Skylyne Spotlight: Mak Ro

Mak Ro turns Filipino-American roots, Memphis soul, and cousin-built chemistry into genre-blurring songs about love, identity, and finding beauty in the in-between.

Skylyne Spotlight: Mak Ro

There’s no way you can resist Mak Ro’s music once it finds you. The Memphis-based duo, made up of Filipino-American cousins Eric Makapugay and Kristoffer Ruaro, creates a smooth blend of R&B, pop, rock, and soul with a sound that feels both polished and deeply personal.

Since forming Mak Ro, the two have steadily built an independent catalog and a growing audience around their genre-blurring sound. Their music pairs rich production with expressive vocals, giving each release its own distinct character while still feeling unmistakably Mak Ro.

Now, the duo is stepping into their next chapter with their new single “Middle.” I got to catch up with Eric and Kris to get to know Mak Ro a little better.

SKYLYNE: Hi Eric and Kris, thank you so much for doing this with us! I want to start all the way from the beginning. You’re cousins, but how close were you growing up? Was music already something you shared, or did that come much later?

Mak Ro: We’ve known each other since we were little. Being Filipino, our families were always around each other, so we originally bonded over video games. As we got older, we both started writing music around the same time. In 2018, we accidentally wrote our first song together, and the accidents haven’t really stopped since.

SKYLYNE: And before we get deeper into the music, I have to ask: where did the name Mak Ro come from?

Mak Ro: Mak Ro comes from the easiest parts of our very Filipino last names: Mak from Eric Makapugay and Ro from Kris Ruaro. We also liked that it sounded like “macro,” because we always wanted the project to become part of something bigger than the two of us. Our goal has been to tell honest, personal stories that can still connect with all kinds of people. The coolest part is seeing that happen in real time when we look out into the crowd at our shows. Also, when we were kids playing video games, Eric always wanted to be Player 1. So maybe the name order was destiny.

SKYLYNE: You both come from pretty different musical places, with Eric leaning more into rock and instrumentation and Kris bringing more R&B and pop. What was the first song where you really heard those two sides coming together and thought, “Okay, this is the Mak Ro sound”?

Mak Ro: Probably “Elevator,” since it was the first song we ever wrote together. Kris grew up listening to a lot of pop and R&B, while Eric came from more of a rock background. Eric also got heavily into R&B while attending Northeastern in Boston, which became a bridge between our musical worlds. From there, all the other genres we love started tangling their way into the music. We’re very different, but that difference creates space for something unique. Where we meet in the middle is usually our strongest point: when we can both hear something and love it deeply at the same time.

SKYLYNE: I love that the whole thing started from Eric playing a random guitar riff, which later became the song. Do you still remember that day clearly? And at what point were you both like, “Wait, maybe we should actually keep doing this”?

Mak Ro: Very clearly. Eric was home in Memphis from college for Thanksgiving break, and we were hanging out at his parents’ house. He started playing a guitar riff, Kris began singing over it, and by the end of the day, we had written a song. That inspired us to keep jamming and see what else came out. About a year later, we learned production, and that completely changed the game. Producing ourselves gave us control over our sound, our recording process and the emotional environment we created in. We had tried traditional studios before, but we could never fully capture what we heard in our heads. Learning to do it ourselves gave us the safe space we needed to be ourselves.

SKYLYNE: So now when one of you brings an idea into the room, how unfinished can it actually be? Can it literally just be one chord or a voice memo, or do you usually wait until there’s more of a song before sharing it?

Mak Ro: It can be extremely unfinished. Most of the time, Eric begins with a sonic feeling or instrumental idea. We may arrange it together, or he may already have the foundation built. If Kris connects with it, he’ll take it on a walk or drive and start finding melodies and lyrics. Once the vocals are written and laid, it goes through the Kris vibe check, then the Eric vibe check. From there, we’ll work on additional production together if needed and mix before we send it for any additional mixing and mastering. We basically ride the wave for as long as it feels inspiring. We never pressure ourselves to release everything. Some songs are just for us, some are stepping stones toward something else, and some are simply acts of expression. That alone is enough.

SKYLYNE: I always find it interesting when family members are building something together, because there’s obviously a whole different level of comfort there. Are you brutally honest with each other? Who’s more likely to say something isn’t working, and who takes the criticism better?

Mak Ro: It really is about creating a safe space where either of us can feel however we feel about something. Sometimes Eric loves an idea that Kris doesn't connect with, or vice versa. What we usually move forward with are the things we both have a real stake in loving. We’ve built a culture where the goal isn’t necessarily to make a hit or even finish every song. The goal is to stay creative, enjoy the process and love what’s in front of us. A lot of our music has never made it beyond Dropbox, or even beyond the recording session, but none of it feels wasted. The songs that didn’t make it through the first gate of “we both love this” often helped us reach the ones that did. We try not to lead with criticism. We lead with what we love.

SKYLYNE: You’re both Filipino-American artists from Memphis, which is already such a specific combination of cultures and musical histories. Where do you hear those different parts of yourselves showing up in Mak Ro, even in ways listeners might not immediately notice?

Mak Ro: There’s a lot of soul in our music that comes from growing up in Memphis. When you’re surrounded by that musical history, it’s almost impossible not to carry some of it with you. Then there’s our Filipino side. We grew up hearing Filipino music filled with romance, yearning and these huge, heartfelt emotions. That definitely lives in the love songs we write. We don’t always bring those influences into the room consciously. They simply rise to the surface through the way we write, produce and create visuals. Sometimes other people hear it before we do and say, “It makes sense that you’re from Memphis,” or, “It makes sense that you’re Filipino.” Our environment, families, heritage and even ancestry find their way into the work, whether we intentionally invite them in or not.

SKYLYNE: Since Memphis is such a big part of your story, what’s one song you always play while driving around Memphis?

Kris (Mak Ro): It changes constantly depending on my mood. But right now, I’ve been listening to a lot of Isaiah Rashad and Joy Crookes. Although some of my forever comfort albums that I constantly go back to are Ctrl by SZA, Freudian by Daniel Caesar and Saturn by Nao.

Eric (Mak Ro): It changes pretty often, but I still find myself going back to music I listened to as a teenager, like Red Hot Chili Peppers, or older bands like Rush. More recently, I’ve been listening to a lot of Joy Crookes, and I’ve had Ravyn Lenae playing in the car quite a bit too.

SKYLYNE: Kris, you’ve also been open about being a queer artist, and that part of your experience comes through in the music in a really personal way. Has writing given you a way to say things that might have been harder to say outside of a song?

Kris (Mak Ro): I think more than anything, writing is my greatest tool to understand what I’m actually going through. Love in the Dark came from my experiences as a queer person in the South, especially during a period when I wasn’t fully open about who I was. That led me into some dark and sad situations where I felt like I didn’t deserve very much, or that the relationships I wanted weren’t allowed to exist in daylight. Writing helped me turn those experiences into something beautiful, but it also forced me to look directly at them. Sometimes I don’t know what I’m feeling until a song exists and I can listen back and think, “Oh ok, that’s how I feel.” It’s especially meaningful when people tell us they’ve used our music to understand their own experiences. That’s a huge part of why I write: to be present with what I’m feeling and hopefully create something that gives someone else permission to do the same. As a queer artist, I want to be the kind of person I needed when I was younger, which really is just to be a beacon of permission for authenticity.

SKYLYNE: You’ve also released so much independently since 2019, which means there’s already a pretty big history to look back on. When you go back to “midnight” or some of those first songs now, are you proud, embarrassed, emotional, or maybe a little bit of everything?

Kris (Mak Ro): Some have definitely aged better than others, but I’m never embarrassed by them. Whenever I listen back, I remember how much I loved making them and how much work it took to bring them into the world. I may not relate to every song in the same way anymore, but I’ll always honor the honesty that version of me had. Some songs feel timeless, while others are very specific snapshots of who I was. There was one song I had beef with for a while because I felt almost too vulnerable in it. Eventually, I got over that and thought, “You know what? Vulnerability is a good thing.” Lol so now we’re good.

Eric (Mak Ro): I’m definitely still very proud of those songs when I look back on them. I don’t listen to them too often now, unless I’m in one of those rare nostalgic moods, but I still remember how proud I felt when we made them. We worked really hard to create something that felt right to us at that moment. Even if I don’t revisit the songs as much anymore, I always remember the feeling behind making them, and that’s what stays with me most.

SKYLYNE: You mentioned your first album, Love in the Dark, which is personally one of my favorite Mak Ro projects. After years of releasing singles, did finally putting out a full album change how you saw Mak Ro or what you wanted the project to become?

Kris (Mak Ro): We had always wanted to create a full body of work because albums are how we love experiencing music. A song can make you feel something, but an album can bring you into an entire world. Love in the Dark was our first opportunity to build one. That album cemented for me that we were meant to be doing this. Sometimes I wish it had been the project that introduced us to an even larger audience, but what makes me proudest isn’t the numbers. It’s that we created an honest, long-form story about real experiences and were able to share it out into the world. The collaborators, stories and sonic landscapes on that album will always be special to us. Getting to perform those songs live still feels magical. Personally, album of the year for me, every year, for the rest of my life.

