Dom Guyot is a queer artist who always challenges the current zeitgeist. His latest single with rapper Zae titled “manloloko” implores everyone to go against the cheating man at the center of the song.
Back in June 2025, Guyot grabbed mainstream attention with “kabit,” which drew the general audience’s ire for its raunchy, “taboo” subject matter. He then responded to how the song was misinterpreted by a majority of listeners. Guyot didn’t back down despite the detractors. If anything, the song’s controversy pushed him to avoid boxing himself lyrically and sonically moving forward.
“manloloko” pokes fun at what constitutes a “cheater” now. Guyot always has that in mind when he writes, but embodying a diva is its own thing. He cites Beyoncé as a blueprint for his exploration of different genres.
“As you can see in [Beyoncé’s] trilogy now, she’s doing it very cool, like seeing her jump from Renaissance to Cowboy Carter,” Guyot tells Rolling Stone Philippines. “Her previous albums have different vibes. She goes from ballads to full‑on pop tracks, which I really appreciate because I grew up with divas.”
“manloloko” features Zae, whom Guyot calls an icon in the rap scene. During the earlier stages of the songwriting, Guyot wrote the vowel-heavy hook and R&B-flavored verses with the dance hall production in 15 minutes. He then felt the track needed a female perspective as the final piece of the puzzle.
Guyot DM-ed Zae on Instagram. All they needed was five minutes to write their lines together. Guyot lauds Zae for her willingness to tackle subjects people don’t usually touch, especially cheating, without sensationalism.
“Everyone knows what a baddie Zae is. It’s so nice to see a female talking about stuff that’s considered taboo in the Philippines,” he says. “Zae bringing that female perspective, that female voice into the track, is very important to me.”
Fighting the Man
Guyot is intentional about his writing, whether it’s subversive or sometimes satirical. For him, “manloloko” is also about gays and women pushing back against oppressive systems.
“To be honest, ang daming manloloko sa mundo right now,” he says. “It’s not just about cheaters, it’s also like sa gobyerno. Ang hirap sa Pilipinas ngayon. Niloloko tayo araw‑araw. How are we supposed to live throughout this year if ganito kahirap tapos maghihirap pa?”
In the song’s bridge, Guyot and Zae trade lines as if they were having a civil conversation. He credits her with opening up a new part of his creative brain, pushing him lyrically. Guyot continues to empower both women and queer folks to get back up on their own pace after being cheated on.
“The song is really about calling people out, taking your power back. You refuse to be played. You outlive the liars, you outplay the players, and you become secure sa sarili mo,” he says. “Kahit anong outcome, hindi maaapektuhan ‘yung pagtingin sa sarili mo. You are still that bitch.”
Guyot closes with advice for listeners recovering from cheating or being cheated by systems in general. The song doubles as a cautionary tale about trusting men in any context, whether in relationships or in the government.
“Usually when a cheating issue happens in the Philippines, parang ang babae talaga ‘yung wini‑witch hunt, which stems from misogyny,” he says. “At the same time, the women are always pitted against each other. ‘Yung gusto naming ginawa ni Zae is, instead of fighting each other, kaming dalawa, we’re fighting the man.”
Frequently Asked Questions
The queer pop R&B artist who wrote both wrote “kabit” and “manloloko” is Dom Guyot.
Dom Guyot has collaborated with female rapper Zae in the song “manloloko.”
Dom Guyot is inspired by artist Beyoncé when it comes to choosing any genre he writes under.
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Dom Guyot and Zae’s latest single “manloloko” is a song about how queer and female individuals fighting against oppressive systems.
Dom Guyot worked on the song “manloloko” for 15 minutes. While Zae and Guyot had only worked together to finish writing the track in 5 minutes.
