What ‘Marupok’ means to KZ Tandingan

Asia’s Soul Supreme KZ Tandingan said people could relate easily to the theme of this year’s Himig Handog winning piece Marupok which she interpreted at the grand finals held recently.

“I haven’t heard of anybody who couldn’t relate to the song,” KZ explained. “They can deny, they will deny, and people have denied na marupok sila. But I am pretty sure all of us are marupok. Most of the time sa tao, but some of them are marupok when it comes to things na alam naman nating ikakasama natin.”

The dance-pop song, composed by Danielle Balagtas, beat over 4,000 entries at the 11th edition of the songwriting competition.

The dance-pop song is composed by Danielle Balagtas.

Nowadays, a “marupok” is contextualized by the younger generation as a person who quickly falls for or allows oneself to be vulnerable for a special someone, a concept often perceived negatively that composer Danielle turned to a constructive thing, according to KZ.

“She turned it into something positive na ‘pag in-acknowledge mo na marupok ka, you know what you must avoid,”’ she stressed. “You know na kung ano yung mga iiwasan mo. Yung mga gagawin ng mga tao para maging marupok ka at iiwasan mo na yun.”

Another timely song at this year’s Himig roster with a relatable concept relevant to many people right now is the Fourth Best Song, Ang Hirap Maging Mahirap, composed by Kenneth Reodica.

The song is a social commentary that paints the struggles of those impoverished, which was inspired by the viral TV Patrol interview of a taxi driver at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic who said the exact words that became the song’s title.

One of the song’s interpreters, Davey Langit, commended the track’s theme as it was something unheard of in the competition’s previous editions.

“It speaks so much truth. It’s a song that’s very, very vulnerable and relatable to what we are experiencing right now, not just in the Philippines but worldwide,” he said at the Himig winners virtual media conference.

Indeed, Himig continues its legacy of discovering the next breed of songwriters and celebrating OPM by producing timely, relatable, yet out-of-the-box songs.

Kahit Na Masungit, the Second Best Song composed by John Francis and Jayson Franz Pasicolan and interpreted by Jeremy G and Kyle Echarri, explores the notion of wooing a grumpy girl.

Ibang Planeta, the Third Best Song composed by Dan Tañedo and interpreted by ZILD, speaks about the otherworldly feeling of falling in love.

And Kulang Ang Mundo, the Fifth Best Song composed by Daryl Cielo and interpreted by Sam Mangubat, deals with one’s immeasurable devotion to a special person.

Listen to the heartfelt songs in this year’s Himig 11th edition compilation album. It is now out on Spotify and will also be available soon on other digital music streaming platforms. What

usic streaming platforms.