Eric (Mak Ro): Releasing Love in the Dark didn’t really change how I saw Mak Ro. It reinforced what we believed from the beginning: make what we love and create music that feels true to us. What surprised me most was how naturally moody the album became. We didn’t set out to make that kind of record, but it felt like the art we were supposed to make at that time. I’m incredibly proud of it. I’ve always wanted to make an album, and this feels like a culmination of our lives, our skills and everything we had to say in that moment. Yeah, it’s a bangin’ album.

SKYLYNE: And now you’ve passed 1.5 million streams, which is huge, especially for an independent project. Was there one song or one specific moment when you first realized that people outside your own circle were really finding the music and becoming fans?

Kris (Mak Ro): I treat all our songs like my children, equally loving all of them, but “Boulevardier” has definitely been the star child for the past few years. What’s funny is that it came together incredibly easily. Eric spent a few hours playing and layering instruments while I was at the gym. When I came home, the production was almost fully built. I was processing a situation with someone that hadn’t worked out because of distance, so I sat on the couch behind Eric and wrote nearly the entire song within an hour. It felt like the song already existed and we were simply uncovering it. I really connect with the balance of sadness and beauty in it. It’s bitter and sweet at the same time, which mirrors the cocktail it’s named after. That complexity is what I love about sad music. It can help you reach a part of yourself that might otherwise stay hidden. But I feel like “Boulevardier” was the song that seemed to help people understand where we were going with our sound. You can never really predict what people will connect with, but I’m glad we all got to love that one together.

Eric (Mak Ro): It’s kind of crazy to see that number, but I try not to get too caught up in numbers or streams because the main thing will always be the music. I remember someone recognizing us at a restaurant in Memphis back in 2023, and it was probably the first time that had happened. More recently, someone recognized us in this hidden bar in Toronto, which felt even more surreal because we’re not even from there. It’s always surprising when that happens. You never really know who the music will reach while you’re creating it, so it’s really cool when we get to meet the people on the other side who have been listening.

SKYLYNE: That growth has also taken you to a lot of stages, from SXSW and NXNE to Pride Fest and the Overton Park Shell. Out of everything you’ve played so far, which show has meant the most to you personally?

Mak Ro: Every show is special, but performing at the Overton Park Shell was a dream-come-true moment. We grew up in Memphis seeing shows there when it was still called the Levitt Shell, and we always kept muttering to ourselves, “One day, we’re going to play here” while watching shows. Then we actually did! We spent about 4-5 months preparing and wore so many hats handling so many details: the set, styling, set list arrangements, sound automations, coordinating lighting and mixing, etc... It was the biggest show we had ever played, and it showed us what we were capable of creating. Seeing our family, friends and people from across Memphis sharing that summer night with us was incredibly meaningful. We just love that we got to help create a memory for our hometown while also getting to experience artistry in the way we had always imagined it.

SKYLYNE: Now let’s get into the new chapter. Congratulations on “Middle”! It’s your first song since the album spent so much time inside heartbreak. Was it intentional that the first song after it would be about slowly learning to trust love again?

Kris (Mak Ro): I’m not sure it was intentional as much as it was necessary. You can only sit in the gloom for so long before thinking, “Ok I’m over it, I want to be happy again.” I spent a lot of time doing the internal work, especially in therapy, to understand where certain fears and patterns came from. Writing an album can help you process, but eventually you also have to do the work beyond being aware of your narrative. “Middle” reflects where I am now: more open to love, experience and whatever the world brings. There’s still a guardedness in the song, but there’s also a willingness to be brought out of it. Visually and creatively, we also feel less like we’re dressing up for a concept. Love in the Dark had a very specific world around it. With “Middle,” we’re honoring who we are right now, stylistically, sonically and emotionally. This chapter is teaching us that we don’t always have to curate ourselves around the art. Sometimes we can simply be and that is the art.

SKYLYNE: One thing I really love about “Middle” is how calm it stays. Both the vocals and the production are very gentle, but there’s still so much emotion underneath everything. Did the song naturally come together that way, or was there ever a point where you had to stop yourselves from adding too much?

