Amazing Kate from fashion darling to music maven

CEBU, Philippines - Kate Torralba has stamped her name in the country as a renowned fashion designer with a penchant for quirky, colorful creations. This one particular Sunday afternoon though, while we silently admire her cutesy blush-toned baby doll dress and the quirky specs she puts on, fashion would not be the meat of our conversation.

This petite, ultra-talented Cebuana – while maintaining that she’ll always be a designer – is currently shifting to a career as a  full-time musician. A path in which she hopes to be embraced seriously in just as the world of fashion did.

 A former classical piano prodigy and self-described songwriting geek, Kate has finally released her 11-track musical debut under MCA Universal, aptly called “Long Overdue.” It is a world-class production, and her very own labor of love that took nearly five years to finish.

Kate’s CD, which was launched last September in Manila, will be available in Cebu for the first time at her grand Cebu homecoming launch on November 8th, 6 p.m., at the Northwing at SM City Cebu. Part of the event proceeds will go to victims of the recent earthquake. “I want to give back to the province that has given me so much. I may be described as a professional pursuing a career in Manila for a longest time now, and I may have been all over the world, but at the end of the day, I’m a Cebuana first. People who’ve watched me in college with Hard Candy, until now, they still write to me and tell me how they liked a song I made. For me, it’s a celebration of  being an artist who was born and bred here,” said Kate.

If you find yourself on these dates at any of these places, catch the other stops of Kate’s “Long Overdue” Southeast Asian tour on: Nov. 5, Blue Jaz Café, Singapore; Nov. 16, Craft Bar & Grill, The Fort, Taguig; Nov. 20, Saguijo Bar, Makati; Nov.22, Live Vibe Cafe, Makati; and Seoul, Bangkok, Bandung in December.

In the meantime, you can listen to Kate over free television, as she is the guest on tonight’s episode of TV5’s musical show “The Mega and The Songwriter,” hosted by Sharon Cuneta and Ogie Alcasid,  at 9 p.m. She’s particularly thrilled about her first TV guesting since the launch of her album and music career as she performs her first single “Pictures” with Ogie. More so, the very same episode will feature one of  Kate’s OPM heroes, the legendary Rey Valera.

How did your love affair with music start out?

I was always the kid who wanted to sing and play the piano. I was very curious, and I would just get stimulated by music even as an infant. I started singing at three years old. At four, I started playing the piano. I studied classical piano at seven; at nine, I was sent to the United States to play in a concert for Filipino prodigies, where I was in the classical piano category. I was offered a piano scholarship after that. I grew up in a household where I had lots of aunts and uncles and grandparents who exposed me to all genres. From my grandparents, there were the standards such as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Louis Armstrong…from my uncles and aunts, there were The Carpenters, Beatles; and then I had an older brother who was into New Wave. In school, I had this best friend who was pretty hip for an elementary school kid. She got me into buying music. She would always buy cassette tapes which she would share with me. I thought she was so cool and I picked up the habit from her.

Did you later on learn to play other instruments?

When I quit classical piano at 13, I picked up the electric guitar because I fell in love with Nirvana, Pearl Jam and all that alternative music wave of the 90s. I was so into bands, and eventually got into my first rock band. I also fell in love with The Corrs, so I picked up the violin. Alanis Morissette rocked my world, and I was like, ‘Oh, she plays the harmonica,’ so I picked up the harmonica too. I’m blessed with a good ear, so I was just hungry to learn everything. Pretty much, I was a sponge. I kept absorbing everything and when I discovered other genres, I started losing interest in classical music. The training was so rigid. I actually really wanted to learn the piano, but once the training was imposed on me, – three hours every day and I wouldn’t have lunch break because of the lessons – it was just a natural response of a kid who felt it was too much. They were shoving it down my throat. It didn’t help that my mom was such a perfectionist, so even if she didn’t know how to play, she would hear every mistake. I became known as the kid who played piano very well. So my mom was like, ‘I want my kid to be better.’

How vital has music been to your life?

Even I had university and had my business of designing clothes at the same time, I was so hungry to play music. I was part of the Hard Candy band, and we were pretty active in the local circuit during the late 90s up to the early 2000s. When I worked at the Senate for Loren Legarda, even then, whenever I had free time I would go to these places where people were playing music, and I would ask if I could also play. There was a part of me that was always yearning to be stimulated. Music is my outlet. Every now and then, I wanted to have a gig. Even when I was busy as a fashion designer, I would really find a way to get a gig.

