KAIA Are Staying Grounded As They Reach New Heights
In this exclusive interview with Billboard Philippines, Angela, Charice, Alexa, Sophia, and Charlotte reflect on a year of milestones while keeping their feet on the ground.
Photographed by Kieran Punay. Art Direction by Easel Manes.
Photographed by Kieran Punay. Art Direction by Easel Manes.
KAIA have had plenty to celebrate this year.
There’s the bubblegum pop hit “TANGA,” which earned the five-member group the Listeners’ Choice Award at Billboard Philippines‘ Women In Music. Shortly after, their cover of “Takedown” during a Backyard Live Spotlight performance went viral and introduced the group to a much wider audience. There’s also their comeback single after a year, “hulog,” which has quickly crossed one million streams across multiple streaming platforms and was recently nominated for Pop Song of the Year at the much-awaited 2026 Filipino Music Awards.
Then there are the numerous local stages including ROUND Music Festival 2026, P-POP UNITE: The Convention, Love Laban Pride Festival, Cinemalaya’s Awarding Ceremony, with the stages only getting bigger. Soon, they are headed to Singapore for Music Matters Live, followed by ROUND Music Festival in South Korea.
The Filipina girl group could easily be defined by their achievements in the past year alone. Still, in this exclusive interview with Billboard Philippines, Angela, Charice, Alexa, Sophia, and Charlotte reflect on a year of milestones with a clear sense of what it took to get there. Evident throughout the conversation, it is the way they celebrate these breakthroughs — with genuine gratitude for the work and people behind them — that reveals who KAIA are as a group four years into their career.
Photographed by Kieran Punay. Art Direction by Easel Manes.
The Wins That Shaped KAIA’s Year
Both “TANGA” and “Takedown” mark an early upward shift in KAIA’s year. The well-deserved award and viral cover performance opened doors to more events, audiences, and opportunities. Looking back, member Sophia says, “I think with what came after that, sobrang thankful lang kami (we were just so thankful) because it wasn’t possible without these people — ‘yung mga tumulong sa video, KAIA, and ZAIA, of course — kasi sila rin ang nag-promote ng video na ‘yun (the ones who helped with the video, KAIA, and ZAIA, of course — because they were the ones who promoted it as well).”
The momentum pushed the members to create more and take bigger risks. “We were motivated to make more music, to create more, and just take the risk [of] trying new things,” leader Angela explained. “And we’re just getting started. Makikita pa nila ang different sides of KAIA sa [remaining] months of the year (They will still see different sides of KAIA in the remaining months of the year).”
With an upcoming debut EP, the girls are ready to explore more sounds and showcase more of their capabilities. “We want it to be like a whole concert kind of experience. You’ll see a lot of our dancing side. You’ll hear more ballads, more R&B,” says Angela.
Photographed by Kieran Punay. Art Direction by Easel Manes.
The response to “TANGA” and “Takedown” also made KAIA reconsider what their sound could be. Charlotte recalls how fans initially embraced “TANGA” as their sound, only for the public to say after “Takedown” went viral that the latter suited the group even more. The mixed response left the girls questioning which direction to take. For now, they embrace that uncertainty as part of the process, carefully curating their upcoming releases.
A Different Side Of KAIA
For their latest single, “hulog,” KAIA took a chance on a side of themselves that listeners had not seen as much before. The song leaned into vulnerability, both in its message and sound. As Angela explains, “It’s not just about falling in love with [another] person or someone. It’s about falling in love again with yourself, with your dreams.” She adds, “How will you know what will happen if you’re not going to let yourself fall?”
That message is reflected in both the production and creative direction of the release, marking a huge leap for KAIA whose earlier girl-crush concepts and youthful hip-hop releases to the softer direction of the dreamy new track.
Photographed by Kieran Punay. Art Direction by Easel Manes.
Alexa admits they were second-guessing the change, saying, “At first, actually, medyo kinabahan kami sa pag-release nitong song kasi iba siya sa mga first few releases na ginawa namin (At first, actually, we were a bit nervous about releasing this song because it’s different from the first few releases we put out).” But the leap revealed something new to audiences. “I think this gave KAIA the contrast that it needs. Mas nakita dito ‘yung feminine side namin – a softer, simpler side ng KAIA — and we’re just grateful na sobrang appreciative ng mga tao with this song (Our feminine side was really showcased here — a softer, simpler side of KAIA — and we’re just grateful that people are so appreciative of this song).”
A risk that has continued to pay off, “hulog” has gained streams and traction on social media for its concept, melody, choreography, and the girls’ vocals and visuals, while also earning nominations. The positive reception brought the group back to the people supporting them. “Of course, these awards wouldn’t be possible without the fans. So, it’s always [important] for us to show them our appreciation, show them our love,” Sophia recognizes. “It just makes us happy kasi andami ng naniniwala sa KAIA (because so many people believe in KAIA). So, even all five of us, we should also believe in KAIA ourselves.”
The Team Behind The Breakthrough
KAIA are also quick to recognize the people behind “hulog.” The group credits producers Shadiel Chan, Red Ridao, Ken Ponce, Ron Pangyarihan, and jikamarie for their work on the song.
Charice, in turn, highlights choreographer, Jervis Levilo, expressing, “I think the choreography made the song more beautiful, more meaningful. I think ‘yun din ang mga sinasabi nila on X (that’s what people say on X). They like the choreography so much and we are very thankful for our creative director.”
The members also acknowledge their own work on the music video, alongside Toothless Studios director Jonathan Tal Placido. Sophia says, “We’re just really grateful kasi ginawa lang talaga namin ‘yung best namin dito (because we really did our best here) — with recording the song, with conceptualizing the music video, and everything. The whole concept of this comeback, it’s just pure hard work of the members, the team, we’re just very happy that it’s getting its flowers.”
Photographed by Kieran Punay. Art Direction by Easel Manes.
Giving their all since their debut in 2022, KAIA’s approach has remained the same year after year. They don’t expect every release to go viral, yet they show up ready to give their best each time. “You just have to put in the work every single time and then, the right audience will just see you. That’s the viral moment,” Angela says. “You just keep on showing up consistently, you keep on putting out contents consistently.” She continues, “we’re always doing our best in our performances so I think the formula to virality is just hard work and patience.”
And KAIA are not the only ones showing up. Charlotte points to the people who have continued to stand with them from the very start: “We’re just lucky and blessed to a set of people na very supportive — our coaches, our mentors, our fans, ZAIA, our families and friends, and of course, si God, na laging nandyan na naka-guide sa KAIA (who is always there to guide KAIA). We’re just very grateful to everyone who’s genuinely helping KAIA and always there.”
Photographed by Kieran Punay. Art Direction by Easel Manes. Fashion Direction by Kenn Dimaano. Makeup for Angela: Nix Soriano, assisted by Shaine Caberto. Hair for Angela: WanWan Podadera Amarillo. Makeup for Charlotte: Pauline Dale Perolino. Hair for Charlotte: Leyds Caysip. Makeup for Charice: Leilani Bamba-Rizon. Hair for Charice: Jean Anganangan. Makeup for Sophia: Mica Saguan-Galvez. Hair for Sophia: Julie Sia. Makeup for Alexa: Krystal Jet Bintocan. Hairstylist for Alexa: Nico Campanero.
Production by Liezel Restauro. Written by Andrea Manuel. Billboard Philippines, September 2026.
