Last Tuesday, May 19th, Rico and Karla were joined on All Out by the Philippines’ Queen of Soul herself, Jaya! The singer joined the All Out duo on a livestream to talk about her music, her journey in the industry, life in quarantine, and more.
Jaya has been a household name in the Philippines since the late 90’s, but did you know it was actually Pilita Corrales who “discovered” her in the States and suggested she come back home? Jaya moved to the USA with her mom when she was 15 years old, and actually did some singing there when she was 18. She even had a hit song, “If You Leave Me Now” that entered the Billboard Hot 100 in the States! And Filipinos went crazy when they found out the singer was Filipina, too.
A few years later, Pilita Corrales was on tour in America when her producer got in touch with Jaya’s mom Elizabeth Ramsey to be the opening act. Pilita was curious and surprised to find out she had a Filipina daughter, and then met with Jaya and asked her to come home to the Philippines to start a music career. Jaya was against it at first, saying “Alam ko in the Philippines, they don’t like dark-skinned, curly haired people. So I was like nope, sorry, I’m not gonna sing.” Eventually though, she was convinced. She moved back to the Philippines in 1996, and from there her career began!
Jaya admits that it was very difficult to deal with people’s initial stereotypes and prejudices. She was made to lose weight and got plenty of comments about her appearance. “Buti nalang wala pang social media then. It was apparent—I know things are different now—but back then, talagang, 'Ay Jaya, maitim ka pala, mataba ka pala.' Everything was so negative, I couldn’t take it.” But she overcame all these judgmental comments by just accepting who she is. “There was a point when I said, you know what, you have to stop answering them back cause it’s not gonna work. Just be who you are and, gagaya rin ‘yang mga yan.”
This is the same advice Jaya wants to impart on others who struggle with their own self-image and deal with negative comments. “Don’t be shy and don’t be afraid of who you are. You’re created for a particular purpose, you suit a certain something. Just accept that. Just love who you are!” And just look at how far that mindset has gotten her! As Karla said during the interview, Jaya’s career has withstood the test of time!
Of course it’s not just her uniquely beautiful looks, but her immense talent that has made Jaya such a well-known singer in the country. When it comes to recording, many of the songwriters just ask her to sing in the “Jaya way.” But for her, there isn’t really a “Jaya way,” she just sings whatever comes out. Most times, she actually has to record an entire song multiple times because she hits notes and melodies that she can’t replicate. That’s some natural talent right there! And she’s extremely grateful for the amazing songwriters she’s worked with. “Up to this point, I’m still amazed at how I was just handed songs that lasted!”
One of those long lasting songs is of course, “Dahil Tanging Ikaw.” Jaya says this is the song that changed the course of not just her career, but her entire life. “There’s no ‘Dahil Tanging Ikaw’ without Jaya, and there’s no Jaya without ‘Dahil Tanging Ikaw,’” she said. When Jaya first heard the finished version of the song, she cried! She couldn’t believe it was a hit! Jaya gave credit to the original singer, Chiqui Pineda, as well.
She’s got songs and a voice that has resonated with Pinoys over the years, and we can probably give some credit to “hugot culture” and Filipinos’ love for ballads. “Tumatagos sa puso ng mga Pinoy. Pinoys love to be… hurt. They love that feeling of crying, hugot songs, you know!” Jaya even joked that her fans wouldn’t like it if she sang songs that are too happy, but she knows her strength is in the heartbreaking ballads she sings.
Admittedly, the journey in the music industry has not been an easy one for Jaya. Just a couple of years ago, she was ready to give it all up and move back to America, quitting her music career. She says, “The music industry is such a cruel world… it’s tough. Akala kasi nang marami that when you’re in this industry, once you make it, you’re good to go. Everything’s a bed of roses. No – there’s so much pressure in what’s going to happen next.” But as fate would have it, she met with people from Cornerstone Entertainment who convinced her to continue on as a singer.
It made Jaya realize that this was God’s doing, and that she still has a purpose in the music industry. And now, it’s up to her to use this talent for the good of others. “The music industry that I feel like breaks me all the time, is the industry that builds me all the time. It's the industry that keeps me whole and sane. And this is probably the thing that I will do for the rest of my life. And hopefully, I don’t only sing, but I use this platform to be of service. I want to serve in any way I can.” Inspiring!
So what is Jaya up to now? In 2019, she released an album titled “Queen of Soul.” She’s also known as one of the judges on It’s Showtime’s Tawag Ng Tanghalan (or “TNT”), which has been quite an experience! “I am the most bashed ‘hurado!’” she says. “I think it was because I gonged 3 contenders all in the same day, and it was Valentine’s day. I will never forget it.” Jaya said she also trended for two days because of her criticism of a contender’s performance of “Through the Fire.” Haters gonna hate, we think she’s just honest and totally qualified to give some criticism! On TNT, Jaya also gets to work with some of her idols, and she’s very grateful for her co-judges, the fans of the show, and of course to the network!
Jaya’s advice for people who want to pursue their music career: “It’s not so much their capabilities, but it’s more of, what are you going to sing, how are you going to present it, and do you have the stomach to accept criticism?” The advice her mom would always give her was, “Whatever it is you’re going to do, you better do it right.”
But for now, as quarantine has put most of these projects on hold, Jaya has been enjoying life at home with her husband, Gary Gotidoc, and her kids. They’re all close, and staying safe and healthy together. “I just miss going out and doing the normal day-to-day things, and singing, of course,’ she admitted. While she’s been handling most of the cleaning at home, her husband and sons have been doing Airsoft around the house, her daughter Sabriya has been playing the guitar and writing music (“I think I’m gonna start hiring her to play for me!” Jaya said), while her stepson’s girlfriend has been homeschooling Jaya’s kids. Productive household!
Before the stream ended, Jaya gave her last messages, first for the frontliners. “I just wanna give a shoutout to all our frontliners at lahat ng mga tao na nagtatrabaho during the COVID season. My hats off to you guys! I pray to God that all of you are safe.” Then some a message of hope and safety for the rest of the Filipinos! “Sana lahat tayo ay makaangat nang sabay-sabay at walang masamang mangyari pa. Sana lahat matapos na at makapagsimula na tayong lahat. I think we should just slowly get back into the grind of things. Let’s not go out right away and go crazy you know! But I know a lot of people have to go out and work, so just be safe, wash your hands, put your mask on, protect yourself. Most of all, continue to pray. Pray for yourself, for your family, for our country, our leaders. And just pray for the whole world, because this doesn’t involve just us. God is good, He’s always watching us, and He has a better plan for all of us. Let’s keep His promises, claim it and believe it, and everything will be okay!”
Hopefully we get to see this Queen of Soul in the RX booth real soon – maybe to serenade everyone on the Concert Series? We’ll be looking forward to that day! But for now, this Facebook live interview is more than enough! Watch the full video here: