There are pairs that simply go well together: peanut butter n’ jelly, cool weather and coffee, and artists like British-born Filipina singer/songwriter Chlara and Philippines-based singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Nef Medina.
Need proof? All one has to do is take their newest single “Maybe Don’t” for a spin, and immediately both casual music listeners and serious aficionados of stripped-down-yet-infectious acoustic jams will realize that this was a collaboration that should have happened sooner; every bit as potent and powerful in its sincerity and straightforward modern melodicism, it’s definitely a track that pay homage to tried-and-tested hooks and melodies but also has that distinct, youthful flavor that is sure to catch the ears of many music lovers.
Both making waves and establishing their identities as premiere artists and songwriters in the acoustic-music genre, both Chlara (who has been consistently releasing music in the past few years to much international critical acclaim…) and Nef (a musical wunderkind who started at the early age of 6 and who experienced a taste of being massively popularity, being a finalist in world-renowned television singing competition The Clash…) not only share accolades and praises from fans of the genre, but also have distinct strengths that complement each other well.
Chlara’s disarming and enchanting voice, coupled with Medina’s fine ability to hone the vocal power and strength from a multitude of musical styles and influences. In short, there’s definite musical beauty in their similarities and characteristic music differences in style and approach.
Interestingly, this is not the first time the two creative talents crossed paths, having met through mutual friends in music, and having worked together previously on a cover version of the Disney theme “A Whole New World…” But the full-on collaboration that is “Maybe Don’t” was made possible by being on the same roster of international label evosound.
“Though it took a very long time to convince Nef, it was definitely worth the wait,” Chlara shares, when asked how the track came to be. “’Maybe Don’t’ is actually a song by two of my favorite artists: Maise Peters & JP Saxe, and when I heard it, I almost immediately knew that Nef would be the perfect artist to collaborate with, mainly because I knew he had a great voice, and more importantly, he could harmonize well, as I witnessed on our previous collaboration,” she finishes.
When asked for his thoughts on the surefire collab, Medina also shares the same admiration and praises for Chlara: “I think she is – truly – one of the most impressive Filipina artists that I have ever had the pleasure of not just hearing, but working-with: her voice is extremely beautiful, and there’s so much sincere emotion behind the way she sings, which is why it’s always exciting to be working with her on the same track,” he reveals, and adds: “ I am pretty happy with how ‘Maybe Don’t’ turned-out, and I can’t wait to work on more songs in the near future with her.”
“Maybe Don’t” is now available for listening and streaming online on all major music and streaming sites, and is released under evosound.