Meet a reintroduced Bayang Barrios, the Katutubong DIVA (Driven, Inspired, Victorious, and Authentic) via her first solo concert at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Tanghalang Ignacio B. Gimenez (Black Box Theater) slated on May 6, 2023 at 7:30 PM, with guests Joey Ayala, Gary Granada, Lolita Carbon, Cooky Chua and Poppert Bernadas, as well as her friends and collaborators over more than three decades in showbiz.

The anniversary concert, BAYANG BARRIOS Katutubong DIVA, will be directed by Floy Quintos.

Bayang Barrios is the exquisite voice on the songs “Malayo Man, Malapit din,” “Bagong Umaga,” “Pag Nanalo ang Ginebra,” and Encantadia’s theme song. Bayang is a multi-awarded singer and songwriter who’s been in the industry for 35 years.  She’s also a teacher, mother, theater artist, designer, and peace advocate.  She has a band named Naliyagan, and is married to another award-winning musician-producer, Mike Villegas.

She is a proud Manobo from Agusan del Sur, but she once downplayed her ethnic origins.

She had in fact turned her back on her indigenous roots after the trauma of discrimination in childhood.  She studied hard, became a teacher, and rarely mentioned her native background.

Then in Davao, she met a songwriter and performer who celebrated native cultures in his music – Joey Ayala.

She joined Ayala’s iconic band Ang Bagong Lumad, which pioneered in giving native themes and music a contemporary beat and vibe.  For nearly 20 years, they traveled the country and the world introducing indigenous music, instruments, and dance to mainstream audiences, especially youths hungry for a deeper connection to their Filipino identity.

When Bayang went solo, she continued her journey of celebrating her native origins, and began a chapter in her life of standing up for indigenous rights and other causes close to her heart.

Looking back on a storied career, she says her proudest moments were winning the Metropop Music Festival in 2003 for her song “Malayo Man, Malapit Din” and receiving the Lorenzo Ruiz Award for Music by the Catholic Mass Media Awards in 1997, where she was personally awarded by the late Cardinal Jaime Sin for her song “Bayang Makulay.”

The widespread awareness and acceptance today of indigenous cultures can be credited partly to the courageous efforts of artists like Bayang, who have sought to make native roots a badge of honor.

Her upcoming concert Katutubong DIVA is her first as a solo artist, but only the latest version of Bayang Barrios as an influencer of pop culture and avatar of native pride.

Produced by Manila Media Inc, Bayang Barrios: Katutubong DIVA will be held at the CCP Black Box Theater on May 6.

Tickets are available at TicketWorld.  For other inquiries, please contact Manila Media Inc at +632-83511483 or +63977-1154586.

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