Jaya
Encyclopedia
Jaya is a Filipino
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....

 soul music
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...

, singer, rapper, dancer, record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...

, TV host, and actress of mixed Filipino
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....

 and African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...

 descent. She is dubbed as the "Soul Diva" and "The Asia's Queen of Soul" and is currently a contract artist of GMA
GMA Network
GMA Network is a major commercial television & radio network in the Philippines. GMA Network is owned by GMA Network, Inc. a publicly listed company...

 Artist Center
GMA Artist Center
GMA Artist Center is a major talent agency and producer in the Philippines that was founded by Felipe Gozon. GMAAC provides actors and directors for film outfits such as for Regal Entertainment and for GMA Films, and singers for GMA Records...

.

Early life and discover

Jaya is known in the Philippines as the Queen of Soul or Soul Diva. Born Maria Luisa Ramsey on March 21, 1969 in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...

, Philippines, the name Jaya came from an American producer when he signed her to a record deal in the U.S. in 1989. Her mother is comedienne-singer (Queen of Comedy and Queen of Rock&Roll) Elizabeth Ramsey, who is of Filipina descent. She has three siblings: Ike, Anna, and Susan.

She started in show business at the age of 10 as a back-up dancer to her mother. At 13, Ramsey became the undefeated champion in the GMA-7 noon show, Student Canteen, and joined the Opera House. Jaya started doing solo performances in 1982, using the name Louise Ramsey. (Louise was re-christened Jaya after she signed up a record deal in the US in 1989; the name came from her American producer).

Jaya barely knew her father. He and her mother separated after a seven-year relationship. Jaya also was not able to finish high school in the Philippines because of her busy lifestyle as a young performer. However, she got high grades in school and became a class president. Her father, a Jamaican, was very strict but Elizabeth never wanted to go to school and yet she stayed in grade six for two years.

Her mother decided to leave for the U.S. in June 1985 and brought Jaya with her. Young Jaya continued her solo singing stints there, performing with other Pinoy artists like Tillie Moreno, Eddie Mercado, Lerma dela Cruz, and the veteran duo Reycards.

Life in the U.S. was likewise difficult for both Jaya and her mother. They stayed in different cities in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. She went to Marshall High School in Los Angeles, a school with a large Filipino American student population. She ran away from home in 1988, after finishing high school. She went to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 with a friend and landed a job as a back-up vocalist to the group of musician Stevie B
Stevie B
Stevie B is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer who was influential in the Latin freestyle and High-Energy, mostly from Miami dance music scene of the late 1980s...

.

1989: US debuts

After one year, Jaya moved to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

. She was offered an opportunity to finish an album that had already been started by another artist. In February 1989, she signed a record deal with LMR Records (New York). Later that year, her first self-titled debut album was released in the U.S. The first single, "If You Leave Me Now", was a hit in the dance clubs and was subsequently released to Top 40 radio. Produced and co-written by Stevie B (who also sang some of the backing vocals), the single entered the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 chart in October 1989. It eventually peaked at number 44 in February 1990 and remained in the Top 100 pop singles chart for 26 weeks, an unusually long chart run for a single that peaked outside the Top 40. According to playlists submitted to Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

 magazine by American radio stations at the time, the song was a top 20 hit on dance-pop
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...

 stations in various large markets, such as New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

, Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

 and San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...

. The song features a strong vocal performance by Jaya as well as many elements associated with freestyle music
Freestyle music
Freestyle or Latin freestyle, sometimes referred to as Latin hip hop, is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in the early 1980s. Mostly popular during the mid 80s to the early 90s...

, which in the late 1980s was beginning to reach a wider audience in the U.S. "If You Leave Me Now" also gave Jaya the opportunity to work across the US with top artists like Stevie B, MC Hammer
MC Hammer
Stanley Kirk Burrell , better known by his stage name MC Hammer , is an American rapper, entertainer, business entrepreneur, dancer and actor. He had his greatest commercial success and popularity from the late 1980s until the mid-1990s...

