MANILA, Philippines—Just in time for the post-Day Valentine’s sawi session, Ica Frias brings us with another hugot tune to cry to. Ica Frias is about to shatter our hearts again with her new Tagalog track “Sabihin Mo,” now available on all major streaming platforms and was featured on Spotify’s New Music Friday Philippines.
Listening to “Sabihin Mo” brings us back to listening to sad songs with beautiful simplicity and lyrics wrecking-havoc in each verse in simple Tagalog, lyrically-crafted along with a piano piece in the background, guiding us as we navigate the song’s feeling. Listening to it makes us dive into a deep contemplation of that solemn grief over the pain of a confusing relationship. “Sabihin Mo” gives us melancholia as we listen to it start with lyrics “Nakapikit, Nagwawala ang damdamin” fully describing how we should approach the song : in meditation of a sad ballad that speaks of pain and confusion.
When we asked Ica Frias about her latest single, she told us how “Sabihin Mo” is all about seeking clarity. A bit different from her debut single “Ayoko Na,” “Sabihin Mo” sets the tone more solemn and calm, with lyrics slowly describing confusion brought by what GenZs would call a “Situationship” or earlier generation would call “MU” or “Magulong Usapan” as described by the artist herself. The songs speaks so much of being in the in-betweens of a relationship filled with uncertainty and lack of definition.
When asked what inspired and prompted her to write this song, Ica tells us of how she wrote this based on a friend’s vague relationship with someone years back. She narrates us the backstory of how she and her childhood friend, and one of the emerging and up-and-coming songwriter and performer in the Philippines, Daniel Paringit, wrote this way back in their younger days.
Image courtesy Off The Record
“My bestfriend in highschool was so inlove with the girl he’s dating. Parang sila na talaga kaso wala silang label! During one of our tambays, we decided to write a song about it. Doon lumabas ‘yung “mahal mo ba ako?”, “sabihin kung anong meron na talaga sa atin”. Medyo high school/college love life situations!” Ica enthusiastically tells us the story of how she and singer Daniel Paringit was able to write this piece years back.
Soon they were able to finish and put the song into reality. With Ricky Ilacad and Daniel Paringit as producers, arranged by Ica, Daniel, and Cluster Ng, mixed and mastered by WORD Entertainment Production, “Sabihin Mo” is finally out years after they’ve written it. And now, the world can finally listen to this beautiful heartbreak piece.
You can imagine listening to “Sabihin Mo” while in the jeepney, tired, and going home late at night, filled with uncertainty. Or cramped up in an MRT, anticipating to get home, waiting for that one text from the person you love so much but couldn’t give you the definition that you have always wanted. “Sabihin Mo” is truly that grieving heart’s anthem.
Along with all the plans already set for the year with Off The Record, Ica is mostly looking forward to releasing all her songs throughout the year. 2023 started fresh and sparked new beginnings for Ica as “Ayoko Na” keeps on getting playlisted in top-tiered Filipino playlists in both editorial and fan-made. She was the cover of Fresh Finds Philippines and has now been placed in a bigger playlist, New Music Friday Philippines this time around. “Ayoko Na” also charted in Spotify’s Viral 50 Philippines.
Since the beginning of the year and the release of her first single, Ica has been doing non-stop live shows and performances along with invitations to notable music productions like the Wishbus, Myx, UP fair Polaris, Tropang LOL, and many more. With the support of Ica Frias’ record label Off The Record, she continues to produce these songs and we are so here to listen to them!
It’s obvious that there is still so much of Ica Frias that we have to unravel as 2023 slowly reveals itself. And we can’t wait for more releases from Ica Frias for the next coming months as she promised that she will be releasing several songs this year and is set to do live and online performances as well.
For more news and updates on Ica Frias, follow her on her social media pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Spotify, Kumu, and YouTube.
“Sabihin Mo” is now available on all major streaming platforms. Watch the official lyric video below: