Actress-musician Maris Racal, 25, and OPM superstar Rico Blanco, 51, were first officially confirmed to be in a relationship in May 2021. If you were surprised by their unique pairing, then you need to know that they've had a ~connection~ going back to 2017.
The couple's love-filled relationship was filled with creative collaborations and sweet posts of each other online. But in July 2024, Maris broke the sad news that she and Rico have officially parted ways. Here's a complete rundown of the showbiz couple:
A timeline of Maris Racal and Rico Blanco's relationship
August 2017: Maris tweets about Rico.
ICYDK, Maris happens to be a huge fan of Rico, which explains her tweet from 2017. "Hay Rico Blanco when will I hear you sing live," she wrote.
September 2017: Maris receives a birthday greeting video from Rico.
Director Alco Guerrero posted a tweet on September 22, 2017, Maris' 20th birthday, and wrote, "#HappyBirthdayMarisRacal from a guy whose songs you always sing—Mr. Rico Blanco!" Along with the tweet was a video greeting from Rico himself. "Hey, Maris. Happy, happy birthday. Hope you have a good one," he said.
Maris replied to the tweet and said, "Can he sing 'Your Universe' for me????"
March 2018: Maris tweets a birthday greeting for Rico.
On March 17, 2018, Rico turned 45 years old. Maris greeted him via a tweet and said, "Happy Birthday @ricoblanco!! Ps. Would u sing 'Balisong' on my wedding day?"
Rico quote tweeted his reply and acknowledged her request, "thank you! 'balisong' AND 'your universe.'"
December 2018: Maris posts a picture with Rico.
In what can be assumed to be their first meeting, Maris posted on Instagram commemorating the occasion. "abot langit ang ngiti :))))))))))))) (i hope u dont see this huhu super idol kita)," she wrote.
February 2019: Maris posts about a songwriting session with Rico.
In Maris' Instagram video, we see Rico playing the piano while Maris sings a song she wrote in her notebook.
April 2019: They release the song "Abot Langit."
Writing about their collaboration on Instagram, Rico described "Abot Langit" as "this gorgeous pop nugget I've had the pleasure of composing alongside the talented @mariesteller who came up w the main idea, hooks, and a charming naughty/nice vocal perfect for our little nod to the Japanese #citypop vibe we both dig. I played all the instruments/programming, and arranged/produced/engineered/mixed/mastered as well." Rico owns the record label Balcony Entertainment which Maris is currently a part of.
Rico also happened to make a cameo appearance in the music video:
June 2019: They release a "Ricovered" version of "Abot Langit."
August 2019: Maris gets to watch a Rico performance.
Maris' dream of seeing Rico live finally happened. Even better, she also got to see IV Of Spades perform as well. Writing on Instagram, she said, "pwede na ba ako sumali kahit taga tono lang ng gitara sa gilid. Huhuhu galing niyo."
September 2020: They release their second collaboration "Not For Me."
March 2021: Maris sparks relationship rumors because of her birthday greeting for Rico.
On Rico's 48th birthday, Maris posted a black-and-white photo of Rico taken from behind and a video of them jamming to Aqualung's "Brighter Than Sunshine," while sitting on a couch and exchanging sweet smiles to each other. "hi rico. happy birthday," Maris simply wrote in the caption. Rico then replied with, "hahaha love youu!!!"—which made netizens speculate if there was anything going on with them.
April 2021: Maris talks about making music with Rico.
In an interview with RX 93.1 FM Radio, Maris shared that working with Rico was her dream collaboration ("amazing is an understatement") and that he pushes her to become a better musician, "Whenever I'm in the studio with him, siguro if I type everything na sinasabi niya, I would get three books out of every studio session. Kasi ganon'n kadami yung words of wisdom niya in terms of music."
May 2021: Maris confirms her relationship with Rico.
In a virtual press conference for her upcoming Maalaala Mo Kaya stint, Maris admitted to being in a relationship with Rico. "Kami po ni Rico. I think basing sa post na ginawa ko, I think it's very obvious," she said referencing her viral birthday post. "Sa music naman po, nagkataon lang na medyo pareho kaming dalawa. That's why mabilis naming nakuha ang writing ng isa't isa. Before kasi nag-meet kami through that and then nagkaintindihan na."
September 2021: Maris and Rico collaborate on music together.
The newly hard-launched couple performed their 2019 collaboration, "Abot Langit," on the September 12 episode of ASAP Natin 'To. On September 17, Maris also released a Tagalog-Bisaya song, ""Asa Naman" about being disappointed while still hoping for love. It was produced and co-written by Rico, who also helped with shooting, directing, and editing the song's music video. Rico also joined her for her 24th birthday celebration with her family.
November 2021: Maris and Rico are announced to star in a series together.
The two wereannounced to star in The Goodbye Girl on The Filipino Channel (TFC).
May 2023: Maris brings Rico with her to Red Velvet's concert.
Maris is a certified ReveLuv and she shared that love for Red Velvet with her beau, Rico, during their concert. "After ng concert, super humanga siya kay Seulgi!" she replied to a commenter who asked who Rico's bias was.
September 2023: Rico greets Maris for her 25th birthday.
For her 25th birthday, Maris had a birthday bash with family and friends, which was included in Rico's heartfelt post for her. He also posted photos and videos of her at the beach with the short but sweet caption, "Happy birthday, sweetheart."
February 2024: Rico Blanco greets Maris for Valentine's Day.
In another sweet post, Rico posted a photo of Maris with flowers and balloons for Valentine's Day. "Yung mga sandaling pinakamasaya ang puso mo, pinakabuo naman ang akin," he sweetly says. "Happy Valentine's Day, mahal."
July 2024: Maris announces she and Rico have broken up.
In an interview held on July 12, 2024 for Star Magic Spotlight, Maris tearfully revealed, "Rico and I are over." She continued, "I'm scared because if I announce it, then it's real." She further elaborated about what happened. "I don't know what happened to me. Maybe I turned to the next page and saw a new perspective sa life. I had visions of who I wanted to become, and how I wanted to evolve. I'm so curious about the world."
She also adds that she's been going through changes in her life. "But the truth is, I am going through changes. Alam naman natin change is either good or bad. What I hate about change is that inevitable, hindi mo siya matatakasan. And wala ka nang ibang gagawin but to face it." Maris broke into tears as she described how she also talked about these changes in depth with Rico. "So yeah, I told Rico about it. My problems, my issues sa buhay and he took it like a man. It was a very difficult talk. I love him so much. I love him and he loves me..."
"It was very difficult but it was a very polite separation. Until the very end of our relationship, it was still full of love and full of understanding. Rico is one of a kind. If only I could skip through my 20s, you know. But I can't. I have to face it. I have to sit with my feelings and acknowledge my changes." Even her appeal to the public was full of love for Rico. "Please don't direct your hate on Rico, because he's too precious for that. If you guys wanna throw so much, I'm ready to take them."
Preemptively clearing up the air, she also already clarified that her Can't Buy Me Love co-star, Anthony Jennings, was not involved in the breakup. "Anthony is out of the picture."
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