, Milli Vanilli
Milli Vanilli
Milli Vanilli was a pop/dance music project formed by Frank Farian in Germany in 1988, visually fronted by Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus. The group's debut album achieved international success and earned them a Grammy Award for Best New Artist on Feb. 21, 1990. Milli Vanilli became one of the most...

, James Ingram
James Ingram
James Ingram is an American soul musician. He is best known as a vocalist. He is also a self-taught musician who plays piano, guitar, bass, drums and keyboards...

, The Jets
The Jets (band)
The Jets are a family band from Minneapolis, Minnesota, composed of brothers and sisters who specialize in pop, R&B, and dance music, particularly Latin freestyle.The group officially formed in 1985, with the original lineup fizzling out by 1990...

, and many more.

In 1990, Jaya released her second single, "One Kiss Per Minute" which peaked at #36 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music\Club Play chart.

Jaya didn’t get in touch for four years: no phone calls, no letter, no nothing. One fateful day, her older brother heard Jaya’s song, the one that made it to the top forty on the radio. Her mother cried after listening to the song.

After spending four years in Florida, Jaya went back to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 to be closer to her mother. She continued to perform music there for the next few years, primarily for the Filipino community.

1996: Philippine debuts

1995 was a turning point in Jaya's musical career. Asia's Queen of Songs Pilita Corrales
Pilita Corrales
Pilita Garrido Corrales is a Popular Filipina singer. She is tagged "Asia's Queen of Songs."-Biography:Pilita Garrido Corrales was born in Lahug, Cebu to a Spanish mother Maria Garrido and a half Filipino half Spanish father Jose Corrales...

 noticed her voice after Jaya did an opening act for Corrales, Carmen Soriano, the late Bert "Tawa" Marcelo, and Elizabeth in the U.S. Corrales then asked Jaya if she would come to Manila and record an album. Jaya went back to her native land and signed a record deal with Viva Records
Viva Records (Philippines)
VIVA Records is Philippine record label. It is subsidiary of VIVA Entertainment.- Artists & Album Releases :* 18 Greatest Hits ** Andrew E.** Basil Valdez ** Jun Pulistico...

 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 Philippine Music Industry's Female Record Holder of an 7 times platinum album. She was a big hit when Pinoys first get to hear her belt out soul ditties in 1996. Her winning the 1996 Metropop Song Festival via Danny Tan'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 8 times platinum closely followed by Jessa Zaragoza 2 years after.

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 a remarkable nine times platinum, (360,000 units; platinum is 40,000 units sold).

She also won as Best Interpreter at the Asia Song Festival held in Hong Kong in February 1997 for her rendition of the song "You Lift Me Up", composed by Danny Tan
Danny Tan
Daniel Surian Tan [or Danny Tan] is a Filipino composer, songwriter, musical director and arranger.- Educational Background :*Muhammad Tulawie Central Elementary School...

 with lyrics by Dodjie Simon. This composition also received the grand prize, the Best Song award.
If anything, In the Raw is an even better set than Jaya. Jaya sings throughout In the Raw with indelible self-assurance and relaxed confidence-she sounds like a person who's had a hit album, and is ready for more.

Where 1996's Jaya was dominated by passionate, easy-listening love songs, a style of music quite popular in the Philippines, Jaya tackles a wider variety of music on In the Raw, including more moderately upbeat numbers than before. The album still has many easy-listening love songs, and none of the songs are at a sustained fast tempo, but Jaya's approach is certainly more daring this time out.

She adorns, "Magpakailan pa Man" (Up to the End), for example, with soulful, Toni Braxton
Toni Braxton
Toni Michelle Braxton is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Braxton has won six Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, and five Billboard Music Awards and has sold over 60 million records worldwide...

-styled flourishes, and renders the upbeat, "Together" with panache and verve. Her assured handling of the delicately nuanced, "Sana'y Mauli Muli" (Hope It Happens Again), is a tour de force. In addition, she has the ability to make a relatively minor song sound good, delving into the lyrics and melody and bringing them to full bloom. The album sold quintuple-platinum (200,000 units sold).

