Maria Luisa Ramsey Kagahastian (born March 21, 1970), known professionally as Jaya (/ˈdʒaɪə/), is a Filipino singer, actress, and television personality.
She was a talent of GMA Network but later transferred to ABS-CBN, where she served as one of the head jury of the Tawag ng Tanghalan segment of the Philippine noontime variety show It's Showtime and performer on ASAP.
There, she continued her solo singing stints, performing with other overseas Filipino artists like Tillie Moreno, Eddie Mercado, Lerma dela Cruz, and the duo Reycards.
She ran away from home in 1988 after finishing high school, moving to New York with a friend and landing a job as a backup vocalist for Stevie B's group of musicians.
She adorns Magpakailan pa Man (Up to the End), with soulful, Toni Braxton-styled flourishes, and renders the upbeat, "Together" with panache and verve.
Another major difference is the inclusion of three modern, rhythm and blues styled songs, including, "We Thang," "Tear to Fall" and "In My Dreams."
[17] After five years in the recording scene, she released her first greatest hits album, entitled Five featuring a duet of Habang May Buhay (While There's Life) with Regine Velasquez and Kung Wala Na (If It Is Gone) from the Abandonada soundtrack.
Her performance as the demon king Ravana's sister, Soorphanaka, was memorable for her skillful treatment of risque songs and sultry dancing.
For example, the album starts with a performance of Aretha Franklin's 1960s hit "Respect", and also includes Labelle's "Lady Marmalade", Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit," and Roy Orbison's "Love Hurts."
Several guest artists also have spots, including Regine Velasquez, who performs Abba's "Dancing Queen"; boy band Jeremiah, who accompanies Jaya on remakes of songs by American boy bands, including Westlife's "Swear It Again"; and male singers Wency Cornejo, KC Montero, and Rivermaya's vocalist and songwriter, Rico Blanco.
One of these is Ogie Alcasid, who composed and produced "Ako'y Sa'yo" later revived by Regine Velasquez, "Maging Akin Ka Lamang" and their duet of "Bakit Di Mo Sabihin".
[21] In 2007, she released her eighth album Cool Change under her new label, GMA Records, featuring covers of international hit songs including Donna Summer's "On the Radio" and the Chaka Khan's "Through the Fire".
It contains 14 love songs carefully picked and beautifully revived by the Philippine's Queen of Soul, such as "Breathe Again" originally sung by Toni Braxton; "Old Friend" by Phyllis Hyman and "Save the Best For Last" by Vanessa Williams.
On March 1, 2010, Jaya starred in her first soap opera as a supporting character in Diva, a new primetime offering of GMA Network for their 60th Anniversary, alongside Regine Velasquez, Mark Anthony Fernandez and Glaiza de Castro.
She played the nosy landlady Helen de Herenes in Kaya ng Powers, a sitcom that starred Joey Marquez and Rufa Mae Quinto as a couple from outer space.
[26] Jaya won Best Female Vocal Performance for the song "Hiding Inside Myself" at 23rd Awit Awards on September 30, 2010, defeating some of the younger local singers of today.
The album received a critical response, after experimenting with a variety of sounds in her previous outings, "Jaya comes to terms with what she is really all about as a singer in "All Souled Out."
She also starred in Mga Basang Sisiw as Sally[28] Jaya became a Kapamilya after being welcomed on ABS-CBN's and after 16 years with GMA Network, noontime-variety show It's Showtime last July 16, 2016, and she is now a part of the jury on Tawag ng Tanghalan.
[33] On June 27, 2009, at 5:28 pm, she gave birth to her son Dylan at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan City.
[35] In 2023, Jaya became subject to controversy after John Lapus posted a blind item on Twitter, alleging that there was an unnamed singer repeatedly liking anti-transgender Tweets on the platform.
[36] It was widely believed that the post alluded to Jaya, after it was revealed that she had been liking Tweets from the account of the far-right anti-LGBT organization Gays Against Groomers.