Katrina Velarde | |
|---|---|
 Velarde in 2023 | |
| Born | Katrina Copino Velarde December 5, 1994 Tondo, Manila, Philippines |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Years active | 2012-present |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
| Labels | Viva Records |
| Website | YouTube channel |
Katrina Copino Velarde (born December 5, 1994) is a Filipino singer. She became part of the group New Born Divas that competed in the second season of Talentadong Pinoy. In 2012, she joined the first season of The X Factor Philippines and became part of the girl group A.K.A. J.A.M. under Gary Valenciano's team. She also finished as runner-up on TV5's Masked Singer Pilipinas as Diwata.[1]
Velarde has often been referred to as "Asia's Vocal Supreme".[2][3] In December 2022, she performed in Firdaus Holiday Experience at the Expo City Dubai with Firdaus Orchestra. She performed her single "Isang Himala", the official soundtrack of the box office movie Miracle in Cell No. 7 (2019 Philippine film), "Hindi Tayo Pwede" from The Juans and "Pasko Na Sinta Ko" by Gary Valenciano.[4]
Life and career
Born and raised in Tondo, Manila, Velarde started to join singing contest at age 7 to help her family's financial difficulties. She also sold Sampaguita lei made by her mother.[5] Velarde was known as a veteran contender in singing contests. She became part of Little Big Star hosted by Sarah Geronimo together with her batch mate Charice Pempengco and Sam Concepcion. Her biggest achievement was in 2006, when she won the title in Sonshine Radio's Survival Challenge, the biggest national singing competition on radio of its time. She sang "One Moment in Time" by Whitney Houston as her winning piece. Morissette was also part of the competition.
2011: TV5's Talentadong Pinoy
Velarde together with her friends Alyssa Quijano and Jennifer Maravilla formed the group New Born Divas to join the second season of Talentadong Pinoy, one of the most popular reality talent shows of its time. After posting consecutive wins, the group was named the 11th Hall of Famer.
2012: ABS-CBN's The X Factor Philippines
After New Born Divas disbanded, she joined The X Factor Philippines season 1 as a solo act. She sang "Dangerously in Love" by Beyoncé and got four yeses from the judges. On her bootcamp performance, Velarde sang (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman by Aretha Franklin. After that audition, the judges called the names of Velarde, Alyssa Quijano, Auriette Divina, Monique Lualhati, Jhelsea Flores and Ashley Campbell to inform them that they were chosen as the last act in groups category that made it to the Top 20 and it was mentored by Gary Valenciano.[6] At the judges' home visit, A.K.A. J.A.M. performed Seasons of Love by the cast of Rent the musical and made it to the top 12. On the first week of their live show, their group performed Got to Be Real by Cheryl Lynn. On the second week, they performed This Is My Life (La vita) by Shirley Bassey. On the third week of their live show performance, A.K.A. J.A.M. performed Survivor by Destiny's Child. Unfortunately, their group didn't make it to the next level after losing to Daddy's Home via text votes of 4.42% and 5.53%, respectively.[7]
2013: Suklay Diva
After she uploaded a video of herself singing Dangerously In Love 2 by Beyoncé while holding a plastic comb as her microphone, netizens started calling her Suklay Diva (Comb Diva). It went viral after catching the attention of the netizens and started to gain international fame through social media.[8] Her video went viral after Chris Brown and Beyoncé's guitarist Bibi McGill shared it on social media from worldstarhiphop.com and became a female talent of the week.[9] Because of her viral video. Velarde got an invitation to showcase her talent on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.[10] A segment that open its door for Filipino singer and internet sensation like Charice Pempengco. But due to her Bell's palsy condition, Velarde turned down the offer.