She released a Christmas album, entitled Kung Kailan Pasko which contained traditionals and original composition of Christmas carols, including a Jazz version of The Christmas Song
The Christmas Song
"The Christmas Song" is a classic Christmas song written in 1944 by musician, composer, and vocalist Mel Tormé and Bob Wells. According to Tormé, the song was written during a blistering hot summer...

.

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 (Jaya is U.S.-based) 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
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...

, was also her carrier 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'n'blues-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 version of "Habang May Buhay", with Regine Velasquez
Regine Velasquez
Regina Encarnacion Ansong Velasquez , better known as Asia's Songbird, Regine Velasquez, is a Filipino singer, actress, record producer and TV host...

 and "Kung Wala Ka" from the "Abandonada" soundtrack.

1999, Jaya faced a big challenge when she did her first musical, entitled "Rama at Sita" led by Lani Misalucha
Lani Misalucha
Lani Misalucha is a singer from the Philippines currently performing in the United States where she also resides. She holds shows at the Flamingo Las Vegas with the Hawaiian variety troupe Society of Seven - SOS...

. Everyone still remembers her showstopping performance where she had to do naughty songs and move like she's never moved before. She's very grateful to SK Entertainment for giving her the role of the villainess in the musical.

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
Roy Orbison
Roy Kelton Orbison was an American singer-songwriter, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis...

's "Love Hurts" and John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...

's "Love" in an understated, yet enjoyable manner. Johnny Nash
Johnny Nash
John Lester "Johnny" Nash, Jr. is an American pop singer-songwriter, best known in the US for his 1972 hit, "I Can See Clearly Now". He was also the first non-Jamaican to record reggae music in Kingston, Jamaica.-Life and career:...

's "I Can See Clearly" features an imaginative, bass-heavy arrangement.

2001, she released her first ever live album, entitled, Jaya Live at the Araneta. The album is dominated by performances of American hits. For example, the album starts with a rousing performance of Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...

's great '60s hit "Respect
Respect
Respect denotes both a positive feeling of esteem for a person or other entity , and also specific actions and conduct representative of that esteem. Respect can be a specific feeling of regard for the actual qualities of the one respected...

", and also includes Labelle
Labelle
Labelle is an American all female singing group who were a popular vocal group of the 1960s and 1970s. The group was formed after the disbanding of two rival girl groups in the Philadelphia/Trenton areas, the Ordettes and the Del-Capris, forming as a new version of the former group, later changing...

's "Lady Marmalade
Lady Marmalade
"Lady Marmalade" was also covered by Italian pop star Sabrina. It was released in 1987 as the album's second single by Baby Records. In some countries, including France and the Netherlands, the song was known as "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi? " and was released in 1988.-Track listings:7" maxi#...

, Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...

's "Smells Like Teen Spirit
Smells Like Teen Spirit
"Smells Like Teen Spirit" is a song by the American grunge band Nirvana. It is the opening track and lead single from the band's second album, Nevermind , released on DGC Records...

," and Roy Orbison's "Love Hurts
Love Hurts
"Love Hurts" is the name of a song, written and composed by Boudleaux Bryant. First recorded by The Everly Brothers in July 1960, the song is also well known from a 1975 international hit version by the rock band Nazareth and in the UK by a top 5 hit in 1975 by Jim Capaldi.The song was introduced...

." 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
Westlife are an Irish boy band established on 3 July 1998. They are to disband in 2012. The group's line-up was Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, and Brian McFadden . The group are the only act in British and Irish history to have their first seven singles peak at number one...

'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 is back with her seventh studio album entitled, Fall in Love Again, with a carrier single "Di Na Ba Kita Mapipigilan" composed by Vehnee Saturno.

2007: New label

2007, she released her eighth album Cool Change under her new label, GMA Records
GMA Records
GMA Records, created in the last quarter of 2003, is a records company that releases music albums, and many of the albums have been platinum and gold record award albums. In 2005 GMA Records released a film titled "Let the Love Begin" on DVD and VCD, and when that was such a success they succeeded...

