Barbie Almalbis releases new synth-pop single “Wicked Heart”

Photo credit: Nina Sandejas

Multi-awarded singer-songwriter Barbie Almalbis wraps up her tremendous year in music with the release of “Wicked Heart,” her new single under 12 Stone Records and Sony Music Entertainment.

Barbie’s new song reflects on the repercussions of making rash decisions out of emotion. According to Barbie, “Wicked Heart” also presents the rhetoric that while our desires and emotions are a beautiful part of who we are and how we experience life, there must be something “truer” than the heart.

The Dahilan artist recalls a personal experience in the past involving a misguided action that she regretted doing.

“I was thinking about how following your heart can lead to trouble sometimes,” the Filipino alt-rock icon explains. “I want to follow my heart, but it’s always changing its mind. It’s definitely something I’ve personally been through, but it also takes inspiration from the verse in Jeremiah 17:9: The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked: who can know it?”

Written and produced by Barbie Almalbis herself, with Jorel Corpus and Jett Galindo on mixing and mastering duties, respectively, “Wicked Heart” hits the high mark with its refreshing mix of ‘80s influences and pastel synths. Delivering a whopper of a pop anthem, Barbie initially penned the track on a “guitalele” to harness a different dimension and vibe.

Barbie reveals, “Writing on a new, different instrument makes the process feel exciting and fresh sometimes. As the song progressed, I realized I didn’t hear much guitar in it, so I asked my bandmate Nikko Rivera to fill the whole thing with keys and synth parts, and he sent me like 10 layers of things. I just added a little bit of guitar later on, so that I’ll have something to do when we play it live. Karel played bass on it, and Jonard played the drums.”

Barbie Almalbis recently celebrated her 25th year in the music scene with a concert chronicling her career as one of the most influential figures in Pinoy alternative rock. She also recently released her debut solo record, Parade, on vinyl for the first time. To date, Almalbis is working on new songs and collaborations for future releases.

“Wicked Heart” is out now on all digital music platforms worldwide.