Filipino singer-songwriter syd hartha reunites with acclaimed artist TONEEJAY for their latest collaborative single “dito muna tayo,” out today via Sony Music Entertainment. 
Capturing the human need to stay in spaces that soothe the mind and nurture inner peace, the folk-pop track draws inspiration from syd’s emotional connection to the ocean: a place that she describes as a source of calm and contentment throughout her life.
The free-spirited musician recounts how her deep connection with the vast body of water inspired her to write the song. “My great grandparents, who I spent a lot of time growing up with, would always bring me to beaches near where we lived in Cebu. That child-like spirit never really left me, even as an adult.”
Now that syd is older, she considers every trip to the ocean as deeply restorative and healing. “One of the biggest inspirations behind this song was the time I got to spend a few months living by the sea, and how it healed me physically, mentally, and emotionally. Leaving it was heartbreaking because a part of me really didn’t want to.”
Cushioned on soft instrumentation and understated arrangement, “dito muna tayo” allows both artists’ distinct songwriting voices to meet in riveting unison. The partnership reveals both their vulnerabilities and strengths as artists, finding refuge in unmasking defenselessness and allowing the words to soar with poetic grace and restraint.
“The collaboration came out naturally,” syd explains. “We’ve worked together before on one of his songs, and I’ve been wanting to collaborate with him again since the. When I chose ‘dito muna tayo’ as my next single, it felt like the song needed more color and texture. TONEEJAY was the missing piece in the puzzle, and he’s certainly the perfect fit for the song—thanks to his uniqueness and distinct songwriting voice.”
According to syd, the songwriting unfolded organically, with the recurring line, “babalik at uuwi ako dito” inscribing her journey with nothing but great memories. To make it feel more at home, syd included a few Cebuano lines in the lyrics to capture both her childhood connection with the ocean and the comfort that it brings to her up to now.
“I started by imagining what that sense of calm would sound like on guitar, and the lyrics just flowed from there,” she recalls. “We mostly just focused on bringing the song to life in the simplest and most honest way possible, staying true to its core emotion throughout the process.”
syd hartha and TONEEJAY’s “dito muna tayo” is out now on all digital streaming platforms worldwide via Sony Music Entertainment. Watch the official visualizer today at 6PM.
