Kyla arrived at a time when R&B wasn’t supposed to thrive in the Philippines. Pop ballads ruled the airwaves, novelty songs filled the charts, and radio rarely made space for groove-driven soul. And yet, the moment she opened her mouth, skepticism instantly faded. Her tone, fluid, raw, and precise, cut through the noise, introducing a voice that felt cool, fresh, and inescapable.
From the very start, Kyla wasn’t just singing R&B; she was embodying it. The skillful precision of her runs and the soulful rawness behind every note made something unfamiliar feel like it had always belonged. Without her, there would be no Pinoy R&B movement as we know it. She opened the door and, in doing so, built the house that later artists would step into.
The milestones tell the story of her staying power. Kyla first rose to prominence with a transcendent debut, Hanggang Ngayon, written by Arnie Mendaros, that instantly marked her as a fresh new force. Around the same time, she became my winning edge at the Himig Handog 2001 Festival, where we triumphed with the youth anthem Tara Tena.
From there came an unstoppable run: seven consecutive studio albums, all certified Platinum in the Philippines. But even before that streak, in the glow of her debut era, Kyla had already made history as the first and only Filipina to win an MTV Video Music Award. That Moonman was more than a trophy; it was a symbol that a young R&B singer from the Philippines could stand on the global stage. Timeless hits and albums like Beautiful Days and Not Your Ordinary Girl cemented her as part of the cultural soundtrack. Her 2018 Star Music debut, Queen of R&B, went Double Platinum and carried the iconic theme for the On the Wings of Love series. Along the way, she became the most awarded female artist in Awit Awards history and a decorated recipient of Katha, Aliw Awards, Metropop, PhilPop, MTV Pilipinas, and MYX Music Awards.
But what numbers cannot capture is how she made a sound that is distinctly hers. Kyla can sing anything and still make it sound rooted in soul. Take her collaboration with rock band Kamikazee: even over a wall of guitars, her voice stood out, contrastingly beautiful against the rock production, never compromising. She is, in every sense, an artist’s artist. OPM legends and peers alike have shared stages and studios with her, offering nothing but praise for her unmatched gift.
I’ve seen both her brilliance and her vulnerability up close. Kyla is a genuinely compassionate soul, and in our quietest conversations, she has admitted to doubting her place, questioning whether her impact still matters. But the answer always comes the moment she sings. It is why the opening track of her new album declares: “Heto at nanawagan sa lahat ng pinanghihinaan na ng kalooban, wag matakot, lakasan.” Those words, which I wrote with her in mind, are more than just lyrics. They are a reminder that Kyla’s voice stands up, a singular force of strength and resilience.
For me, this journey has come full circle. From the day she sang Tara Tena to producing her 11th full-length album today, the passion for R&B we share has only deepened, and I could not be prouder of what we have created. Twenty-five years into her career, Kyla released Next Episode, peaking at number one on the Philippines iTunes Charts the very same week as Taylor Swift’s new album, where Taylor sat comfortably at number two, right behind Kyla. That moment was not just a personal triumph. It was proof that OPM R&B not only survives, but thrives.
Kyla matters because she proved that R&B has a place in the Filipino soundscape and then built a legacy no one else could replicate. She is at once a pioneer, a peerless vocalist, and an artist’s artist whose influence transcends genres and generations. And now, with Next Episode sitting at the top, she reminds us that her voice, equal parts precision and soul, remains the singular force defining OPM R&B. Kyla matters because some artists don’t just endure. They continue to rise, proving that the story of the queen of R&B is inseparable from the story of the genre itself.
About the Writer
Jonathan Manalo is the most streamed Filipino songwriter-producer of all time and a voting member of the Grammy Awards. As AVP and Head of Creatives, Content, and Operations of ABS-CBN Music, he continues to shape the sound of modern OPM.