2014-2021: TV5 career
Velarde became part of TV5's weekly drama series "Trenderas" with Isabella de Leon and Lara Maigue where she played the role of Diva Salambangon. Her natural wit and sense of humor brought her to nomination at the 2015 Golden Screen Awards as Outstanding Breakthrough Performance by an Actress.[11] In 2015, she also played a main role in TV5's Wattpad presents #Bitterella.[12] Velarde had a chance to showcase her talent on Wish 107.5 Bus YouTube channel singing her rendition of Go The Distance by Michael Bolton.[13] Because of her ability to imitate local and international singers, she started to upload a video of her song covers that became popular to some foreign reactors on YouTube.[14]
In October 2018, Velarde performed in the 2018 Philippine Popular Music Festival, an annual songwriting competition organized by the Philpop MusicFest Foundation. She interpreted "Tama Na",[15] an original song written by Michael Rodriguez & Jeanne Columbine Rodriguez which was chosen as one of the 10 finalists but the song did not place in the competition. Velarde sang theme songs for VIVA films "Magkaibang Mundo", the Original Sound Track of the movie Just A Stranger starring Anne Curtis and Marco Gumabao. Followed by "Isang Himala" from the box office movie Miracle in Cell No. 7 (2019 Philippine film) written by Miguel Mendoza.
Velarde released her first album Sikat Ako.[16] The title of her album was based on her first solo major concert. Due to its success, it follows her 2nd major solo concert "SiKat i2".[17]
She later joined Masked Singer Pilipinas 2020 as DIWATA where she became 1st runner up over Daryl Ong. Her successful journey from that contest made her as a judge on a reality singing competition Born to Be a Star.[18] Velarde has often been referred to as "Asia's Vocal Supreme".[19][20]
2022-present: Expo City Dubai & ASAP Champions
In December 2022, Velarde performed in Firdaus Holiday Experience at the Expo City Dubai with Firdaus Orchestra. She performed her single "Isang Himala", the official soundtrack of the box office movie Miracle in Cell No. 7 (2019 Philippine film), "Hindi Tayo Pwede" from The Juans and "Pasko Na Sinta Ko" by Gary Valenciano.[21]
In February 2023, Velarde participated in Louie Ocampo’s 45th Anniversary Concert, Composer Ka Lang, where she performed the song "Anak".[22] Following the pandemic, Velarde released her first single, "Ako Ba O Siya?", an original composition by Vehnee Saturno. This song was also used as the theme for the Philippine television drama series, "Minsan pa Nating Hagkan ang Nakaraan", broadcast by TV5. She also served as a judge for the segment "Stars of All Seasons" in the noontime show, It's Your Lucky Day.[23] Velarde regularly performed on the Kapamilya Channel's ASAP Natin 'To and was a part of the segment, "ASAP Champions". In December 2023, Velarde performed at The Grand Countdown to 2024 at the Marriott Grand Ballroom.[24]
Discography
Studio Album
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2019 | SiKat Ako
|
Singles
| Title | Original soundtrack of | Album |
|---|---|---|
| Isang Dakot Na Luha | Isang Dakot Na Luha | |
| Pananagutan | Honesto | |
| Lason Mong Halik | Wag Mong Agawin Ang Akin | |
| Taksil | ||
| Leron Leron Sinta | Awit At Laro | |
| Tama Na | SiKat Ako | |
| Ikaw Pa Rin | ||
| Kung Naging Tayong Dalawa | ||
| Magkaibang Mundo | Just A Stranger | |
| Isang Himala | Miracle in Cell No. 7 (2019 Philippine film) | |
| Sunlight ft. Daryl Ong | ||
| Balang Araw (with BuDaKhel) | ||
| Love Me Now (ft. Daryl Ong) | ||
| Mahal Pa Kita | ||
| Sa Panaginip | ||
| Tililing | Tililing | |
| Ako Ba O Siya? | Minsan pa Nating Hagkan ang Nakaraan | |
Concerts
