Maria Luisa Ramsey-Gotidoc (born March 21, 1970), known professionally by the

mononym A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. In some cases, a mononym selected by an individual may have originally been from a polynym, a word which refers to one o ...

Jaya (), is a Filipina

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest att ...

singer, rapper, record producer, actress, dancer and presenter of mixed Jamaican and Visayan descent. She was a talent of

GMA Network GMA Network (Global Media Arts or simply GMA) is a Philippine free-to-air television and radio network. It is the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network, Inc. Its first broadcast on television was on October 29, 1961. GMA Network (f ...

but later transferred to

ABS-CBN ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Philippine commercial broadcast network that serves as the flagship property of ABS-CBN Corporation, a company unde ...

, where she serves as one of the head jury of the '' Tawag ng Tanghalan'' segment of the Philippine noontime variety show '' It's Showtime'' and performer on '' ASAP''. Jaya is the first Filipino recording artist to chart in the United States, with her debut single "If You Leave Me Now" peaking at number 44 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. Jaya also ventured into musical theatre, playing the role of

Surpanakha Shurpanakha (Sanskrit: शूर्पणखा, , ), also known as Meenakshi, is a '' rakshasi'' (demoness) in Hindu Mythology. Her legends are mainly narrated in the epic ''Ramayana'' and its other versions. She was the sister of Lanka's kin ...

in the 1999 Filipino musical

Rama at Sita ''Rama at Sita – The Musical'' is a 1999 full-length Filipino musical in the Tagalog language. It is an adaptation of the 1980 Filipino rock opera ballet by three National Artists Bienvenido Lumbera, Ryan Cayabyab, and Alice Reyes entitled, "Ra ...

staged at the University Theatre.

Early life

Maria Luisa Ramsey was born on March 21, 1970 in

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...

. Her mother was Elizabeth Ramsey, a Filipina comedian and singer of Jamaican and Spanish-Filipino descent. Ramsey's father is Reynaldo Kagahastian, a Filipino. Her parents separated when she was young, and her father migrated to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. He now resides in

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest T ...

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. She entered show business at the age of ten as a backup dancer for her mother, and at the age of 12 was a backup singer and front act for some minor and major shows. She began performing solo in 1982, using the name Louise Ramsey. Ramsey did not finish high school in the Philippines because of her busy lifestyle as a child performer. She nonetheless received high marks and was once elected

class president A class president, also known as a class representative, is usually the leader of a student body class, and presides over its class cabinet or organization within a student council. In a grade school, class presidents are generally elected by ...

Life in the United States

Her mother Elizabeth decided to leave for the United States in June 1985, and brought Louise with her. There, she continued her solo singing stints, performing with other

Overseas Filipino An overseas Filipino ( fil, Pilipino sa ibayong-dagat) is a person of full or partial Filipino origin—i.e., people who trace back their ancestry to the Philippines but living or residing outside the country. This term generally applies to ...

artists like Tillie Moreno, Eddie Mercado, Lerma dela Cruz, and the duo Reycards. Life in America was difficult for Ramsey and her mother as they moved around different cities in California. She attended John Marshall High School in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

, which at the time already had a large Filipino-American student population. She ran away from home in 1988 after finishing high school, moving to New York with a friend and landing a job as a backup vocalist for Stevie B's group of musicians.

Career

U.S. debut

After high school in the U.S., Ramsey became a back-up vocalist to Miami freestyle singer Stevie B. In 1989, she was re-christened "Jaya" and signed a record deal with Stevie B's label

LeFrak-Moelis Records LeFrak-Moelis Records (or LMR for short) was a New York City-based record label founded by Samuel J. LeFrak of the LeFrak Organization and music industry veteran Herb Moelis. They had initial success in the late 1980s and early 1990s with Miami-bas ...

and her eponymous first album, produced by Stevie B, was released in the U.S. The album consisted largely of