, featuring covers of international hit songs including Donna Summer
Donna Summer
LaDonna Adrian Gaines , known by her stage name, Donna Summer, is an American singer/songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s. She has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Summer is a five-time Grammy winner and was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach...

's "On the Radio
On the Radio (Donna Summer song)
"On the Radio" is a single by Donna Summer released in 1979 on the Casablanca record label. It was written for the soundtrack to the film Foxes and included on Summer's first international compilation album On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes 1 & 2. It was released as a single and became, in...

" and the Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan , frequently known as the Queen of Funk, is a 10-time Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter who gained fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career...

'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
Ronnie Milsap
Ronnie Lee Milsap is an American country music singer and pianist. He was one of country’s most popular and influential performers of the 1970s and 1980s...

 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
"Breathe Again" is a song by American R&B singer Toni Braxton from her self-titled debut album, Toni Braxton . Written by Babyface and produced by L. A. Reid, Babyface, and Daryl Simmons, the ballad was released as the album's second single, garnering heavy airplay during late 1993 and early 1994,...

 originally sung by Toni Braxton
Toni Braxton
Toni Michelle Braxton is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Braxton has won six Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, and five Billboard Music Awards and has sold over 60 million records worldwide...

 ; Old Friend by Phyllis Hyman
Phyllis Hyman
Phyllis Linda Hyman was an American soul singer and actress.-Early years:Phyllis Hyman was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and grew up in the St. Clair Village, the South Hills section of Pittsburgh...

 and Save the Best For Last
Save the Best for Last
"Save the Best for Last" is a 1992 single written by Phil Galdston, Wendy Waldman and Jon Lind in March 1989. It is considered Vanessa Williams' signature song. The lyrics' redemptive themes resonated with Williams' story, as she had put together a successful recording career following her earlier...

 by Vanessa Williams
Vanessa L. Williams
Vanessa Lynn Williams is an American pop-R&B recording artist, producer, dancer, model, actress and showgirl. In 1983, she became the first woman of African-American descent to be crowned Miss America, but a scandal generated by her having posed for nude photographs published in Penthouse magazine...

.

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 is also part of Kaya Natin Ito single cd. The said project will be supported by Gawad Kalinga to help the Ondoy and Pepeng victims in the recent disaster that killed more than half a million people all over the country.

2010: New beginnings

On March 1, 2010, Jaya will star in her first soap opera as a supporting role in a new primetime offering of GMA Network for their 60th Anniversary titled "Diva (TV series)" with Regine Velasquez
Regine Velasquez
Regina Encarnacion Ansong Velasquez , better known as Asia's Songbird, Regine Velasquez, is a Filipino singer, actress, record producer and TV host...

, Mark Anthony Fernandez
Mark Anthony Fernandez
Mark Anthony Lacsamana Fernandez is a Filipino actor. He is the son of Rudy Fernandez and Alma Moreno.-Career:He first rose to prominence when he was once a former member of one of the famous showbiz teen group, "Gwapings" alongside Jomari Yllana, Eric Fructuoso and later with Jao Mapa.His...

 and Glaiza de Castro
Glaiza de Castro
Glaiza Galura de Castro , better known as Glaiza de Castro, is a Filipina actress and singer...

.

Her BandaOke
BandaOke
BandaOke: Rock n' Roll to Millions! is a game show broadcast on the Philippine television network, GMA Network. It began airing on October 25, 2009. It will be hosted by former All Star K! hosts, Jaya and Allan K...

 show was aired on October 25, 2009 and will end on March 21, 2010 and will be replaced by reality comedy sitcom entitled Pepito Manaloto
Pepito Manaloto
Pepito Manaloto is a live situational comedy created by KB Entertainment Unlimited, Inc. and Michael V. for GMA Network. The series premiered on March 28, 2010. The show premiered on April 4, 2010, one week after its original premiere, on GMA Pinoy TV....

.

