At 30, Alisah Bonaobra looks to explore jazz and the broadway stage

The Pinay singer Alisah Bonaobra had a successful birthday concert in the US, her home base, titled “Alisah @30,” attended by family, friends and her community at the St. Raymond Catholic Church. Hours before the start of her show, Alisah and The STAR had a brief virtual chat. By the way, she gets to share her talent for singing as a member of the church choir.

“I just turned 30 last April 22,” said Alisah. “As an individual, I’ve learned a lot, and I think it comes with age (and) adulthood. I’ve started driving here in California. I’m living on my own. I’(ve been) independent for, like, a year now. I started cooking my own meal, doing groceries on my own.”

What keeps her busy abroad is performing and teaching.

“I actually started giving voice lessons to anyone who is interested,” said she. “I actually don’t call it, like, a voice lesson. I call it, like, vocal improvement, I’m gonna observe them first, and I’m gonna see where the areas are that need improvement. That’s why it’s called vocal improvement.”

Alisah is using the knowledge and skills she has gained as a student of music at UST.

As a performer, she shared that each performer, singer or artist is unique in his or her own special way. So, one should never compare oneself to others and never doubt.

“As long as I have my voice, I will keep on singing for everybody,” said the “The Voice of the Philippines” 2014 first runner-up and “The X-Factor UK” 2017 finalist.

“With the genre, I’m actually doing the same as of now but I’m looking into trying jazz in the future. Actually, I’m gonna to be honest, my music director here at the church, he is, like, sending me videos of jazz and it seems like, really interesting,” shared she. “So, I was, like, I haven’t done that before and that’s something I can try. I can sing Broadway, pop and I’ve tried rock before and I’ve tried classical, too, and I’ve heard that people here love jazz songs.”

In her performing and recording career, Alisah has received awards and considers the 2024 Diamond Excellence Awards Outstanding Performer in The International Concert Scene very memorable. “I would say, for me, this award is something special for me, specifically, because it states like, the international scene, I mean I’ve dreamed before of being heard worldwide. But now that I’m already having an award and given some award for my international scene concerts, that is something really like I’m truly grateful for,” said she. “I consider that as the most, I mean, for now.” Alisah also feels lucky to have genuine and caring people around her, like Tita Rosabella Jao-Arribas and RJA Productions, LLC.

So, what’s in the pipeline in the coming months of the year for her?

“I’d say I’m really looking forward to auditioning on Broadway,” answered she. “I know I’ve been saying for the past years, that I’m gonna try auditioning in a Broadway (musical) or something like that, but I think I will do it this year, to be part of a Broadway show. I haven’t checked yet which musicals have opening auditions.”

As for her birthday concert, Alisah shared that her song selection was composed of tunes from her previous competitions like Defying Gravity, which she sang in “The X Factor UK” and described the show as different from musical productions in the past.

She wanted the people in her parish in the US “to see where I started, kung saan po talaga ako nang galing, kung sino si Alisah Bonaobra (where I came from and who is Alisah Banaobra as a person and as an artist).”

A portion of her show’s ticket sales would go to the church as a way of giving back.

For details on Alisah, please visit her social media accounts.