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dance tracks written or co-written by Stevie B, who also provided backup vocals. The album's the first single, "If You Leave Me Now", was a hit in discos and debuted on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in October 1989. After 18 weeks on the Hot 100, the song was still gaining in both sales and airplayMichael Ellis. "Hot 100 Singles Spotlight." ''Billboard.'' 102.6 (10 February 1990). p. 79.
p. 34.
—it ended up peaking at number 44 in February 1990— and remained in the Hot 100 for a total of for 26 weeks, an unusually long chart run for a single peaking outside the Top 40. The song did well in many markets but at different times, thus diluting its Hot 100 rank. It hit top 10 in several markets and made it to number one at the

crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Albums and songs * ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album) * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album) * ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album) * ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...

powerhouse

KMEL KMEL (106.1 FM) is an urban contemporary radio station that is licensed to San Francisco, California, and serving the San Francisco Bay Area. It is owned and operated by iHeartMedia. KMEL has studios located in the SoMa district, and broadcas ...

. The song hit number 14 on ''Billboards Top 40/Dance crossover chart and number 25 on the 12-inch Singles Sales chart. Jaya's follow-up single, "One Kiss Per Minute", was a minor dance hit, but failed to make the pop chart and the third single from the album failed to chart as did another non-album single in 1993.

Philippine debuts

1995 was a turning point in Jaya's musical career. Pilita Corrales, dubbed "Asia's Queen of Songs", noticed her voice after Jaya did an opening act for Corrales, Carmen Soriano, the late Bert "Tawa" Marcelo, and Elizabeth in the United States. Corrales then asked Jaya if she would like to return to

and record an album, to which she agreed. Jaya returned to the Philippines and signed a record deal with

Viva Records Viva may refer to: Companies and organisations * Viva (network operator), a Dominican mobile network operator * Viva Air, a Spanish airline taken over by flag carrier Iberia * Viva Air Dominicana * VIVA Bahrain, a telecommunication company * ...

in March 1995 and completed her first local album. Five songs were recorded in the US while the rest were done in the Philippines. Jaya is noted for being the Philippine music industry's female record holder of a seven-times platinum album. She was a big hit when Pinoys first heard her belt out soul ditties in 1996. Her winning the 1996 Metropop Song Festival via

Danny Tan Daniel Surian Tan (born July 29, 1959), simply known as Danny Tan, is a Filipino musician known for his songwriting and musical directing for the Philippine movie, television, theatre, and recording industries. He is associated with Ryan Cay ...

's "Sometimes You Just Know" made her the biggest star on the rise at the close of the last century. Her first album under Viva Records hit an all-time high of 9 times platinum. In 1997, she released her third album ''In the Raw'', (second in the Philippines) the follow-up to her massive-selling 1996 Philippine debut album, ''Jaya'', which sold nine times platinum, (360,000 units; platinum is 40,000 units sold). In this year also, 1997, she started performing in SOP, a Sunday variety noontime show in

. She also won as Best Interpreter at the Asia Song Festival held in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...

in February 1997 for her rendition of the song "You Lift Me Up", composed by

with lyrics by Dodjie Simon. This composition also received the grand prize, the Best Song award. She adorns ''Magpakailan pa Man'' (Up to the End), with soulful, Toni Braxton-styled flourishes, and renders the upbeat, "Together" with panache and verve. Her assured handling of the delicately nuanced, "Sana'y Maulit Muli" (May it Recur Again), is a ''tour de force''. The album sold quintuple-platinum (200,000 units sold). She released a Christmas album, entitled ''Kung Kailan Pasko'' which contained traditional carols alongside original compositions, including a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

version of '' The Christmas Song''. In 1999, PolyMax Records, a label of then-PolyGram Records Philippines (now an affiliate of Universal Records) released Jaya's ''A Love Album'', first released in 1992 in Japan under the same title. The album consists of songs taken from an earlier Jaya album, also called ''A Love Album'', released in the United States in 1989, as well as songs recorded specifically for the 1992 Japanese release. In 1992, while touring Japan as a backup singer and keyboardist for American R&B artist Stevie B., Jaya was approached by the Japanese label Toshiba/EMI to make an album for Japanese release. ''A Love Album'' was released in Japan in conjunction with Jaya's American label, LMR Records, which still owns master rights, and from whom PolyMax obtained permission to release the album in the Philippines (according to Kazu Watanabe, managing director of PolyMax Records). ''A Love Album'' is exquisitely produced, and Jaya acquits herself well on the album's upbeat R&B/dance-styled tunes and soulful ballads. In 1999, Jaya released, her fifth album released in her native country since 1996, entitled ''Honesty'' originally done by Billy Joel, was also her career single. ''Honesty'' differs greatly from Jaya's two previous major albums released in the Philippines, 1996's ''Jaya'' and 1997's ''In the Raw''. Though, as before, ''Honesty'' contains mostly passionate, easy-listening love songs, this time out her approach is more intimate. She doesn't add many soulful flourishes as before, nor does she allow herself to soar passionately to the heavens, which she often did on her previous albums. Another major difference is the inclusion of three modern,

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

styled songs, including, "We Thang," "Tear to Fall" and "In My Dreams." These songs are far more contemporary and have much more international appeal than the easy-listening love songs which dominate Jaya's music. After five years in the recording scene, she released her first greatest hits album, entitled ''Five'' featuring a duet of ''Habang May Buhay'' (While There's Life) with Regine Velasquez and ''Kung Wala Na'' (If It Is Gone) from the ''Abandonada'' soundtrack. In 1999, Jaya faced a big challenge when she did her first musical, the

Ramayana The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th to 4th centuries BCE, and later stages ...

-based ''Rama at Sita'' that starred

Lani Misalucha Lani Bayot Misalucha (; born Lani Dimalanta Bayot; August 3, 1969) is a Filipino singer who performs pop, rock, jazz, soul, rhythm and blues, and operatic arias. Her ability to sing across several genres gave her the title "Asia's Nightin ...

. Her performance as the

demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in Media (communication), media such as comics, video ...

king

Ravana Ravana (; , , ) is a rakshasa king of the island of Lanka, and the chief antagonist of the Hindu epic '' Ramayana'' and its adaptations. In the ''Ramayana'', Ravana is described to be the eldest son of sage Vishrava and rakshasi Kaikesi. He ...

's sister, Soorphanaka, was memorable for her skillful treatment of risque songs and sultry dancing. Also in 1999, Jaya was offered to be a main host in a GMA Network variety show called '' SOP''.

2000: ''Unleashed'' and concert scene

In 2001, Jaya released her sixth ''Unleashed'' album. Jaya sings in a relaxed, confident manner, and performs middle-of-the-road songs that mostly have depth and quality. Jaya mostly foregoes the soulful embellishments that were plentiful in her first two albums, 1996's ''Jaya'' and 1997's ''In the Raw'', although every so often she adds a few unwritten notes in a passionate, soulful manner. She approached her last album, 1999's ''Honesty'', in the refined manner that she furthers on ''Unleashed''. Jaya covers Roy Orbison's "Love Hurts" and

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

's "Love" in an understated, yet enjoyable manner.

Johnny Nash John Lester Nash Jr. (August 19, 1940October 6, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter, best known in the United States for his 1972 hit " I Can See Clearly Now". Primarily a reggae and pop singer, he was one of the first non-Jamaican artists ...

's "I Can See Clearly" features an imaginative, bass-heavy arrangement. In 2001, she released her first live album, entitled, ''Jaya Live at the Araneta''. The album is dominated by performances of American hits. For example, the album starts with a performance of

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in '' Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". Wit ...

's 1960s hit " Respect", and also includes Labelle's " Lady Marmalade",

Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lamp Richard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colomb ...

's " Smells Like Teen Spirit," and Roy Orbison's " Love Hurts." She performs several of these ballads here, including her first hit in the Philippines, "Dahil Tanging Ikaw" (Because It's Only You). Several guest artists also have spots, including Regine Velasquez, who performs Abba's "Dancing Queen"; boy band Jeremiah, who accompanies Jaya on remakes of songs by American boy bands, including

Westlife Westlife is an Irish pop vocal group formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1998. The group currently consists of members Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Kian Egan, and Nicky Byrne. Brian McFadden was a member, until he left in 2004. The group temporar ...