She will also be one of the main hosts of the new GMA-7 variety show entitled "Party Pilipinas
Party Pilipinas
Party Pilipinas is a Philippine music variety show broadcasted by GMA Network. The show premiered on 28 March 2010 - replacing the defunct SOP Fully Charged. It also broadcasts worldwide through GMA Pinoy TV.Each week, two teams alternate to give the audience a variety in theme and concepts.Direk...

".

Jaya was reluctant to act before but she's now enjoying playing the role of Barang, Regine Velasquez' friend in "Diva." And GMA management must see something effective in her acting as they offered her a new acting job even before Diva. She will play as Helen de Herenes as a nosey landlady in Kaya ng Powers a new sitcom starring Joey Marquez
Joey Marquez
Joey Marquez , born on October 7, 1957 , is a Filipino actor and politician. His father is Artemio Marquez, Sr. and Teresita Esguera Perez. His siblings include Via Hoffman, Melanie Marquez and Babes Marquez. He was mayor of Paranaque City, Philippines from 1995 to 2004, and ran but lost the...

 and Rufa Mae Quinto
Rufa Mae Quinto
Rufa Mae Quinto is a Filipino actress, comedienne, and television host.Quinto has won four PMPC Star Awards and is one of the most bankable stars in the industry with top grosser films like Apat, Dapat- Dapat, Apat, Pasukob, Desperadas, Manay Po 2, I.T.A.L.Y. & Desperadas 2...

 as a couple from outer space.

Jaya bagged the Best Female Vocal Performance for the song "Hiding Inside Myself" at 23rd Awit Awards last September 30, 2010 beating up some of the younger local singers of today.

2011: All Souled Out

Ramsey 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."

Personal life

In 1998, Jaya married musician Andrew Buffington, whom she met in 1995. After three years of marriage, she filed for divorce. Jaya married her second husband Gary Gotidoc and at the age of 36 she gave birth to her daughter Sabriya. On July 27, 2009 at 5:28 pm, she gave birth to a healthy baby boy at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center. The baby was named Dylan who weighed 8.2 pounds.

Voice

Jaya's voice is classified as Contralto, a dramatic soprano, widely known for her dark, low registered as low as A2 , big voice, and belting as much as Ab5 in her rendition of "Through the Fire" even as high as Bb5 in her version of "High Energy
High Energy (Evelyn Thomas song)
"High Energy" is the title of a 1984 song by American dance singer Evelyn Thomas. The song was very popular in dance clubs around the world, and it topped the American dance chart in September of that year. It also spent four weeks atop the pop chart in Germany, and peaked at #5 on the UK singles...

".

Discography

Studio albums:
  • 1989: Jaya (US album)
  • 1996: Jaya (Philippine album)
  • 1997: In the Raw
  • 1998: Kung Kailan Pasko
  • 1999: A Love Album (Japan released)
  • 1999: Honesty
  • 2001: Unleashed
  • 2005: Fall in Love Again
  • 2007: Cool Change
  • 2009: Real.Love.Stories.
  • 2011: All Souled Out

Compilation albums:
  • 2000: Five
  • 2006: Silver Series
  • 2009: 18 Greatest Hits


Live album:
  • 2001: Jaya Live at the Araneta


Television

Title Year Station Role
Dwarfina
Dwarfina
Dwarfina is a telefantasya produced by GMA Network starring Heart Evangelista and Dennis Trillo. The show was originally to be aired November 2010 but was postponed to January 10, 2011. The show premiered on January 12, 2011 on GMA Pinoy TV, two days after its original airdate...

 
2011–present GMA Network
GMA Network
GMA Network is a major commercial television & radio network in the Philippines. GMA Network is owned by GMA Network, Inc. a publicly listed company...

 
Various
Bantatay
Bantatay
Bantatay or The Guardian is a drama-comedy-fantasy series from GMA Network featuring Raymart Santiago, Gelli de Belen, Jennica Garcia and Carl Guevarra. The show premiered on September 20, 2010 replacing Langit Sa Piling Mo. The show also airs on GMA Pinoy TV worldwide which premiered two days...

 
2010–2011 GMA Network
GMA Network
GMA Network is a major commercial television & radio network in the Philippines. GMA Network is owned by GMA Network, Inc. a publicly listed company...

