Filipino song in history to achieve this, following Juan Karlos' "Ere" and gins&melodies' "Babaero", featuring Hev Abi.[citation needed] The school-themed music video for "Dilaw" included Bini member Maloi Ricalde. Maki shared that the song had been in his vault since August 2023, waiting for the right moment to be released.[8] On August 30, he issued the single "Namumula".[13] On October 12, he appeared as a guest performer at a concert by the American pop rock group LANY at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan.[14]
On August 2, 2024, Tarsier Records announced that Maki would be holding his first solo concert, at the New Frontier Theater in Quezon City, in November.[15] Titled Maki-Concert,[a] the performance was extended to two days, after tickets for the first day sold out within four hours of release. The tickets for the second day also sold out.[16] On November 25, Tarsier Records announced the inclusion of Johnoy Danao, Ebe Dancel, Angela Ken, Cesca, Sitti, and Nameless Kids as guest performers at the concert.[17][18] A new song, "Bughaw", was released on December 1.[19] A regional tour was also scheduled in Cebu City, Baguio, and Cagayan de Oro in February and May 2025.[20][21]
In December, "Dilaw" was recognized as the No. 4 music video of 2024 on YouTube in the Philippines.[22] It was also named Spotify's No. 2 song in the Philippines for 2024[23] and Google's tenth most-searched song in the country that year.[24]
At the inauguration of the Official Philippines Chart on February 19, Maki was recognized as its Top 8 Local Artist of the Year, while "Dilaw" was named the Top 2 Local Song of the Year.[33]
In March 2025, Maki announced that "Dilaw", "Namumula", and "Bughaw" were part of his upcoming debut full-length album, titled Kolorcoaster.[34][35] A new single, "Kahel na Langit", was released in June.[36]
For the 2025 Philippine general election in May, Maki was cast with other musicians in a rendition of "Ako Ang Simula", ABS-CBN's election theme song.[37]
While performing at the Alagang Suki Fest 2025 concert at the Araneta Coliseum on July 31, Maki announced that Kolorcoaster would come out on September 19, 2025.[38][39] In August, he stated that he would hold another concert, also titled Kolorcoaster, at the Araneta Coliseum, on November 7, 2025,[40] in which he would also serve as a musical director.[41] An overseas concert tour under the same name was also announced for later in November, with stops in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar and with Yeng Constantino as a guest performer.[42]
During the September 2025 Philippine protests, Maki made a brief statement against corruption while performing at the San Miguel Oktoberfest at the Okada Manila, stating, "...I am a Filipino first and foremost. Let's put an end to corruption! There must be accountability. People must be jailed".[43]
1 2 3 Vibas, Danny (July 7, 2024). "Maki: Alternative pop superstar". Daily Tribune. Archived from the original on August 23, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2024. He was born and raised in Quezon City and completed a bachelor's in Communications at the New Era University.
↑ Bonoan, Christian (September 21, 2023). "Maki Releases 'Tanong' EP". Myx Global. Archived from the original on August 22, 2024. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
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