Joey Ayala At Ang Bagong Lumad

YEARS ACTIVE: 1980’s – PRESENT

GROUP ROSTER (KNOWN MEMBERS): JOEY AYALA

90’S HITS: KARANIWANG TAO, NAKITA KITA, HARING IBON, HITHIT BUGA, PADAYON, MAGKABILAAN, MINDANAO, LUMAD SA SYUDAD, MAGKAUGNAY

Joey Ayala (born José Íñigo Homer Lacambra Ayala; 1 June 1956, Bukidnon, Philippines) is a Filipino singer, songwriter and former chairman of the music committee of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. He is well known for his style of music that combines the sounds of Filipino ethnic instruments with modern pop music. His public music life started when he released an album recorded in a makeshift-studio in 1982 in Davao City. To date, he has released fourteen albums. He is the brother of singer-songwriter Cynthia Alexander.

Some of the Filipino ethnic instruments Ayala is known to use include the two-stringed Hegalong of the T'Boli people of Mindanao, the Kubing, the bamboo jaw harp found in various forms throughout the Philippines, and the 8-piece gong set, Kulintang, the melodical gong-rack of the indigenous peoples of the southern part of the country. He also uses modern instruments in his music, such as the electric guitar, bass guitar, synthesizer/sequencer and drums.

The name of his band "Bagong Lumad" literally means "New Native" - a name and philosophy that has been carried over into Bagong Lumad Artists Foundation, Inc. (www.blafi.org), now a UNDP Responsible Party working on SiningBayan (Social Artistry) capacity-building projects with the Civil Service Commission, the Department of Education, and other GOs and NGOs in the Philippines. He served as the (2008–10) Chairman and Vice-Chairman (2011–13) of the National Committee on Music under the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.

In 2013, Ayala entered the second Philippine Popular Music Festival as a composer and interpreter for the song called "Papel" where it was named as one the twelve finalists. The song features collaborations with rapper Gloc-9 and guest vocals of Denise Barbacena. He previously participated in 2012 as an interpreter for the song "Piso" written by Kristofferson Melecio.

In 2014, Joey Ayala was featured in the BBC Travel show episode for Philippines.