 
Jaya the Labrador (voice)
Kaya ng Powers  2010 GMA Network
GMA Network
GMA Network is a major commercial television & radio network in the Philippines. GMA Network is owned by GMA Network, Inc. a publicly listed company...

 
Helen de Herenes
A fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...

/situational comedy television program that is produced by GMA Network, starring Rhian Ramos
Rhian Ramos
Rhian Denise Ramos Howell, who is better known by her stage name Rhian Ramos , is a Filipina actress, commercial model and singer.-Biography:...

, Sheena Halili
Sheena Halili
Sheena Halili is a Filipina actress. She became popular when she played the role of Monica in the 2007 series, MariMar...

, Elmo Magalona
Elmo Magalona
Elmo Moses Arroyo Magalona, better known as simply Elmo Magalona is a Filipino actor and singer. He is the sixth child of Francis Magalona.-Personal life:...

, Joey Marquez
Joey Marquez
Joey Marquez , born on October 7, 1957 , is a Filipino actor and politician. His father is Artemio Marquez, Sr. and Teresita Esguera Perez. His siblings include Via Hoffman, Melanie Marquez and Babes Marquez. He was mayor of Paranaque City, Philippines from 1995 to 2004, and ran but lost the...

 and Rufa Mae Quinto
Rufa Mae Quinto
Rufa Mae Quinto is a Filipino actress, comedienne, and television host.Quinto has won four PMPC Star Awards and is one of the most bankable stars in the industry with top grosser films like Apat, Dapat- Dapat, Apat, Pasukob, Desperadas, Manay Po 2, I.T.A.L.Y. & Desperadas 2...

.
Party Pilipinas
Party Pilipinas
Party Pilipinas is a Philippine music variety show broadcasted by GMA Network. The show premiered on 28 March 2010 - replacing the defunct SOP Fully Charged. It also broadcasts worldwide through GMA Pinoy TV.Each week, two teams alternate to give the audience a variety in theme and concepts.Direk...

 
2010–present GMA Network
GMA Network
GMA Network is a major commercial television & radio network in the Philippines. GMA Network is owned by GMA Network, Inc. a publicly listed company...

 
Main Host
The Philippines' new television concert variety show
Diva  2010 GMA Network
GMA Network
GMA Network is a major commercial television & radio network in the Philippines. GMA Network is owned by GMA Network, Inc. a publicly listed company...

 
Barbara/Barang
A Philippine
Philippine drama
Philippine drama can be classified into different forms and genres, with the most popular being the teleserye and teledrama. The teleserye/teledrama is a television form of melodramatic serialized fiction. It is rooted from two words: "tele", which is short for "television," and "serye", a Tagalog...

 musical
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...

 dramedy television series, dubbed as GMA's first-ever "KantaSerye", this show is developed by Don Michael Perez
Don Michael Perez
Don Michael Perez is a Filipino television writer and film writer. He is a resident writer of GMA Network.His most famous work is Mulawin.- Television :* 2009 "Darna" * 2009 "Zorro"...

 and directed by Dominic Zapata
Dominic Zapata
Dominic Zapata , is a Filipino television and film director. He is a graduate of De La Salle University-Manila and Don Bosco High School...

.
BandaOke
BandaOke
BandaOke: Rock n' Roll to Millions! is a game show broadcast on the Philippine television network, GMA Network. It began airing on October 25, 2009. It will be hosted by former All Star K! hosts, Jaya and Allan K...

 
2009–2010 GMA Network
GMA Network
GMA Network is a major commercial television & radio network in the Philippines. GMA Network is owned by GMA Network, Inc. a publicly listed company...