Why ‘Long Overdue’?

Because I basically prepared for this record for an entire lifetime. To be honest, I was already on the verge of giving up on the project. There were a lot of challenges. First, there was time. I was unsuccessfully trying to complete this album for two years. I started in 2008, and work would always take over. I just couldn’t sit down and really focus on it. I was so burned out from fashion work. I’ve been making clothes for almost 17 years. I was tired. It was always music that would keep me sane. So I went on sabbatical from work in 2010, and I told myself that this was the time to do it. I was thinking I would finish it in two weeks, but it wasn’t possible because I’m meticulous and OC with the recording process, and I’m very picky with whom I collaborate with. Everybody – producer, engineer and musician – who played on this record, I handpicked.

What pushed you to finally finish the album?

I thought it would just be this hobby project, until I signed up for the Elements National Songwriting Camp of Ryan Cayabyab in 2010 held in Dumaguete, which Joey Ayala encouraged me to do. I auditioned because I wanted to meet Mr. C. The big surprise of my life was, I didn’t just meet him, but I went on this amazing camp where we were mentored by the finest songwriters in the Philippines like Rico Blanco, Gary Granada, Jim Paredes and this whole group of songwriters who heard my stuff and told me that I had potential in songwriting. Out of the 60 participants, six were chosen to perform their piece in a concert. I was one of the six, including Cattski. I played my song ‘Pictures,’ and they said it was good songwriting. Generally, they all approved of my work and thought I should pursue it. That was a big turning point in my life, and I told myself, ‘You know what, I’m gonna do this well, I’m going to launch this album, and I’ll bring my music to the world. Because for a very long time, I was shy with my writing. If I played my song in a gig, I wouldn’t say it was mine because I didn’t think it was good enough. I have every discriminating taste when it comes to music, and I would always compare myself to others. I would hear my own influences. It was just in the camp where I was pushed to share my music. It set me free. Thankfully, people were happy to hear it.

How was it to finally meet and be mentored by your idol, Ryan Cayabyab?

I remember Ryan Cayabyab telling me, ‘I really love your song. It’s really beautiful and unique.’ That made me cry which held up the audition for 30 minutes, because 20 years ago, I was a little girl who watched a Smokey Mountain concert in Cebu Plaza, and I waited for him after the concert to meet him. He got out of the Visayas Ballroom without me getting to meet him. He had a show daily late night show before, ‘Ryan, Ryan Musikahan,’ and I loved it so much! I had bedtime curfew, so I would pretend to be asleep, turn off the lights and turn on the TV and use headphones. I was that big a fan. You can’t imagine how much I idolize him.

What is your songwriting  process?

I just sit at the piano and sing, and it would just come out. For a time, I tried to be scientific about it: I’d write the lyrics first, or the music first. But there was always something missing. What works for me is spontaneity. It has to be organic. I go to the piano, press record on my phone, and whatever I’m feeling, I just let it out. The songs have a life of their own; I’m just a vessel. For instance, one of the songs in the album titled ‘Video,’ there was this internet scandal involving people that I knew, and I was upset about it. I didn’t even set out to write about it, but it seemed like a knee-jerk reaction to what I saw.

Are you now more focused on music than your fashion designing career?

Designing is still my day job, but I’m selective with my projects. I had wanted to design a collection based on the whole album, but I’ve been so busy with shows, guestings and gigs.

Name five musicians, dead or alive, that you’d love to invite over for dinner.

Joni Mitchell, Stevie Nicks of  Fleetwood Mac, Rey Valera (“I think he’s one of the greatest songwriters of all time.”), Ryan Cayabyab and Gotye (“He’s a friend of mine, and he’s one of the people who inspired me to finish the album.”)

How has your family reacted to this shift in career?

Of course, in the beginning, they were concerned. They asked if I was sure since I had already established myself in the fashion industry. ‘Why don’t you just do this as a hobby?’ is what they would say. Parents speak from the heart out of concern. A lot of friends also asked me if I was serious about it, because they didn’t want me to get disappointed. Gary Granada told me to be prepared because the path of a musician is one that’s full of heartbreaks. I’m very blessed that fashion has made me meet all these influential people, who are genuinely supportive of what I do.

How soon will you be working on a second album?

I have 40 other compositions so I can have three more albums! But for now, I’ll focus on promoting “Long Overdue” until next year.  (FREEMAN)