Watch out, she’s got a ukulele

MANILA, Philippines - Up-and-coming singer-songwriter Kai Honasan is ready to show a whole new side of Original Pilipino Music (OPM) armed with an unusual weapon of choice — a ukulele. The 25-year-old graduate of the UP College of Music has been writing songs on any instrument she could get a hold of, from the piano to a plastic kazoo, since her elementary school days.

In 2011, she joined 60 aspiring singer-songwriters worldwide for a songwriting workshop held at Berklee College of Music’s new campus in Valencia, Spain where she wrote This City, a song inspired by her little adventure and the people she met along the way.

In 2012, she became part of the third batch of the Elements Singer Songwriter Camp held in Dumaguete, Negros Oriental. Over the course of five days, she had the privilege of learning from some of the top musicians and composers in the OPM industry, led by Ryan Cayabyab.

On March 22, Kai will be releasing her debut album In Your Face (and other songs about other faces) at B-Side with eight original tracks, including the title track In Your Face, Ngayong Gabi and the lead single, Tongue Tied. The album is produced by Sancho Sanchez and Buddy Zabala. Apart from This City, she also had a chance to work with TOMS Shoes Philippines to write a song titled Heartbeat, especially for the One for One movement back in 2012. Kai’s original songs can be streamed from her Soundcloud page on www.soundcloud.com/kai-honasan or www.amplify.ph.

No matter what she’s singing about, whether it be cities, fumbling through your words or even slapping somebody in the face, Kai Honasan’s catchy melodies and humorous lyrical style definitely make her a fresh and funny young artist to watch out for in the local music scene.