May | 2005 | Chuwariwap

Kitchie Nadal

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About Kitchie
A true artist with a true purpose. That’s Kitchie Nadal. Surfacing in June 2003 from her self-imposed hiatus after running away from a rocky past with her old band, Mojofly, Kitchie is finally happy that her music has found a meaningful outlet.
After nearly a year of seeking just the right musicians to back her up on stage and in the recording studio, Kitchie has a solid line-up behind her. Aaron Cambronero on bass, Jeff de Castro on guitars, and Marco Guzman on drums were picked for their dedication and loyalty as much as for their musical skill and craft. While kitchie remains billed as a solo artist, they form her permanent band. It’s a rather unique arrangement (in the Philippine music industry, at least) but it has proven quite effective. The result is a kind of consistency, stability, and professionalism that is truly rare among the bands in their category of alternative pop-rock. It was a management decision. Kitchie herself wanted a full band at first, but she trusted her management team’s judgement and okayed their recommendations.

And well that she did for in less than 18 months her career has taken off and progressed with uncanny speed. Two of her songs, Run and Deliverance, were released as advance singles in two separate sampler compilation albums. This was followed by an independently produced, self-titled debut album under 12 Stone Records and distributed by Warner Music Philippines. The rest, as some might say, is Philippine music history unfolding before our eyes. The carrier single Wag na Wag Mong Sasabihin hit number one in all the leading FM radio stations. Its music video hit number one on MTV-Philippines’ chart and climbed as high as number four on MYX. She was featured as MTV’s Rising Star for the month of October. Currently on tour, she and the band might typically play as much as three to five different gigs in the same day.

She wrote seven out of the 9 original compositions in her album, which includes an acoustic reprise of her (soon-to-be-released) single, Same Ground. The other two songs (Breathe and Drained) were written by a friend. Its second single (Bulong) is, as of this writing, set to be released in the next few days or so. As a whole, the album itself is all Kitchie. She co-produced it with guitar virtuoso Jack Rufo to feature the likes of Vic Mercado, Rommel de la Cruz, Bagets, and Jack himself as special guest musicians on selected tracks. She was heavily involved even in its cover and inlay design, not just at the concept level but even right down to creating actual graphic artwork and layout elements which involved scribing words and drawings on strips of exposed film with the pop-up cork-screw of a swiss army knife. To get just the right effect it needed.

All this dedication seems to have paid off, since the album went gold and is currently poised to hit platinum. Overs 15,000 copies have been sold to date, and sales have yet to show signs of tapering off. By local standards, 10,000 is generally considered solidly successful.

As if all this weren’t enough, she also happens to be taking two majors (psychology and education) in De La Salle University. She’s on the dean’s list. So much for the theory that being in a band will sure cause one’s grades to slip… Oh, and she keeps her Sundays free as her day for physical and spiritual rejuvination. She never misses church. She believes that her music gives her a unique opportunity to worship God and live as a good example and beacon for her fans. She develops close ties with her core following. They become her friends, who these days are fondly called The Kitchie Crew.

A few months ago, a profile written about Kitchie Nadal would have ended by saying she’s a singer-song writer to and watch out for. These days if you haven’t seen or heard Kitchie, you probably left the country in September.

» Jeff de Castro – Lead Guitar
» Aaron Cambonero – Bass
» Marco Guzman – Drums, Percussions

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