VP/Cover | A Soulful Homecoming: Jaya Returns with Her Greatest Hits

The New Frontier Theater will light up with the voice that has defined an era. The Queen of Soul, Jaya is finally home, ready to celebrate her timeless music in a one-night concert titled “JAYA ALL HITS” on September 14. More than a concert, it’s a reunion with the fans who have carried her songs through every season of their lives.

Coming Home

For Jaya, stepping back on a Philippine stage feels both nerve-wracking and deeply comforting. Filipino audiences are her core listeners, the ones who grew up with her voice and turned her songs into generational anthems.

This concert is her way of saying thank you while also rediscovering the bond she shares with them. With a setlist crafted carefully alongside her Cornerstone team, she promises a lineup that blends her biggest mainstream hits with her signature covers—songs that have been “Jayafied” over the years.

“It’s a bit nerve-wracking and exciting at the same time,” she admits. “I missed singing for Filipino audiences who truly are my core listeners. I just hope they missed me too and are as excited as I am to join me.”

She teases that while the classics will take center stage, there will be surprises in store.

“All hits would be my songs that became mainstream hits that people still sing along to, and the songs I’ve covered that have been Jayafied. I’ll be singing the songs they want to hear and remember.”

The Stories Behind the Songs

One of the most powerful things about Jaya’s music is how it has been woven into the personal stories of her listeners. Fans often come to her with memories tied to her songs, and she carries those moments with pride.

At a worship event, a man once told her that giving his then-girlfriend a cassette of Jaya In The Raw was the start of their love story, a love that still thrives today.

“After the show, the husband said, ‘I gave my wife (girlfriend then) a cassette of your orange album and so naging kami after!’ O diba?” Jaya recalls with a laugh.

Another fan confided that Wala Na Bang Pag-ibig became her survival anthem during a painful divorce, she shares.

For Jaya, these encounters are the true measure of her artistry. More than chart-toppers or awards, it’s knowing that her voice has comforted, inspired, and even brought people together that makes her proud. “Lots more stories, but these two are some of the most memorable ones,” she adds, a smile in her voice.

Finding Strength Through Faith

Behind Jaya’s radiant performances lies a journey of trials, doubts, and renewal. If she could speak to her younger self, her message would be one of reassurance and faith—that she was created with purpose, and that no hardship could erase her worth.

“Hey girl, you won’t understand now, but God fearfully and wonderfully made you,”do not feel alone and unhappy. Because of your circumstances, as hard as they are, you will be blessed with gifts that will transform you. Trials will come, but He will turn your mourning into joy.”

This perspective comes from years of navigating challenges, both personal and professional. In 2020, during the pandemic, Jaya even considered quitting music altogether. But her faith pulled her back.

“The Lord woke me up and made me shift my mindset. He made me believe in what I can do and to trust His process,” she explains. “Now I live with the belief that the best is yet to come.”

Her homecoming concert is proof of that renewed spirit;an artist who has walked through doubt but emerged with even deeper purpose.

Songs That Defined an Icon

Over the years, Jaya’s catalog has grown into a rich collection of soul, ballads, and anthems. But two songs stand out as closest to her heart. The first is In My Dreams, her only original composition, written during a season of heartbreak.

“I wrote In My Dreams because this is my only original song, I wrote it during a heartbreak of sorts.”

The second is Wala Na Bang Pag-ibig, the track that etched her name permanently in OPM history.

“This song truly made me known all over. The majority of people I meet literally sing this to me, it makes me so happy and humbled.”

These two pieces capture both sides of her artistry, her personal expression as a songwriter and her power as an interpreter whose voice gives new life to music. “Iba talaga ang power ng music,” She says, music’s power is beyond amazing and beyond those, Jaya acknowledges that many tracks made her who she is, each contributing to her identity as the Queen of Soul. Her songs live on, not just through records but in karaoke bars, family gatherings, and the hearts of every listener who still sings them today.

The Queen of Soul

Even after JAYA ALL HITS, the journey doesn’t end. Jaya already has her eyes set on the future, from doing more shows both locally and abroad to recording at least two more albums filled with unique collaborations. She’s also eager to explore new sounds and styles, proving that reinvention is always part of her artistry.

“After September 14, I would love to do more shows locally and worldwide,” she says. “Record maybe two more albums with unique collabs and perhaps try a new sound or style.”

Outside music, she’s venturing into business with close friends in the US, another chapter she’s excited to unfold. But above all, Jaya remains anchored in her faith, trusting God’s plan for her life and career. For her, legacy lives not only in her recordings but also in the way people continue to sing her songs.

On September 14, Jaya comes home not just to sing her greatest hits, but to remind us all why soul, once felt, never leaves.

“When people still sing my songs, memorized and all, that’s when I know music will stand the test of time,” she reflects. “Karaoke even makes songs immortal.”

Publisher | Richie de Quina (@richiedequina) & Gwynn Crisostomo Editor-in-Chief | John Luke Chica (@annoyedluke) Junior Editor | Lei Sedero (@arthreo) PR & Advertising Manager | Josh Austria (@imjoshaustria) Digital Manager | Allen Esteban (@iamallenesteban) Words by Lei Sedero (@arthreo)