Jonalyn Roxas Viray (born November 15, 1989), better known by her stage name, Jona, is a
Filipino
Filipino may refer to:
* Something from or related to the Philippines
** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines.
** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...
singer and actress. She was the first ''
Pinoy Pop Superstar'' grand winner.
She was the lead singer of trio girl-group
La Diva, alongside
Maricris Garcia and
Aicelle Santos
Aicelle Anne Coronel Santos-Zambrano (born February 24, 1985), is a Filipino singer-songwriter, pianist, and actress who. She has been known as the "First Undefeated Pinoy Pop Superstar", when she achieved eight straight wins in GMA Network's ...
following her career as a solo artist. The trio covered songs such as "
I'm Yours", "
Angels Brought Me Here
"Angels Brought Me Here" (or "Faith Has Brought Me Here") is a pop music, pop song by Australian singer-songwriter Guy Sebastian. It was released in Australia on 24 November 2003 as the lead single from his debut album, ''Just as I Am (Guy Seba ...
", "
Apologize" and "
Stand Up for Love". They were chosen to sing the Philippine National Anthem at the
Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto boxing match in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
as well as the theme song of Philippine remake of the Mexican telenovela
Rosalinda. Following the group's disbandment and her return as a solo artist she released her single "Help Me Get Over" which was awarded the 'Song of the Year' at the 6th PMPC Star Awards for Music.
In February 2016, Viray ended her decade-long exclusivity with
GMA and transferred to
ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Philippine commercial broadcast network that serves as the flagship property of ABS-CBN Corporation, a company unde ...
, changing her screen name to 'Jona'. On her first project in the Kapamilya Network, Jona sang "I Will Survive", the theme song of primetime drama series, ''
We Will Survive
''We Will Survive'' is a 2016 Philippines, Philippine comedy-drama television series directed by Jeffrey Jeturian and Mervyn Brondial, starring Pokwang and Melai Cantiveros. The series aired on ABS-CBN's ''Primetime Bida'' evening block and worldw ...
''.
She also sang the second version of "
I'll Never Love This Way Again" from the OST soundtrack of 2016 romantic-drama film ''
Barcelona: A Love Untold'' and was chosen to sing the
65th Miss Universe theme titled "Confidently Beautiful".
Throughout her career as a member of La Diva and as a solo artist, Jona has won 9
Awit Awards, Aliw Awards, PMPC Star Awards for Music and World Championship of Performing Arts. Last 2018, Jona made Awit Award history as the first Filipino artist sweeping all digital categories – Most Downloaded Song for “You”, Most Downloaded Artist, Most Streamed Song for “Pusong Ligaw”, and Most Streamed Artist.
Jona's self-titled album also bagged the “Best-Selling Album of the Year” award based on combined physical and digital sales.
She is known for her
belting technique, melismatic singing style, and her ability to sing
operatic
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libret ...
arias. Viray is referred to as the "''Philippines' Soul Princess''" by multiple media and critics.
Early life
Jonalyn Roxas Viray was born on November 15, 1989 in
Marikina
Marikina (), officially the City of Marikina ( fil, Lungsod ng Marikina), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 456,159 people.
It is loca ...
, Philippines. She is the only girl and the eldest of 4 kids from
Pio Duran, Albay.
She started joining singing contests at an early age.
She won first runner-up in ''Birit Bulilit'' of
IBC 13 as a child
and one of the finalists in ''MTB Teen Pop Star'' wherein her winning piece was
Mariah Carey’s "
Never Too Far".
Growing up, Viray admired Carey,
Regine Velasquez
Regina Encarnacion Ansong Velasquez ( ; born April 22, 1970) is a Filipina singer, actress, and record producer. She is considered one of the most influential figures in Philippine popular culture and is known for her vocal range and beltin ...
,
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed " The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston i ...
,
Kyla,
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...
, and
Beyoncé.
Viray cites
Kyla and
Sarah Geronimo
Sarah Asher Tua Geronimo-Guidicelli (, , born July 25, 1988) is a Filipino singer, performer and actress. Geronimo rose to prominence after winning the television singing contest '' Star for a Night'' earning her a recording contract with Vi ...
as her inspiration saying they "inspired
erto get up there and do what they did". Currently, she is dubbed as The Fearless Diva of the Philippines.
