Kai Honasan

Klarisa Rosario Umali Honasan, better known as Kai Honasan, is a Filipino independent singer-songwriter best known for quirky, lighthearted ukulele-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.

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.

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 in Valencia, Spain.

In 2012, she was accepted into the Philippines' highly esteemed Elements National Music Camp, where she was mentored by the likes of Ryan Cayabyab, Joey Ayala and Noel Cabangon, among others.

In 2013, she wrote the song "Liwanag" for the ballet "Rock Supremo", which was a collaboration between Ballet Philippines and Rock Ed Philippines. The album's roster featured 11 well established acts, including Ebe Dancel and Radioactive Sago Project.

"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 City.

The Voice

Honasan is also known for having once been a candidate on "The Voice of the Philippines".

Autotelic

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