Filipino Singers

Celebrating Filipino Vocal Talent

Katrina Velarde

by

Quick Facts

Katrina Velarde

Birth Name: Katrina Copino Velarde
Stage Name: Katrina Velarde
Viral Nickname: Suklay Diva
Birth Date: December 5, 1994
Current Base: Metro Manila
Status: Active
Languages: Filipino, English
Additional Skills: acting, impersonating
Management: Manila Genesis Entertainment and Management, Inc.
Label: Viva Records
Genre: Pop (ballad, OPM), R & B

Katrina Velarde – Photo by Neil Lawrence Siman

About Katrina Velarde

According to her mother, Katrina started singing at the age of 4, a talent that would quickly come in handy, when, at the age of 7 she began joining amateur singing contests. Thus began her arduous life as an amaturista (amateur singer), traveling to various provinces, crossing mountains and seas, to join provincial fiesta singing contests.

Her contest winnings would prove to be a financial boon to her fairly sizable family that previously relied solely on her father’s earnings from carpentry. From the experience of sharing two cups of watered down noodles with her 5 siblings, Katrina was able to help provide better for the needs of her family and even assisted in putting 2 of her siblings to school.

Due to her frequent involvement in singing contests and their grueling schedules, with some requiring her to stay up until 3 or 4 a.m., she eventually had to drop out in her 2nd year in high school. She joined so many contests that keeping track of all of them is a dizzying effort. Most notable of these is her 2010 stint with the girl group New Born Divas in Talentadong Pinoy where they became the 11th Hall of Famer. She later joined X-Factor Philippines in 2012 where she was grouped with other female singers under the name A.K.A. Jam and was mentored by Gary Valenciano.

It was around or in between this time that she started recording herself singing. One upload was of her practicing before a contest, singing Beyonce’s Dangerously in Love while using a purple comb for a mic. The video became viral and fans dubbed her Suklay Diva (Comb Diva). Her video became even more of a hit when Chris Brown and Beyonce’s guitarist Bibi McGill shared it on social media from worldstarhiphop.com, which had selected her as female talent of the week in October 2013. Her fortunes took an even better turn when she was tapped to for lead roles in TV5’s Trenderas in 2014 and Wattpad Presents: Bitterella in 2015.

Katrina credits much of her burgeoning career to the help and guidance of Gary Valenciano and wife Angeli Pangilinan under whose management company, Manila Genesis Entertainment, she is signed under. According to Katrina, since meeting Gary V in X-Factor, he and his wife have been untiring supporters.

Videos

Singles

  • Lason Mong Halik (Single – 2017)
  • Taksil (Single – 2017)
  • Leron Leron Sinta (Awit at Laro – Star Music – 2018)
  • Tama Na (Philpop 2018 Top 30)

TV

  • Talentadong Pinoy (2010)
  • X-Factor Philippines (2012)
  • Trenderas (TV5 – 2014)
  • Wattpad Presents: Bitterella (TV5 – 2015)
  • Superstar Duets (GMA – 2016)

Nominations

  • Golden Screen Awards Outstanding Performance by an Actress (2015 – Trenderas)
  • Philpop Competition Top 30 (2018 – Tama Na)

EP

  • SiKat Ako (EP – 2019)

Perspective

This dainty lady’s voice is the perfect blend of raw strength and artful subtlety, leaving listeners breathless with her quick, effortless switches between power belting and falsetto runs. Truly, she packs a mean vocal punch, but is also incredibly agile.

In a way, her manner of delivery is quite reflective of her equally impressive life skills. She makes triumph over extreme hardship look so easy.

Praise for the Artist

One huge talent in such a small package…

This artist is a genius in the making. What a talent, and quite a character too. She did about 80% of the vocal arrangments to this song (Leron Leron Sinta – Awit at Laro). No wonder she’s got millions of views on YouTube.

– Gary Valenciano
Multi-Awarded, Multi-Platinum Recording Artist – On Instagram

This lady is on a one way trip to God’s amazing will for her. Many USA networks are calling for her. Reality shows. But she has said “priority ko po si Kendrick (her son) — (my priority is Kendrick)”. May God’s will rule and reign in Kat’s amazing life. Lots of pain but only because she is on her way to starting to really gain.

– Angeli Pangilinan
GV Productions, Inc. President
Manila Genesis Artist Manager – On Instagram

Contact

Bookings

  • Contact: inquiries@manilagenesis.com

Listen

Apple Music

On Instagram

Trivia

  • Katrina once fell ill with Bell’s Palsy while eight months pregnant with her son.
  • She continued doing shows to support her family even while she was pregnant and only stopped after falling ill.
  • Before they both became famous, Katrina and Charice knew each other from their amateur contestant days.
  • On top of her excellent natural singing voice, she can also impersonate the singing voices of other artists like Shakira, Britney Spears, Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson, Celine Dione and Christina Aguilera, with her impersonation videos racking thousands of views online.
  • During the video recording for the smash hit YouTube collaboration with Daryl Ong, Bugoy Drilon and Michael Pangilinan for One Sweet Day, she looked so petite next to the boys, that she had to stand on a small ramp to boost her height.
  • She has a knack and talent for vocal arrangement, taking on the role of vocal arranger for both her personal uploads, projects and for her former group A.K.A. Jam.

Posted: November 10, 2018
Updated: January 15, 2019

Profile photo used with permission from Neil Lawrence Siman.