 
Main Host
A Philippine game show. Bandaoke opens with a grand number showcasing the two game masters jamming with a band especially formed for the show. The number leads to three rounds of liveband-videoke singing showdown between two teams of celebrity players each headed by a celebrity bandmaster. Members of the winning team of rounds 1 to 3 will then face-off in One-on-One-on-One round to determine the jackpot player. The jackpot player advances to one final round where a 1-million pesos cash prize is at stake.
One Proud Mama 2008 to 2009 Q-11  Host
It is a talk show which features successful personalities with their equally supportive mothers.
Pinoy Pop Superstar
Pinoy Pop Superstar
Pinoy Pop Superstar was a Philippine television show featuring a year-long talent search for the best Filipino amateur singers. It was broadcast every Saturday evening on GMA. The format is loosely patterned on the original Tawag ng Tanghalan....

 
2004 to 2007 GMA Network
GMA Network
GMA Network is a major commercial television & radio network in the Philippines. GMA Network is owned by GMA Network, Inc. a publicly listed company...

 
Judge
A Philippine television show featuring a year-long talent search for the best Filipino amateur singers. It is broadcast every Saturday evening on GMA, The Kapuso Network. Grand Prize winners include Jonalyn Viray
Jonalyn Viray
Jonalyn Roxas Viray is a Filipina singer and an occasional actress. She was the first ever Pinoy Pop Superstar Grand Champion...

 in 2005 , Gerald Santos
Gerald Santos
Gerald Padua Santos is a singer and actor who won Pinoy Pop Superstar in 2006.-Biography:In 2006 Santos won the second season of GMA 7's show Pinoy Pop Superstar....

 in 2006, and Maricris Garcia
Maricris Garcia
Maricris Yu Garcia , is a singer from the Philippines, best known for winning Pinoy Pop Superstar Year 3. She first auditioned in Pinoy Pop Superstar Year 1, but did not become a finalist. Two years later, she won with her rendition of Barry Manilow's "One Voice" at the Grand Finale held in Araneta...

 in 2007.
All Star K!
All Star K!
All Star K! was a videoke game show in the Philippines.- Hosts :All Star K! started as K! The 1 Million Peso Videoke Challenge with Arnell Ignacio as host. When Ignacio transferred to rival station ABS-CBN in 2004 , the show was reformatted into a celebrity game show with Jaya and comedian Allan K...

 
2002 to 2009 GMA Network
GMA Network
GMA Network is a major commercial television & radio network in the Philippines. GMA Network is owned by GMA Network, Inc. a publicly listed company...

 
Main host
A Philippine videoke game show. There are seven contestants which sing a total of seven blanks in a song in each round. The song is chosen by the Giant Jukebox with different categories.
SOP (Sobrang Okey Pare)  2000 to 2010 GMA Network
GMA Network
GMA Network is a major commercial television & radio network in the Philippines. GMA Network is owned by GMA Network, Inc. a publicly listed company...

 
Main host
A Philippine noontime musical variety show of GMA Network that airs live every Sunday at noon-2 p.m. from the Studio 3 of the GMA Network Center. It features livewire concert performances by the hottest concert artists and young stars today in the Philippine showbiz industry.