's "Swear It Again"; and male singers Wency Cornejo, KC Montero, and Rivermaya's vocalist and songwriter, Rico Blanco. After 4 years of hiatus in the music scene, Jaya returned with her seventh studio album entitled, ''Fall in Love Again''. Friends, old and new helped Jaya put the album together. One of these is Ogie Alcasid, who composed and produced "Ako'y Sa'yo" later revived by Regine Velasquez, "Maging Akin Ka Lamang" and their duet of "Bakit Di Mo Sabihin". Another one is Vehnee Saturno, who wrote and produced most of Jaya's early hits. His contributions are "Pagkukunwari" and "Di Na Ba Kita Mapipigilan", which is the album's first single release.

2007: New label

In 2007, she released her eighth album Cool Change under her new label,

GMA Records GMA Music (formerly known as Infiniti Music and GMA Records) is a subsidiary of GMA Network Inc. and is engaged in the production, marketing and distribution of music and concerts. GMA Music is a member of PARI and has the distinction of havin ...

, featuring covers of international hit songs including Donna Summer's " On the Radio" and the Chaka Khan's "Through the Fire". All of the songs were presented with new arrangements in various musical genres. The first single was "Is It Over?" originally sung by Ronnie Milsap which received Platinum award in 2009. After her Platinum Record solo album, "Cool Change, " Ramsey released her ninth studio album entitled, ''Real.Love.Stories.'' It contains 14 love songs carefully picked and beautifully revived by the Philippine's Queen of Soul, such as "

Breathe Again "Breathe Again" is a song by American R&B singer Toni Braxton. It was written by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and produced by Edmonds, L.A. Reid, and Daryl Simmons for Braxton's self-titled debut album (1993). Its lyrics evokes a sense of nostal ...

" originally sung by Toni Braxton; "Old Friend" by Phyllis Hyman and " Save the Best For Last" by Vanessa Williams. The concept album will be released initially on a limited edition micro secure digital format and after two weeks, it will be available on physical CDs and digital downloading. Jaya was also part of ''Kaya Natin Ito'' single cd. The project was supported by Gawad Kalinga to help the tropical storm Ondoy and Pepeng victims that killed more than half a million people all over the country.

2010: New beginnings

On March 1, 2010, Jaya starred in her first

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio drama ...

as a supporting character in '' Diva'', a new primetime offering of GMA Network for their 60th Anniversary, alongside Regine Velasquez, Mark Anthony Fernandez and

Glaiza de Castro Glaiza Castro Galura-Rainey (born January 21, 1988), known by her stage name Glaiza de Castro, is a Filipino actress, recording artist and advocate. She is recognized as the industry's "''Drama Royalty''" for her acting prowess and versatility ...

. Her show ''

BandaOke ''BandaOke! Rock 'N Roll to Millions'' is a Philippine television game show by GMA Network. Hosted by Jaya and Allan K., it premiered on October 25, 2009. The show concluded on March 21, 2010 with a total of 22 episodes. It was replaced by '' ...

'' aired from October 25, 2009 to March 21, 2010, and was replaced by the reality sitcom ''

Pepito Manaloto ''Pepito Manaloto: Tuloy ang Kuwento'' () formerly ''Pepito Manaloto'', ''Pepito Manaloto: Ang Tunay na Kwento'', ''Pepito Manoloto: Kuwento Kuwento'' and ''Pepito Manaloto: Ang Unang Kuwento'', is a Philippine television sitcom series broadcas ...

''. She was also a main presenter of the GMA-7 variety show, '' Party Pilipinas''. Jaya was reluctant to act before but she enjoyed playing the role of Barang, Regine Velasquez' friend in ''Diva''. She played the nosy landlady Helen de Herenes in '' Kaya ng Powers'', a sitcom that starred Joey Marquez and Rufa Mae Quinto as a couple from outer space. Jaya won Best Female Vocal Performance for the song "Hiding Inside Myself" at 23rd Awit Awards on September 30, 2010, defeating some of the younger local singers of today.