Pinoy Pop Superstar
Jona was 15 years old when she competed at the singing competition
Pinoy Pop Superstar held by the local television station
GMA 7
DZBB-TV, Channel 7 (analog) and Channel 15 (digital), is the flagship TV station of Philippine television network GMA. The station is owned and operated by GMA Network Inc. with its studios are located at the GMA Network Center, EDSA corne ...
and hosted by
Regine Velasquez
Regina Encarnacion Ansong Velasquez ( ; born April 22, 1970) is a Filipina singer, actress, and record producer. She is considered one of the most influential figures in Philippine popular culture and is known for her vocal range and beltin ...
. Jona emerged as the weekly champion after singing the
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed " The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston i ...
hit song "
Run to You". She also sang "
Reflection Reflection or reflexion may refer to:
Science and technology
* Reflection (physics), a common wave phenomenon
** Specular reflection, reflection from a smooth surface
*** Mirror image, a reflection in a mirror or in water
** Signal reflection, in ...
", "
I Have Nothing
"I Have Nothing" is a song by American singer and actress Whitney Houston, released on February 20, 1993 as the third single from '' The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album'' (1992) by Arista Records. The song was written by David Foster and L ...
" and "
Never Too Far" on the weeks that follow, and after four consecutive weeks of being weekly champion, she qualified to the grand finals.
For winning the title of, Jona won 1 million pesos in cash and became the owner of a Futura Classic house and lot developed by Filinvest and a brand-new
Toyota Innova
The Toyota Innova is a car manufactured by the Japanese carmaker Toyota since 2004. It is a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) or minivan and mainly sold with three-row seating. Its official name in Indonesia is Toyota Kijang Innova, while for other ...
. She also won an exclusive one-year contract with
GMA Records
GMA Music (formerly known as Infiniti Music and GMA Records) is a subsidiary of GMA Network Inc. and is engaged in the production, marketing and distribution of music and concerts. GMA Music is a member of PARI and has the distinction of havin ...
, the recording arm of
GMA Network
GMA Network (Global Media Arts or simply GMA) is a Philippine free-to-air television and radio network. It is the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network, Inc. Its first broadcast on television was on October 29, 1961. GMA Network (f ...
, and received 100,000 pesos worth of Belo Medical services, plus gift certificates worth 50,000 pesos from Gandang Ricky Reyes.
Career
Transfer to ABS-CBN
In February 2016, Jona ended her decade of exclusivity with
GMA and transferred to rival network
ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Philippine commercial broadcast network that serves as the flagship property of ABS-CBN Corporation, a company unde ...
. Part of her reintroduction was the changing of her screen name to "''Jona''". Her earliest project in the Kapamilya Network saw her competing in the 2016 edition of
Himig Handog
Himig Handog (Eng: A Musical Offering) is a multimedia songwriting and music video competition in the Philippines based in Quezon City. The competition is operated by ABS-CBN Corporation and the media conglomerate's music subsidiary Star Music. Th ...
, a songwriting and music video competition and also singing "I Will Survive", the theme song of primetime drama series, ''
We Will Survive
''We Will Survive'' is a 2016 Philippines, Philippine comedy-drama television series directed by Jeffrey Jeturian and Mervyn Brondial, starring Pokwang and Melai Cantiveros. The series aired on ABS-CBN's ''Primetime Bida'' evening block and worldw ...
''.
From then on she has sung several theme songs for ABS-CBN films and drama series, became a mainstay of the longest noontime musical variety show ''
ASAP'', released her first album under
Star Music which achieved Gold and Platinum certifications, held two major concerts, and competed and won second place in Himig Handog 2017. On the 31st
Awit Award, Jona won 6 awards, Most Downloaded Artist, Most Streamed Artist, Most Downloaded Song for "You," Most Streamed Song for "Pusong Ligaw," People's Voice for Favorite Collaboration for "Till the End of Time" with BoybandPH and Best Selling Album of the Year for self-titled album "Jona." Her collaboration with Regine Velasquez, "Matibay," also won Best Musical Arrangement award for composer Marvin Querido.
