Allyzza Kay Trinidad

Jona shares stories about her "Birit Queens" sisters and the "ASAP" life

Article (news)

Liezel Dela Cruz

In 2016, Jona made a big career leap by moving to ABS-CBN, and among her very first assignments as a Kapamilya was interpreting a song for the &quot;Himig Handog&quot; songwriting competition on the &quot;<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/asap" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ASAP</a>&quot; stage. Since then, the former singing contest champion found her rhythm and her home on the iconic Sunday variety show, which is celebrating its 30thanniversary. Jona recalls how nervous she felt leading up to her first &quot;<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/asap" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ASAP</a>&quot; performance. And since she wasn’t used to handling her own wardrobe yet, she spent almost two days figuring out what to wear, which only added to her jitters. Thankfully, the actual production turned out to be a pleasant experience, and everyone backstage was warm and welcoming, even the icons she used to admire from afar.&quot;Sobrang na-o-overwhelm ako no&#x27;ng mga panahon na &#x27;yun. Hindi ko akalaing makakasama ko na in one prod sina Tito Gary [Valenciano], Martin [Nievera], Zsa Zsa [Padilla]. Siyempre until now iniidolo ko sila. Pero &#x27;yung nakakasama mo sa singing, nakakapagbigay ng advice when it comes to stage performance and even life advice, blessing na masasabi &#x27;yun,&quot; she shared.As time went on, more artists she’s long been friends with—her former co-stars from another Sunday variety program—also made the move to &quot;ASAP,&quot; making it easier to feel at home.Apart from the on-stage acts, what she cherishes most about her &quot;ASAP&quot; journey are the bonding moments off-cam. Back when most cast members had their own groups, like the &quot;ASAP Sessionistas&quot; and the &quot;Birit Queens,&quot; which she&#x27;s still a part of, they would constantly hang out after the live show, and they even  had a chat group where all the planning and catching up happens. Being part of &quot;ASAP&quot; also means having the opportunity to perform abroad regularly, as the program brings concert specials for Kapamilya fans overseas. She once trended for her mind-blowing rendition of the operatic German piece &quot;Queen of the Night&quot; during a show in Rome. Jona admitted, though, that she had serious doubts when told she’d be singing it.&quot;Hindi naman ako nag-aral ng Conservatory of Music. Kung ano lang &#x27;yung ability ko, &#x27;yun lang &#x27;yung tinanggap ko nang buong buo at pinakita ko sa &#x27;ASAP&#x27; stage,&quot; she said. &quot;Of course, hindi siya perfect at may mga nag-criticize din sa performance ko na &#x27;yun, but I wanted to share to everyone that I love all genres of music.&quot; She added that she’s thankful to the &quot;ASAP&quot; creatives for trusting her with such a difficult number.It would have to be one of the most challenging songs she’s ever done, with its sky-high notes and German lyrics she had to study from scratch. She wasn’t even that familiar with the piece to begin with. But for Jona, the best antidote to fear is preparation. And also, honesty. She’s always upfront with the production team and lets them know what she can and cannot do, and then work from there.Joining the &quot;Birit Queens&quot; segment on &quot;ASAP,&quot; alongside Angeline Quinto, Morissette Amon, and Klarisse de Guzman, is truly an honor for Jona. But she won&#x27;t deny the pressure that comes with it, as it feels like the audience is grading them individually on every performance. The pressure can get so intense that there are even times when she’d run to the comfort room before going on stage, just to shake off the anxiety. But she’s learned that prayers, physical warm-ups, and vocal exercises really help calm her. And when everything feels overwhelming, she simply tells herself to &quot;just go for it.&quot;She also opts to look at the pressure and viewer feedback in a positive light, &quot;At least next time alam mo kung saan pagbubutihin... Tina-try namin pakinggan &#x27;yung mga feedback, mga suggestions, but at the same time, tina-try namin to enjoy lang &#x27;yung moment.&quot; Jona loves how their bond as a quartet has deepened. They&#x27;ve learned how to adjust to each other’s personalities and found their rhythm offstage too. &quot;Nabuo namin &#x27;yung pagkakaibigan aside sa pagkanta together on one stage,&quot; mused Jona. Their out-of-the-country shows often double as bonding time. She and Morissette are usually the ones laughing at everything, while Angeline and Klarisse are the jokesters. Speaking of Klarisse, Jona was asked how she reacted to her joining &quot;<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/pinoy-big-brother-collab" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Collab Edition</a>&quot; as an official housemate. “Napa-wow ako, na-amaze ako,” she gushed. She didn’t expect Klarisse to be so game for a reality show like that. But what makes her even prouder and happier as a friend is that Klarisse had the courage to come out on national TV as bisexual. Klarisse had never really opened up about that part of her story with their circle at work, which is why Jona was moved to see her finally let go of something she’d been holding inside for so long, which she sees as the first step toward being authentic.&quot;Happy ako for her na nailabas niya kung sino siya talaga,&quot; Jona shared, sending a heartfelt message to her fellow diva. &quot;Saludo ako sa tapang mo, Klang. Sana mas marami pa yung katulad mo na kung ano yung authentic self ay ‘yun ang ipapakita nila.&quot; She’s excited for the world to see more of Klarisse&#x27;s funny side, which perfectly fits her moniker, “Kuwela Soul Diva ng Antipolo.”Wrapping up the Kapamilya Chat interview, the Fearless Diva revealed that one of her goals is to write her own tracks, specifically inspirational love songs. &quot;Gusto kong i-share kung ano &#x27;yung mga napagdaanan ko, to be an inspiration din sa mga tao na baka may parehong pinagdadaanan,&quot; she said. She also has on her bucket list more collaborations with the new breed of artists like Khimo Gumatay, Marielle Montellano, &quot;The Voice USA&quot; champ Sofronio Vasquez, and the &quot;Tawag Ng Tanghalan&quot; champs. But whoever she gets to collaborate with, she just enjoys the process. After all, nothing beats connecting with fellow artists who share the same passion.

Jona looks back on her “ASAP” journey and the family she found in her co-performers.

Jona looks back on her “ASAP” journey and the family she found in her co-performers.