Jan Roberts, jikamarie Talk Mismatched Feelings in Soulful ‘Selepono’ Collab

Folk-pop artist Jan Roberts has enlisted R&B singer-songwriter jikamarie for his newest single, “Selepono.” 

The song, a departure from his usual folk-leaning tunes, comes ahead of the August 7 release of his debut EP, “Pusong Pabrika.” The soulful track also follows his hit collaboration with Filipino troubadour Johnoy Danao, “Kung Masusunod.”

On mismatched feelings

Complementing this new sonic direction, “Selepono” is an Olivia Dean-inspired track that captures mismatched feelings.

“It’s about two people who were constantly talking to each other over the phone without ever making a clear definition of their relationship, until one of them suddenly stops talking to the other because they’ve found someone else to converse with,” the “Sagip” hitmaker shared in a press release. 

“Sana nagsabi ka para hindi ako nagmumukhang tanga/ Kakasilip sa selepono maya’t maya/ Parang praning nababalisa / Nababaliw ngunit wala akong magawa,” the song’s lyrical centerpiece goes.

Jan also credits jikamarie’s songwriting for making the collaboration click right away.

“Jika not only brought more life and color into the track but also made it feel like an actual conversation that showcases the perspectives of two different people,” he elaborates.

Meanwhile, jika remarked that “Selepono” is “one of those tracks that easily go on my list of favorite songs that I’ve been on.” A huge part of it is because Jan is an easy person to work with. 

“When he sent me the song, I already had a good feeling in my chest, ‘cause I knew this was just gonna be a really fun experience,” she explained.

A collaboration to show his ‘playful side’

“Selepono” is produced, mixed, and mastered by Jan’s frequent collaborator, Ken Ponce.

“During one of our sessions, Kuya Ken and I were bouncing ideas back and forth, leading to us initially finishing the demos of ‘Selepono’ and ‘Kung Masusunod’ in one day,” Jan revealed in the same press release.

“Afterwards, we spent time thinking of what else we can do with ‘Selepono.’ Eventually, this led us to come up with the idea of making it a duet. That’s when jikamarie entered the picture,” he added (fun fact: jikamarie is Ken’s sister).

Talking about the intent behind the collaboration, Jan shared: “I decided to release ‘Selepono’ next because I wanted to surprise people with how different it is [from ‘Kung Masusunod’]. I wanted to try new things while balancing all of it with the Jan Roberts signature sound, and I’m excited to see how people will feel about it.”

“Selepono” serves as the lead track of his highly anticipated “Pusong Pabrika” EP. 

The project is a collection of songs for ordinary people — “those who love and want to express that love, as well as those who are dealing with different challenges in life,” as Jan described it.

Watch Jan Roberts and jimakarie’s “Selepono” music video below:

Single art by shiftlessartist

Photography by Elyandre Dagli