Following the breakthrough of his chart-topping hit, “ikaw ikaw ikaw,” which has amassed more than 30 million streams on Spotify alone and introduced him to a rapidly growing Filipino audience, Singapore-based singer-songwriter and producer ICEBOX returns to his OPM roots with the release of his new single “SAAKIN”—out today via PARKA.
Embracing the language and emotional depth that have long been central to his identity as a Filipino growing up overseas, “SAAKIN” reflects his evolving commitment to reconnect with his heritage through music.
Lyrically, the song serves as an intimate portrait of the emotional limbo that clings to one after the end of a relationship. Rather than presenting heartbreak as a singular moment, the track lingers in the liminal space between abandonment and longing: a place where one person has already let go while the other remains haunted by memories, unanswered questions, and the hope that refuses to disappear. In summary, the song captures the exhausting cycle of searching for closure in a place that no longer feels like home.
Although much of the song’s lyrical foundation was written nearly three years ago, “SAAKIN” underwent an extensive creative transformation before reaching its final form. Initially conceived as a school project collaboration with longtime friend Julia, the song has evolved through countless demos before ICEBOX revisited it alongside producers Dominic and Timothy of PARKA.
ICEBOX also credited the success of “ikaw, ikaw, ikaw,” his crossover collaboration with Filipino singer-songwriter Eliza Maturan, as an inspiration in shaping the final sound of his latest track.
“That song has obviously been such a monumental part of the catalysis of my music career,” ICEBOX admits. “I never really expected those three-hour writing and production sessions with Eliza amounted to such a hit, unlocking the doors to the Filipino market for me and exposing my art to a familiar yet new audience. Being able to garner and meet so many new fans both online and in person through my performances is one of the best privileges I’ve been able to experience after releasing ikaw, ikaw, ikaw, and it has definitely influenced how I produce and write my new songs (both in English & Tagalog) to fit the so-called ‘sound’ my new audience knows me for.”
After spending countless months listening to and consuming OPM, ICEBOX, along with his co-producers Dominic and Timothy, revisited “SAAKIN,” and the rest, as they say, is history. “I knew “SAAKIN” had to be more than just a school project demo. Not to mention, I was also planning to put it in my upcoming album, which included me really exploring new soundscapes and songwriting styles that were very different from the demo. What came out of those sessions is a track that carries the story and core of an OPM song but is fused with production techniques and textures that are derived from the sounds of my upcoming album.”
While “SAAKIN” serves as a personal statement on its own, it also offers listeners an early preview of ICEBOX’s forthcoming second studio album, which is scheduled for release sometime in September this year. Developed over the past year and a half, the 12-track project promises to further expand his musical identity through new sonic textures and a more intimate style of storytelling.
ICEBOX adds, “Lots of hard work, soul, and passion have been poured into this project, and we’re looking to do more shows in the Philippines for the album as well, and I sure hope nobody misses it because these coming songs are more than just earworms—they’re stories that you might resonate with one way or another, and I wouldn’t want to miss seeing them live.”