2011–2016: ''All Souled Out'' and Sunday All Stars judge

Jaya released an album under Universal Records entitled ''All Souled Out'', a CD album containing 12 tracks of all revival songs. It was her third cover album, containing classic R&B and jazz songs that she grew up listening to. The album received a critical response, after experimenting with a variety of sounds in her previous outings, "Jaya comes to terms with what she is really all about as a singer in "All Souled Out." She triumphs in making the material sound genuine, largely because it is perfect for her. And her voice is a thing of wonder. There is warmth, power, and vulnerability in her renditions, making listening to the entire album a breeze—perfect for long drives or for those lazy weekends." She was one of the "Big Four" judges of GMA Network's new musical variety show '' Sunday All Stars'' which began airing on June 30, 2013. She also starred in Mga Basang Sisiw as Sally

2016–present: Return to ABS-CBN

Currently, Jaya became a ''Kapamilya'' after being welcomed on

's and after 16 years with

, noontime-variety show '' It's Showtime'' last July 16, 2016, and she is now a part of the jury on '' Tawag ng Tanghalan''. In November 2016, Jaya was one of the guests of the Filipino girl group D I V AS' first concert titled DIVAS Live in Manila along with K Brosas and Regine Velasquez.

Personal life

In 1998, Jaya married musician Andrew Buffington, whom she met in 1995, and filed for divorce after three years. Jaya married her second husband, Gary Gotidoc, in May 2006, and at the age of 36 gave birth to her daughter Sabriya. On June 27, 2009 at 5:28 pm, she gave birth to her son Dylan at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan City and he weighed 8.2 pounds.

Voice

Jaya is one of the Philippine's Finest Contraltos, widely known for her dark and big voice, low registered as low as A2. Contraltos can extend their notes to the mezzo-soprano or to the lower range. She can belt in the Ab5 note in her rendition of " Through the Fire" even as high as A5 in her version of " High Energy".

Discography

Studio albums

*1989: ''Jaya'' *1996: ''Jaya'' *1997: ''In the Raw'' *1998: ''Kung Kailan Pasko'' *1999: ''Honesty'' *2001: ''Jaya'' *2001: ''Unleashed'' *2005: ''Fall in Love Again'' *2007: ''Cool Change'' *2009: '' Real.Love.Stories.'' *2011: ''All Souled Out'' *2019: ''Queen of Soul''

Live album

*2001: ''Live at the Araneta''

Compilation albums

*1999: ''A Love Album'' *2000: ''Five'' *2006: ''Silver Series'' *2009: ''18 Greatest Hits''

EPs

*1989 If You Leave Me Now *1990 One Kiss Per Minute *1990 Shadow Love *1993 When I'm Available *2001 Skindo-Le-Le

Soundtrack

* ''S6parados'' (performer: "Isang Araw") (August 3, 2014) * ''Pangako... Ikaw lang'' (performer: "Bakit Ngayon Ka Lang") (July 4, 2001) * ''Abandonada'' (performer: "Kung Wala Na") (November 29, 2000) * ''Dito sa puso ko'' (performer: "Dito Sa Puso Ko") (1999) * ''Dahil Ba Sa Kanya'' (performer: "Dahil Ba Sa Kanya") (May 13, 1998) * ''Wala na bang pag-ibig'' (performer: "Wala na bang pag-ibig") (October 22, 1997) * ''Laging Naro'n Ka'' (performer: "Laging Naro'n Ka") (April 9, 1997) * ''Hanggang Ngayo'y Mahal'' (performer: "Hanggang Ngayo'y Mahal") (1997) * ''Dahil Tanging Ikaw'' (performer: "Dahil Tanging Ikaw") (1997)

Filmography

Television

Films

*Pangako Ikaw Lang 2001 Viva Films *Enteng Kabisote & The Abangers 2016 MZet Films

Theatre credits

* ''Rama at Sita''

Awards

References

External links

iGMA.tvGMA RecordsViva Records
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jaya 1970 births Living people Filipino contemporary R&B singers Filipino dance musicians Filipino freestyle musicians Filipino people of Jamaican descent Filipino women composers Filipino women pop singers Filipino television actresses Singers from Manila Viva Artists Agency Viva Records (Philippines) artists Universal Records (Philippines) artists GMA Music artists GMA Network personalities ABS-CBN personalities Star Music artists Filipino women rappers Visayan people Filipino television variety show hosts