How to make a viral breakup anthem with Ryannah J and Nateman
Sabi ng mama ko gumawa daw ako ng love song,” begins rising hip-hop artist Ryannah J. “Sabi ko ayoko kasi wala akong nararamdamang pagmamahal ngayon.”
Such was the beginning of This Na Malambing, a cathartic breakup song formatted as a confrontation between the singer and their ex-lover. It has been streamed over 30 million times on Spotify and used in 320,000 videos on TikTok—often of people asking their own dwindling flames, “Bakit nag-iba, bakit may iba?”
“Nakakatuwa na maraming nakarelate. Pare-pareho kaming nasaktan,” says Ryannah J about the glowing reception to her debut single. Rapper Nateman, known for last year’s earworm Parehas Tayo, jumps in with a verse near the song’s end, posing as the ex and presenting his defense: “‘Wag sana dumating sa punto na iyong pagsisihan, sinayang mo ang tulad ko na ‘di lang panlandian.”
“Kung ikaw nasaktan, ako naman pinagbintangan,” Nateman quips. We’re cozied up inside the iconic Wish Bus, a few hours before the pair is set to perform This Na Malambing to an eager audience in Quezon City Memorial Circle.
The single is part of Spotify’s flagship Pinoy hip-hop playlist Kalye, and the live Wish Bus performance was built to bring these stories closer to the streets. Ryannah J says this opportunity is surreal and unexpected. “Nakakatuwa kasi ito na yung nararating namin.”
The pair—who met through Ryannah J’s sister, actress-vlogger Sachzna—agree that hip-hop and R&B are powerful mediums to tell stories because they give artists the liberty to be truly authentic. “Lahat ng pangyayari sa buhay, lahat ng hindi masabi sa kailbigan o sa pamilya, sa kanta na lang (sasabihin). Doon na lang nila maririnig,” Nateman explains.
It tracks that This Na Malambing spills everything we wish we could say to hurtful exes. It’s an expression of anger and frustration without fear of consequence. When you write songs, says Ryannah J, “Walang nangingialam sa’yo. Sarili mong thoughts at rant ‘yun. Hindi ka naman huhusgahan ng keyboard mo kapag nagrarant ka.”
Audience reception is not something they prioritize when writing songs, choosing to honor instead what they feel and think. It’s largely why the song became an instant smash, and why dozens of young people, some still in their school uniforms, crowd outside the Wish Bus now. Ryannah J and Nateman are simply telling the truth. Ryannah J continues her story about how This Na Malambing started: “Tinawagan ko si Kuya Nate. (Sabi ko,) ‘Kuya Nate, gawa tayo ng kanta. Nasaktan ako eh, pa’no to?”
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Listen to This Na Malambing by Ryannah J and Nateman on the Kalye playlist on Spotify.