- SiKat Ako (February 1, 2019), New Frontier Theater
- SiKat i2 (November 29, 2019), New Frontier Theater
- Four Hearts: A Digital Concert (August 28, 2021)
Filmography
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Trenderas | Diva Salambangon | Main Cast | TV5 |
| 2015 | Wattpad presents #Bitterella | Ella | Main Role | |
As a group
| Year | Title | Network | Country | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Eat Bulaga: Let’s Sing Eat! | GMA 7 | Philippines | Contestant (New Born Divas) |
| 2011 | Talentadong Pinoy | TV5 | Contestant (New Born Divas) | |
| 2012 | The X Factor Philippines | ABS-CBN | Contestant (AKA JAM) | |
| 2013 | It’s Showtime: Bida Kapamilya | Contestant (AKA JAM) | ||
As herself
| Year | Title | Network | Country | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | ASAP: ASAP Versus | ABS-CBN | Philippines | Performer |
| 2019 | GGV | Performer | ||
| 2020 | Masked Singer Pilipinas | TV5 | Contestant, runner up (DIWATA) | |
| 2021 | Born to Be a Star[25] | Judge | ||
| 2022 | All-Out Sundays | GMA 7 | Performer | |
| Sing Galing | TV5 | Performer | ||
| 2023 | ASAP Natin 'To | Kapamilya Channel | Performer | |
| It's Your Lucky Day | Judge | |||
References
- ↑ "Daryl Ong, grand winner ng Masked Singer Pilipinas". Pep.ph. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ↑ "Be the next big thing in 'Born to be a Star'". Manila Bulletin Entertainment. February 11, 2021.
- ↑ "THRILLMAKER: The Suklay Diva Reaches New Highs". Manila Bulletin. April 19, 2021.
- ↑ "Dubai's all-female orchestra set for first live online performance". TheNationalNews.com.
- ↑ "Suklay Sent Katrina To Stardom". The Philippine Star. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
- ↑ "Aka Jam still thankful mentor Gary V." ABS-CBN News. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
- ↑ "A.K.A. Jam eliminated on 'X Factor'". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
- ↑ "AKA JAM member Katrina Velarde's cover of Beyoncé's song goes viral". Yahoo.
- ↑ "Katrina Velarde strikes online gold". The Philippine Star. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
- ↑ "Suklay Diva to guest in The Ellen Show". The Philippine Star. Retrieved October 9, 2013.
- ↑ "6th Golden Screen TV Awards nominees bared; Angel Locsin, Marian Rivera snubbed for Best Actress". pep.ph. April 6, 2015.
- ↑ Celi, Letty (March 2, 2015). "Wattpad tuloy ang paghataw". The Philippine Star (in Tagalog).
- ↑ "Viral: Katrina Velarde aka suklay diva goes distance". Wish107.5.
- ↑ "Watch: Katrina Velarde impersonates singers in viral video". OneMusic.ph.
- ↑ "Here are the Top 10 Philpop 2018 finalists". Bandwagon.asia.
- ↑ "Suklay Diva Katrina Velarde anxious about first solo concert on Feb. 1". Inquirer.net.
- ↑ "Must see shows for the remainder of 2019". manilatimes.net.
- ↑ "Dating contestants sa singing competitions, hurado na ngayon sa Born to Be a Star". pep.ph. January 23, 2021.
- ↑ "Be the next big thing in 'Born to be a Star'". Manila Bulletin Entertainment. February 11, 2021.
- ↑ "THRILLMAKER: The Suklay Diva Reaches New Highs". Manila Bulletin. April 19, 2021.
- ↑ "Dubai's all-female orchestra set for first live online performance". TheNationalNews.com.
- ↑ "Random thoughts on composer ka lang concert". Philstar.com.
- ↑ Severo, Jan Milo (October 16, 2023). "'It's Showtime' temporary replacement 'It's Your Lucky Day' debuts on top of X nationwide". The Philippine Star. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
- ↑ "The Grand Countdown to 2024 makes grand comeback to Newport World Resorts". Manila Bulletin Entertainment.
- ↑ "'Born To Be A Star' returns for new season on TV 5". Rappler.com. Retrieved January 12, 2021.