Filmography

Soundtrack
  • Pangako... Ikaw lang (performer: "Bakit Ngayon Ka Lang")(4 July 2001)(Stars:Aga Muhlach, Regine Velasquez and Bobby Andrews, Robert Arevalo, Sherilyn Reyes, Bojo Molina, Charlie Davao, Evangeline Pascual, Ricci Ocampo, Lui Manansala, Dencio Padilla Jr., Marie Barbacui, Rufa Mae Quinto, Jaya)
  • Abandonada (performer: "Kung Wala Na")(29 November 2000)(Stars:Maricel Soriano, Edu Manzano and Angelu De Leon, Jay Manalo, Ynez Veneracion, Perla Bautista, Maureen Mauricio, Mel Kimura, Tita De Villa, Gigette Reyes, Bernard Palanca, Jim Pebanco, Tony Mabesa, Angelo Macam, King Alcala)
  • Dito sa puso ko (performer: "Dito Sa Puso Ko")(1999)(Stars:Judy Ann Santos, Wowie De Guzman and Eric Quizon,Troy Montero, Vanessa Del Bianco, Gina Pareno, Caridad Sanchez, John Lapus, Eagle, J.R. Trinidad, Aiza Marquez, Archie Adamos, Eugene Domingo, Mel Kimura, Ai-Ai de las Alas)
  • Dahil Ba Sa Kanya (performer: "Dahil Ba Sa Kanya")(13 May 1998)(Stars:Aga Muhlach, Mikee Cojuangco and Onemig Bondoc, Tessie Tomas, Candy Pangilinan)
  • Wala na bang pag-ibig (performer: "Wala na bang pag-ibig")(22 October 1997)(Stars:Angelu De Leon, Bobby Andrews and Joel Torre,Mel Martinez, Evangeline Pascual, Maureen Mauricio, Mariel Lopez, Ramon Recto, Mon Castro, Katya Santos, Iwi Nicolas, Barbie Puzon, Apreal Tolentino, Ramon Mateo, Lui Manansala
  • Laging Naro'n Ka (performer: "Laging Naro'n Ka")(9 April 1997)(Stars:Angelu De Leon, Bobby Andrews and Eddie Arenas,Kim de los Santos, Mandy Ochoa, Gloria Romero, Red Sternberg, Noel Trinidad, Mitch Valdez)
  • Hanggang Ngayo'y Mahal (performer: "Hanggang Ngayo'y Mahal")(1997)(Stars:Vilma Santos, Christopher De Leon and Antoinette Taus)
  • Dahil Tanging Ikaw (performer: "Dahil Tanging Ikaw")(1997)(Stars:Donna Cruz, Ian De Leon and Jao Mapa)

See also

  • Regine Velasquez
    Regine Velasquez
    Regina Encarnacion Ansong Velasquez , better known as Asia's Songbird, Regine Velasquez, is a Filipino singer, actress, record producer and TV host...

  • Lani Misalucha
    Lani Misalucha
    Lani Misalucha is a singer from the Philippines currently performing in the United States where she also resides. She holds shows at the Flamingo Las Vegas with the Hawaiian variety troupe Society of Seven - SOS...

  • Pops Fernandez
    Pops Fernández
    Maria Cielito Lukban Fernandez , also known as Pops Fernandez, is a Filipino singer and actress. She is dubbed the "Concert Queen."-Career:...

  • Zsazsa Padilla
    Zsa Zsa Padilla
    Zsa Zsa Padilla is a Filipina singer and actress. She is currently part of ABS-CBN contract actresses.-Biography:Padilla was born as Esperanza Padilla in 1964, the daughter of actor and sportsman Carlos “Sonny” Padilla, Jr. who served as the referee in the Ali-Frazier world heavyweight boxing...

  • Kuh Ledesma
    Kuh Ledesma
    Kuh Ledesma is a popular Filipino pop and jazz singer. She is known in the Philippines as the "Pop Diva". Kuh Ledesma has been performing for 25 years in the music industry which encompasses more than 300 concerts, numerous awards in the Philippines, and 18 albums in the Philippine recording...

  • Janno Gibbs
    Janno Gibbs
    Janno Ronaldo Gibbs is a Filipino singer and actor–comedian. He is a regular host of GMA Network television shows SOP Rules , Nuts Entertainment, Eat Bulaga, Kakasa Ka Ba Sa Grade 5?, and Power of 10 . He played as Geron Agular in Codename: Asero...

  • Ogie Alcasid
    Ogie Alcasid
    Herminio Jhay Alcasid, Jr., more popularly known as Ogie "Eric Ordoñez" Alcasid , is a Filipino singer, songwriter, composer, television presenter, comedian, parodist, actor, and entrepreneur.-Recording career:...

  • Gary Valenciano
    Gary Valenciano
    Edgardo Jose Martin Santiago Valenciano , better known as Gary Valenciano or Gary V., is a Filipino musician. He is also dubbed as Mr. Pure Energy. He has released 26 albums, and won the Awit Awards for "Best Male Performer" 11 times. In 1998, he became UNICEF Philippines first national Ambassador...

  • Martin Nievera
    Martin Nievera
    Martin Ramon Razon Nievera is a singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the main hosts of musical variety show ASAP on ABS-CBN-Early life:...


External links

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