When we talk about P-pop, the conversation almost always circles back to groups like SB19, BINI, BGYO, G22, or Alamat. Soloists hardly enter the picture. For newcomer Zela, that absence is the very space she wants to change.
She wasn’t just speaking for herself but for other P-pop soloists who continue to work hard for recognition in a scene dominated by big groups.
“We’re also part of P-pop, and many soloists deserve to be known,” she said.
Born in the Philippines and raised in Las Vegas, Zela has always had music around her. “It has always been in my life. I come from a family of singers. They are not famous, but they enjoy singing,” she said, recalling how songwriting became second nature long before her official debut.
Her journey hasn’t been easy. She admitted to being bullied as a child, something that pushed her to turn to writing music. Over time, that creative outlet became her strength, fueling songs that draw from multiple genres and often carry themes of empowerment and feminism.
In 2023, she released her first single “Karma,” which earned her the Philippine Pop Top New Artist of the Year award. A follow-up single, “Pogi Boy,” came the following year. By her birthday on Jan. 1, she gifted her fans, whom she fondly calls Zelors, with “01/01.”
Now, with Lockhart officially out, Zela finds herself at a new chapter. The 10-track album, which includes songs like “Arangkada,” “Paraiso,” and “Leave Me,” mixes English and Tagalog, a conscious effort she said was encouraged by her management. “As someone who grew up abroad, I’m definitely trying to enhance my Tagalog vocabulary,” she said.
Meanwhile, comparisons to Sandara Park often come her way, and Zela embraces them with humility.
“I get it a lot. I take it as a compliment. Who doesn’t like to be compared to her? But we have our own beauty, talent na sa amin lang,” she said with a smile.
Much like Sandara, Zela may also soon find herself on a Korean stage. RS Francisco of AQ Prime Music and Frontrow International revealed plans to meet with Korean investors to map out her international career. The announcement caught Zela off guard, but she welcomed it. “I really wanted to go global ever since I started in this industry, and now it’s starting to happen. The album used to be just one of my dreams, and now it’s here.”
Despite her ambitions abroad, Zela also dreams of working with local acts. She mentioned SB19, BINI, and Sarah Geronimo as artists she would love to collaborate with someday.
For now, she continues to carve her own place in P-pop as a soloist. And if her determination is any indication, Zela may well become the face of a new wave in the genre.
