Klarisa Rosario Honasan-del Rio, better known as Kai Honasan, 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 ...

independent singer-songwriter best known for quirky, lighthearted

ukulele The ukulele ( ; from haw, ukulele , approximately ), also called Uke, is a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin and popularized in Hawaii. It generally employs four nylon strings. The tone and volume of the instrumen ...

-driven songs, receiving critical acclaim for her first album, "In Your Face", and achieving popular acclaim in the Philippine independent music scene for her live performances. She is married to Eco Del Rio, bassist for Chicosci (a punk Filipino band)

Early life and musical exposure

Raised in a family of artists - including brothers Karel Honasan, a bassist; Martin Honasan, a painter; and later, sister-in-law Barbie Almalbis-Honasan, a popular musician - Kai Honasan first started playing the piano at age 4, and started writing music in her grade school years. Aside from the Honasan siblings' forays into the arts, the Honasan family is very familiar to the Filipino public, since their father is Philippine Senator

Gringo Honasan Gregorio "Gringo" Ballesteros Honasan II (, born March 14, 1948), is a Filipino politician and a cashiered Philippine Army The Philippine Army (PA) (Tagalog: ''Hukbong Katihan ng Pilipinas''; in literal English: ''Army of the Ground of th ...

Formal musical training and early work

Taking off from her early exposure to music Honasan studied piano and received a degree in classical music. She performed at her first professional gig in 2011, fronting for sister-in-law Barbie Almalbis Honasan. Barbie had been a strong musical influence for Kai even before Barbie married Kai's brother Martin, and encouraged Kai to perform her own music. That year, she also attended a songwriting workshop at

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

Valencia, Spain Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area also ...

. In 2012, she was accepted into the Philippines' highly esteemed Elements National Music Camp, where she was mentored by the likes of

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Joey Ayala José Íñigo Homer Lacambra Ayala (born June 1, 1956 in Bukidnon, Philippines), professionally known as Joey Ayala, is a Filipino singer, songwriter and former chairman of the music committee of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. ...

and

Noel Cabangon Noel Gadiano Cabangon (born December 25, 1963) is a Filipino folk singer and composer, known for composing socially-relevant songs. In 1987, he formed the group ''Buklod'' together with Rene Boncocan and Rom Dongeto. Early life Noel Gadiano Cab ...

, among others. In 2013, she wrote the song "Liwanag" for the ballet "Rock Supremo", which was a collaboration between

Ballet Philippines Ballet Philippines (BP) is a ballet company in the Philippines founded in 1969 by Alice Reyes with the support of Eddie Elejar and the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Proficient in both ballet and modern dance,Jacinto, J. 2007. The Ballet Com ...

and Rock Ed Philippines. The album's roster featured 11 well established acts, including

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and

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"In Your Face (and other songs about other faces)", 2014

In November 2013, Honasan began working with musicians Buddy Zabala and Sancho Sanchez, and sound engineer Shinji Tanaka to turn eight of Honasan's songs into an album. The final product, “In Your Face (and other songs about other faces)” was launched on March 22, 2014 at B-Side, The Collective in Makati.

The Voice

Honasan is also known for having once been a candidate on "The Voice of the Philippines".http://kickerdaily.com/why-kai-honasan-kept-own-dad-in-the-dark-about-singing-talent/

Autotelic

In addition to her work as a solo artist, Honasan joined pop rock band Autotelic in May 2014, filling in after the departure of Keyboardist Eric Tubon.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Honasan, Kai Living people Filipino singer-songwriters Filipino Ukulele players The Voice of the Philippines contestants Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century Filipino women singers 21st-century Filipino singers