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.