ASAP Birit Queens
On May 15, 2016,
ASAP launched a group called the ASAP Birit Queens. The group is composed of Jona,
Morissette,
Angeline Quinto
Angeline Ticman Quinto (; born November 26, 1989) is a Filipina singer, actress, entrepreneur and winner of '' Star Power: Sharon's Search For The Next Female Pop Superstar'' in 2011.
Quinto has been dubbed as the "''Philippines’ Queen of ...
and
Klarisse de Guzman
Klarisse de Guzman (born September 6, 1991) is a Filipino singer and composer who rose to prominence after winning as the first-runner up of the first season of The Voice of the Philippines in 2013 and being crowned the winner of the third s ...
. The group held a concert on March 31, 2017 at the
Mall of Asia Arena
The SM Mall of Asia Arena, also known as the Mall of Asia Arena or the MoA Arena, is an indoor arena within the SM Mall of Asia complex, in Bay City, Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines. It has a seating capacity of 15,000 for sporting events, an ...
.
The group temporarily disbanded in late 2017, but has since reunited occasionally.
BillBoard Philippines
On the launch of the Billboard Philippines, three of Jona's songs charted in Billboard Philippines Top 20. Her songs "You" "Pusong Ligaw" and "Maghihintay Ako", with "Pusong Ligaw" and "Maghihintay Ako" charting at number 3 and Number 4 respectively, all in the Top 5 and "You" charting at Number 9
24th ASIAN Television Awards
Jona was called to perform for 2 Nights at the 27th Asian Television Awards when it happened for the first time in the Philippines. On the gala night, she performed a cover of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" and "The Magic Flute "Queen of the Night aria" ("Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen") On the artist's night, she performed "Love Don't Cost A Thing", "Into the Unknown", "Fifth Element Aria" and her own song "Till the End of Time".
YouTube Music Night
Jona was chosen by YouTube Philippines to be the first Filipina to headline the YouTube Music Night for the whole of Southeast Asia.
Discography
Studio albums
Singles
Concerts
* Fearless (February 28, 2014, Music Museum)
* Journey into my Heart (November 27, 2015, Music Museum)
* Queen of the Night: Jona (November 25, 2016,
Kia Theatre
The New Frontier Theater, known as the Kia Theatre between 2015 and 2018, is a multi-purpose events hall in the Araneta City in Cubao, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines. The theater has a 2,385 seating capacity and is used for a variety of e ...
)
* ASAP Birit Queens (March 31, 2017,
Mall of Asia Arena
The SM Mall of Asia Arena, also known as the Mall of Asia Arena or the MoA Arena, is an indoor arena within the SM Mall of Asia complex, in Bay City, Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines. It has a seating capacity of 15,000 for sporting events, an ...
)
* Prima Jona (, The Theatre at Solaire)
* The Aces (with
Lani Misalucha
Lani Bayot Misalucha (; born Lani Dimalanta Bayot; August 3, 1969) is a Filipino singer who performs pop, rock, jazz, soul, rhythm and blues, and operatic arias. Her ability to sing across several genres gave her the title "Asia's Nightingal ...
and
Darren Espanto
Darren Lyndon Espanto (born May 24, 2001) is a Filipino-Canadian singer, actor and director.
Espanto is 1.88 cm tall.
He first joined a competition at the age of ten, where he won the Masters Finals of the ''Pinoy Singing Sensation'' compe ...
) (March 30, 2019,
Smart Araneta Coliseum
The Araneta Coliseum, also currently known by naming rights sponsorship as Smart Araneta Coliseum, is an indoor multi-purpose sports arena that is part of the Araneta City in the Cubao area of Quezon City, Philippines. Nicknamed as "the Big Do ...
)
Filmography
Television
Awards and nominations
References
External links
Jonalyn Viraya
iGMA.tv*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Viray, Jonalyn
1989 births
Filipino child actresses
Filipino child singers
Filipino women pop singers
Participants in Philippine reality television series
Sopranos
Living people
Filipino sopranos
People from Marikina
People from San Mateo, Rizal
Singers from Rizal
Actresses from Rizal
Singing talent show winners
GMA Network personalities
GMA Music artists
Star Music artists
Star Magic
ABS-CBN personalities
21st-century Filipino singers
21st-century Filipino women singers