“Laro lang ako nang laro ng Mobile Legends, hindi ko naisip na, ‘Ba’t ‘di kaya ako gumawa ng kanta tungkol dito?’” Sponge Cola vocalist and guitarist Yael Yuzon told Summit OG in an exclusive interview. (I always play Mobile Legends and I thought, ‘How come I’ve never made a song about this?’)
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang or ML is a multiplayer online battle area (MOBA) game created by Shanghai Moonton Technology Co. Ltd.,. As of June 2021, Google Play in the Philippines has seen over 100 million downloads of the game, making it one of the leading mobile games in the country.
To celebrate Moonton’s 5th anniversary, the company commissioned Sponge Cola to create a new epic song for them.
“After three hours, send na ako ng demo,” Yael said. “Maganda ‘to, kasi nag-go-goosebumps ako nung sinusulat ko.” (I sent the demo after three hours. I knew it was good because I was getting goosebumps while I was writing it.)
Kaka-ML mo ‘yan
“‘Yung song, ‘Sama-samang lilipad sa langit,’ I’m all about playing together ,” he explained. “It’s also the reason why I think we’ve been together for so many years. May firm belief ako in teamwork.”
“At the end of the day, four people, five people working together can make a difference eh,” he said. “I think that’s why it’s also perfect na kami ‘yung gumawa nung song na ‘yun, kasi, ‘yun naman ‘yung mantra namin eversince—sama-sama.”
“‘Yung Mobile Legends, naging bonding namin siya,” Sponge Cola lead guitarist Erwin Armovit said. “It brought us together as a band and as friends. Teamwork. Fans kami of that.”
“It’s a nice feeling na nakagawa kami ng anthem to inspire ‘yung gamers natin to be more competitive—para mas madama nila ‘yung fire nung game,” the band’s bassist, Gosh Dilay, said.
The band’s drummer, Ted Mark Cruz, said it’s an honor to be part of the country’s thriving gaming industry. “Sana makadagdag sa inspirasyon, sa puso, at sa tapang ‘yung Alamat.”
It’s also about surviving the pandemic
“It’s a song for all of us as a people,” Yael explained. “All of us facing the pandemic and having to remove all these other distractions, finding space to eat, sleep, breathe, and also fulfill who we are and be mentally okay—sama-sama eh. Buhatan ‘yun.”
A case of misheard lyrics
“May mga tao na akala nila ang sinasabi ko sa ending nung song, ‘Yeah, bitch,’” Yael mused. “Kasi ‘yung line sa ending, ‘Double kill, triple kill, maniac, savage’ pero dahil naka-effects parang ang labas, ‘Yeah, bitch,’” he explained. (Some people thought I was saying ‘Yeah, bitch’ at the end of the song.)
“The actual line, for the record, is ‘savage.’”
Want to know more about how they shot the music video despite the pandemic? Watch the full interview here:
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