Kris (Mak Ro): The funny thing is that we barely remember making it. We were doing a lot of live performances at the time, so studio work was happening quietly in the background. “Middle” was one of those songs that simply emerged. I usually write with a clear structure in mind: verse, chorus, verse, chorus. This song came out more like a continuous train of thought. I did try adding more at one point because I worried it wasn’t enough, but every addition killed the feeling. That taught me something important. Music doesn’t always need acrobatic vocals, huge notes or a hundred things happening at once. Sometimes it can simply feel good. “Middle” felt calming and peaceful. It lowered my cortisol every time I listened to it. At first, I didn’t think it could be a single because it didn’t have one giant, explosive moment. We revisited it a couple of years later, though, and still loved it. The conviction behind the vocal became more important than vocal gymnastics. I had to genuinely mean what I was saying. The song helped me realize that music can simply be a good feeling, and that can be enough.

Eric (Mak Ro): We actually made the song about two years before releasing it, so some of the details are a little hard for me to remember because it sat in the vault for a while. But I do remember it starting with those melodic guitars, then adding the Wurlitzer, Hammond B3, drums, bass guitar and the Solina. From there, I remember we just let each instrument move in its own way through the song. It has this really gentle build, and by the end it becomes almost psychedelic, but it still keeps that same soft, natural feeling throughout. I don’t try to force where the chords or melodies go. Sometimes they just make sense moving in a certain direction, and with this song, that direction was calling to be a little more free-form. It doesn’t really follow a traditional structure, which is different for us, but somehow it felt and still feels very right.

SKYLYNE: You also released it on the new moon and described it as the beginning of a new chapter, which I thought was such an interesting detail. Are you both people who pay attention to signs and timing like that, or was this one of those rare moments where everything just happened to line up?

Kris (Mak Ro): Love this question - I’m a mf starboy for sure lol. I love aligning releases with the moon, the stars and whatever energy feels connected to the moment. When we were ready to release “Middle,” there happened to be a new moon. Symbolically, new moons represent beginnings, emergence and transition, which perfectly matched what the song meant to us. Most artists release on Fridays, but it felt more important for the timing to match the intention than the industry calendar. For the astrology girlies though: I’m an Aquarius sun, Pisces moon and Gemini rising. Eric is a Gemini sun, Sagittarius moon and Leo rising. Do with that information what you may.

SKYLYNE: We’ve talked a lot about the different influences that shaped both of you, but looking at artists more broadly, are there any who inspire you not only musically, but also as role models for the kind of artists you want to be?

Kris (Mak Ro): I was late to discovering Sade, but hearing her music changed the way I understood what music could be. When I first started writing, I focused heavily on acrobatic singing, huge vocals and all the technical things people say make a song impressive (just listen to elevator lol). But Sade showed me that music can simply feel incredible. It can be sophisticated, sultry, understated and emotionally powerful without forcing a giant moment. Her voice, visuals, songwriting and even the way she carries herself have all been deeply inspiring. Growing up, I loved R&B and the great vocalists: Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and the divas. I also love pop artists like Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande. I am a gay man at the end of the day. In more recent times, I’ve been really inspired by Leon Bridges, Khruangbin, SZA, Olivia Dean and Victoria Monét to name a few. Really anyone with a strong pen, a distinct world and a real point of view will always pull me in.

Eric (Mak Ro): I’d definitely say I’m inspired by artists I grew up listening to and the way they approached making music. Red Hot Chili Peppers are a big one for me, especially hearing stories about how they work in the studio. Their producer, Rick Rubin, has also been really influential because of his philosophy about life, art, and creating from a very honest place. A lot of what they say feels similar to how I’ve always thought about music, even before I knew how to put it into words. They seem focused on making what feels right to them at their core, and that really resonates with me. Led Zeppelin had that same kind of energy. When Jimmy Page talks about his vision for the band, you can tell how specific and intentional he was. The four of them had such a strong connection, and you can hear that clarity in the records. I’m always inspired by artists who feel completely inside their own world. Even when their music isn’t necessarily for me, I have a lot of respect for anyone with that kind of distinct vision. That’s something I want to keep building with Mak Ro.

SKYLYNE: Thank you so much again for taking the time to answer all of these so thoughtfully. To close things out, I want to give the spotlight completely back to you: what do you have going on right now, and what should people be looking forward to next?

Mak Ro: We honestly don’t fully know yet, and that’s part of what makes this chapter exciting. We’re in the studio, making new music and following whatever feels alive to us. There are definitely things beginning to take shape, but for now, just hop along for the ride. We’re about to find out together.

FOLLOW MAK RO:

linktr.ee

. Official: Instagram, Facebook | Linktree

Linktree. Make your link do more.