Mahal kita means "I Love You"

The music video for MND3GMA's new single, Tayong Dalawa, is out now on streaming platforms.

Ahead of the release, office sat down with the pair to dive into their creative process, from the birth of the band to their first music video.

Sophia Lucina—Thanks so much for meeting with me. Before we start, I recognized your name, MND3GMA, or mandirigma, is Tagalog?

Sakina Garcia— Yes, it’s Tagalog for “warrior”!

Jordan Alexander— Stop, I’m so glad you noticed that. That’s so cool.

I’m Filipino too, and I recognized it right away.

SG—Tagalog is my first language, so I proposed the name to Jordy as a way to stay connected to that culture.

JA— I never had a specific culture that I felt connected with, so it was such a great opportunity to learn about Sakina’s. What I like most about mandirigma is that, yes, it means warrior as in “fight,” “kill,” but it’s also about honor, pride, and your ability to be your authentic self. The fight for life. And I think that’s what the band encompasses as well.

Totally. That’s so badass. Jordan, I was first introduced to you in a TV setting, with your role on the Gossip Girl reboot. How was the transition from acting to music?

JA— It’s interesting, because music actually predates acting for me. I’ve been doing it on my own for quite a while, so it’s more so that I took a break from music to try acting.

I see. I bet you were busy, did you get to balance those two interests?

JA— Any time I had free time, I’d just be writing. And when I went home for lockdown in 2021, Sakina and I just started making music… and we never stopped.

SG— It all started falling together. Snowballing into this great idea that we could actually start a band.

So was a project like this always in the cards for you both?

JA— I never imagined I’d be doing something like this.

SG— [laughs] I’ve always wanted to do something like this.

I’ve always loved when a project seems to come out of nowhere. But then it all just falls into place. Especially when you find the perfect dynamic with someone else.

JA— Exactly, I love working with Sakina. I’ve been on this journey of how to open up more with songwriting, and with English being their second language, the way they put lyrics together are in ways I could never have thought of.

SG— And sometimes I’ll be anxious to write something in English, but Jordy will be there to encourage me. She’ll be like, 'say it the way your brain wants to, and we’ll work from there.'

Such a perfect push and pull. I love that.

SG— So when we mesh, we’re so sick. It’s this sick energy.

JA— And they’re a DJ, so they have such a wide knowledge of music. And I’m more used to pop music. It’s like we have our strengths and challenges in opposite ways, so it balances out.

And it all meshes so perfectly in your new single. I want to hear about that process!

JA— When we first started the process of writing Tayong Dalawa, I was picking up on Sakina’s vibe of staying connected to their roots. This, combined with a different comfort level with English, is where we got the idea to write the song in Tagalog.

SG— She would come up with the melodies, and I would fill in the words.

Jordan, how was it singing in a different language?

JA— Interesting. Fascinating. And even though I’ve seen the English version now, for the most part during recording, I was just singing phonetically.

SG— But even without knowing the words, the track produces this feeling. It’s a track that you can dedicate to someone. To anyone.

I was just about to ask, what kind of emotions does Tayong Dalawa bring up? What kind of setting do you see it playing in?

JA— DARTY. BEACH DARTY. Or a rooftop in New York. We just want people to dance to this.

SG— Right, just anywhere outside! Backyards. Street dances. You know, how like in the Philippines, they’ll just throw a kickback anywhere. It’s about enjoying wherever you might be.

Totally a kickback song. I can see this bringing crowds of just about anyone together.

SG— It’s such a song for the masses, it’s this communal feeling.

JA— Everyone has these special connections that can’t be put into words. A person that you just vibe with. Someone you adore. Your mom, your coworker, a friend, that unexplainable spark.

And not only are you blessing us with a single, but a music video only a few days after.

SG— Yes, so we filmed the music video in the Philippines, with an all Filipino crew!

Reppin’! And what was it like shooting in Sakina’s home base?

SG— It was warm, and nothing matters when it’s warm. [laughs] We were just running around and enjoying the space. I hadn’t been home in so long, in five years. There were so many locations I had totally forgotten about.

JA—  Elena Virata directed it, and she’s just an incredible director and filmmaker. It was thrilling, definitely. We had a small but mighty team, and we would be run-and-go for long shoot days. On our last day, we were up at 4am with the crew just to make sure we could wrap.

Respect. And those makeup looks probably took forever. They’re so intricate.

SG— That’s all our amazing makeup artist Drian Battista. She’s a genius. We found her looks from her instagram — she’s able to do these eccentric, otherworldly looks.

JA— And so I messaged her, like, “hey, we’re coming to the Philippines!” and she was immediately so down.

I was just looking at her posts. She makes herself unrecognizable, in the dopest way. And she did the same, turning you both into these alien creatures.

JA— Yeah, when Sakina and I were writing the treatment for the video, and we really liked this concept of this juxtaposition between two creatures — my makeup is red and yellow, and Saki’s is blue and yellow.

SG— Which, by the way, is inspired by the Philippines flag. The whole video is about these two aliens who get dropped on the earth, and have to reconnect. Tayong Dalawa, “The two of us”, trying to find our way back to each other.

It’s extraterrestrial, but in a way, it’s very human. I sensed that from the video right away.

SG— Right, it’s about the fear of the unknown that comes with unconditional love.

JA— How you don’t have to surround yourself with people who are like you. Having a diversity of people around you and in your experiences is how we can better share love. And bring others together. That’s really what MND3GMA’s all about.

I can’t wait to see more from you guys. It was so sick getting to chat with you both about your process. And with a fellow Filipino too!

SG— [laughs] Thank you!

JA— Yes, thank you!