The promising P-pop star Justin releases “kaibigan,” an anthemic track that hits the sweet spot most solo artists only dream of: staying true to their roots while fully realizing their potential.

The song channels the agony and frustration of expressing one’s true feelings to a friend — a familiar premise that ends with an intriguing twist to its own brand of storytelling.

“To be honest, there’s no actual or specific inspiration behind the song,” Justin reveals. “I wrote this tune from the perspective of an observer and wanderer: a person who enjoys movies with coming-of-age slant.”

Radkidz collab

Layered with sonic complexities and refreshing builds, “kaibigan” defies expectations by giving Justin more room to experiment. Credit goes to the Filipino production duo Radkidz (SB19’s Pablo and his brother Josue), who merged Justin’s pop sensibilities with their envelope-pushing ideas. Both Pablo and Josue also worked with Justin on his previously released solo tracks, “surreal” and “sunday morning.”

“Similar to ‘surreal,’ I let them hear my demo in its ukulele version,” Justin shares about the production process behind his new track. “At first, it was a more solemn and calm song, but as we delved deeper into the collaboration and explored the material and its story, we ended up with something that peeled away the emotional layers in the latter part.”

The charismatic member of SB19 specifically praised Radkidz for guiding him towards honing his sonic instincts while sticking to the brief.

“They added some interesting builds on the bridge, and made me even scream towards the end. I personally don’t see myself doing that, but there’s always total payoff in accepting the challenge without giving in to your sense of inhibition. I’m actually thrilled with the final output.”

Music video

SB19’s Justin created the visual narrative for the track’s release but shares credit with his team. While he guided the project, he values the collaborative effort in making the music video, including developing the storyboard and shot list.

“For the direction of the MV, other than the rough storyboard, we make sure the producer knows the story behind it and what feeling we want to convey. I even sent movies and not just music video pegs for them to really understand what we wanted to achieve,” the 1Z Entertainment act adds.

The music video for “kaibigan” stars theater actress Nicole Omillio, who recently made headlines as Basha on the stage adaptation of the hit movie One More Chance, and RJ Cruz of alternative pop band The Juans.

The concept of the MV captures the complexities of human connection. As the team puts it, the newest single from Justin is a reminder that some things are better left unsaid: “‘kaibigan’ is an embrace for the unrequited.”

Justin admits, “To be honest, the music video is very easy to digest. And that’s what I want — for people to relate to it and feel the story of the music and the music video.”

Justin’s “kaibigan” is out now on all digital music platforms worldwide via Sony Music Entertainment.