Last June 17, two forces of the R&B/rap scene of Original Pinoy Music (OPM), Illest Morena and Jay R, teamed up to release their collaborative piece entitled “Pakita Mo Sa Akin.” Additionally, it was seen in a post made by the femcee that the duo had recorded what appears to be a music video which has yet to be released – watch this space for updates.
In the caption of her post announcing the song, Illest Morena wrote a heartfelt dedication where she explained how she had long admired Jay R even prior to becoming an artist, “Never would I have imagined that the King of R&B himself wanted to collaborate with me on a song! (It’s) such a full circle moment for me to work with him and now, it’s finally yours!”
For Jay R, this follows his recent collaborative piece with fellow Filipino-American R&B hitmaker Jeremy Passion, “Gets Better,” released earlier this year on February 24, 2025. Notably authentic to the duo’s roots, the song features lyrics written in both English and Tagalog. The artist was also recently nominated for the first iteration of the MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN for the Best of Listeners’ Choice: International Song Award.
On Illest Morena’s end, this marks her second big collaboration this week, as she’d recently teamed up with Janine Berdin and Fana for the song “tayo lang (may alam).” Marking a shift for the artists involved in the piece, the afrobeats track is about keeping a relationship on the down low.
Listen to “Pakita Mo Sa Akin” here:
