It has been a very fruitful and eventful year so far for Suklay Diva Katrina Velarde.
Katrina opened 2017 by scoring another mega viral hit in her standout performance on Wish 107.5 where she gave a powerful and heartfelt rendition of Michael Bolton’s anthemic ballad “Go The Distance,” the theme song of the 1997 Disney movie Hercules.
Katrina’s live performance, which she performed on DJ Robin Nievera’s highly popular The Roadshow, was uploaded on Wish FM’s official YouTube channel and breached the three million mark in terms of views and 5,000 plus online comments and engagements.
“I am very thankful to everyone who viewed the video and to all those who gave positive and encouraging comments,” says
Katrina, who first gained mainstream popularity as the vocal arranger and choreographer of the all-girl vocal group AKA JAM, who were in the Top Ten slot of the first season of X-Factor Philippines and later on became more famous as she was dubbed as Suklay Diva (The Comb Diva) after several videos of her singing covers of popular songs using a purple comb as a makeshift microphone became a worldwide viral phenomenon. “I am very grateful to Wish FM for giving me the platform to showcase my craft as a singer. I am truly overwhelmed.”
Prior to X-Factor Philippines, Katrina was a regular figure in local singing competitions as singing was truly her passion and first love. She uploaded a cover version of Beyonce’s “Dangerously In Love” two years before she joined X- Factor Philippines. The video catapulted to mainstream prominence when Beyonce’s guitarist Bibi McGil shared it on her social media platforms and after international R&B superstar Chris Brown Tweeted her video to his millions of followers after he picked it up from www.worldhiphop.com where she was named Best Female Artist of the Week in 2013.
Today, as a solo artist, Katrina recently had a back-to-back jam-packed show with fellow belter and diva Dessa at Historia Bar in Quezon City and a repeat performance of the said show in a bigger venue is now in the works. She was also the featured artist in Music Hall’s Pop Variety Night where she also performed before a full house crowd.
Katrina is also part of the amazing ensemble cast of singers that headlines the season finale of Gary Valenciano’s Gary V Presents concert franchise series. The young singer wowed the press in the thanksgiving party of Gary V Presents with her powerful live rendition of “And I Am Telling You” from Broadway’s Dreamgirls. During the opening weekend of Gary V Presents on May 12 and 13, Katrina blew the audiences away with her show-stopping duet with Gary as they interpreted the Al Jarreau classic, “Spain.”
As a recording artist, Katrina signed with Viva Records and her first solo single, composed and arranged by Vehnee Saturno, is the hugely popular “Lason Mong Halik.” The single’s music video is directed by Roe Pajemma and it premiered on Viva Records’ YouTube channel in December.
On TV, Katrina was recently in GMA-7’s Superstar Duets as the singing partner of the show’s grand champion Nar Cabico. Katrina is also the grand winner of #Like – a singing contest featuring some of the country’s best male and female vocalists. Katrina also wowed Willie Revillame in her recent live guesting in his top-rating afternoon variety show on GMA-7, Wowowin” with her stirring version of the classic Pinoy ballad “Ikaw Lang Ang Mamahalin” and her own version of Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing.”
“I am so grateful for the blessings that have come my way. I treasure every opportunity that comes my way and of course, I am thrilled with the projects that Manila Genesis and Viva are planning for me. I just hope that we all continue to support OPM and all our singers here in the Philippines,” says Katrina.
Katrina will also be one of the featured artists in Gary Valenciano’s upcoming North American Tour, which kicked-off on May 27 in M Resort, Henderson, Nevada. The tour will then be staged at Pechanga Resort And Casino on June 3 with Katrina and another special guest Kiana Valenciano; and in Pasadena Civic Auditorium on June 10 with special guests Sam Concepcion, and Kiana Valenciano.