SB19’s Justin, dwta break hearts in collab track ‘Sampung mga Daliri’
dwta and SB19’s Justin in a concept photo for “Sampung mga Daliri.” Image: Courtesy of Sony Music Philippines
SB19’s Justin and singer-songwriter dwta joined forces in the collab track “Sampung mga Daliri,” which reimagines the classic Filipino nursery rhyme into a tale of an ill-fated love story.
The single, which was dropped on Friday, Jan. 24, was performed by the singers at the 10th Wish Music Awards a week before its official release.
According to a press statement, the single (co-produced with Brian Lotho) was an unfinished track by dwta that she had been working on two years prior to its release. She was able to resume the single after meeting the SB19 member at a Cozy Cove gig in hopes of collaborating with him.
“I thought it was a long shot, but I asked my team if there was any chance we could work on something together. Even before it was confirmed, I was already looking through my notes, trying to find a song that would match both our voices or maybe even writing something new. That’s when I stumbled upon ‘Sampung mga Daliri,’” she said.
This led dwta to rewrite and finish the song along with two other options for Justin to choose from. Yet she knew to herself that the track “just felt right.”
“Aside from being labelmates under Sony Music Philippines, when I heard ‘Sampung mga Daliri,’ it immediately felt like the right fit. Out of all the songs sent to me, this one really stood out. It had something special,” Justin said.
View this post on Instagram
Despite not recording “Sampung mga Daliri” together due to busy schedules, dwta and Justin worked on the song through online meetings, fine-tuning, and ensuring they were on the same page throughout the creative process.
“After everything, we finally got to bond in person during shoots and trips, and that’s when I really got to know him,” dwta said of Justin. “You know how famous people can sometimes feel intimidating or hard to approach? justin’s the total opposite. It’s like working with a sibling from a different parent. We just clicked, both musically and personally.”
Another reason why dwta enjoyed working with Justin was because they had the “same vision” of how the song should be.
“Since our styles are pretty similar and we share the same vision for the song, it was easy for us to agree on every idea we pitched. The whole process came together so smoothly. I’m really happy with how it turned out in such a short time,” he said.
Hours after “Sampung mga Daliri’s” release, the music video to the song was uploaded on the singer-songwriter’s YouTube channel, which showed dwta and Justin engaging in a series of children’s games before ending in what seemed to be the latter’s death.
Born Jhasmine Villanueva, the Bicol-raised singer-songwriter has other tracks that include “Padaba Taka,” “Pauwi Na ‘Ko,” “Panganoron” and “An Satuyang Istorya.” She bagged the Awit Award for Best Regional Recording at the 36th Awit Awards.
Meanwhile, Justin made his debut as a solo artist in February 2024 with the single “surreal.”
