KAIA’s Angela to guest in Takase Toya’s first Manila show

Angela was named special guest for the Manila stop of the “TAKASE TOYA ASIA TOUR 2026 ‘∞’” (Infinity), set at the Teatrino Promenade in Greenhills, San Juan. Japanese artist Fumiya Sato will serve as the opening act.

In an online press conference on October 9, Takase said he invited Angela because he wanted to get closer to his Filipino fans and work with local artists. He said he came across KAIA, listened to the group’s songs, and felt their sound matched his own style.

“I’ve always wanted to get much closer to everyone in the Philippines,” he said.

Takase said he is excited about how his voice and Angela’s could blend on stage.

“I thought it would be great if we could sing a duet song together,” he said.

He added that he hopes this first meeting leads to more music between them, possibly something loose and spontaneous, like a jam session.

“I really want to see what kind of collaboration we can create,” he said.

KAIA, a five-member girl group that debuted in 2022, has been bringing its music to audiences abroad. Earlier this month, the group performed at Music Matters Live 2026 in Singapore as part of the festival’s first MadeIN Philippines Spotlight Weekend.

For Takase, the Manila show is his answer to Filipino fans who have long asked him to visit. The Philippines was not included in his previous Asia tour.

“Actually, there have always been so many listeners from the Philippines asking me to come visit,” he said. “Whether through direct messages or replies to my posts, they have continuously been telling me, ‘Please come to the Philippines, please come!’”

He described the concert as the start of a longer relationship with his Filipino audience.

“From here on out, I hope we can create a legendary story together,” he said.

Born in Aichi Prefecture, Takase writes both the lyrics and music of his songs, which mostly deal with love and relationships. He released his first CD in 2014 under the name TO-YA, and has been recording as Takase Toya since 2019. He reached a much wider audience in 2022, when his breakup song “Doushite,” featuring Noda Emi, took off on TikTok.

In 2023, he won the grand prize in the TuneCore Japan PickUp category of the Independent Artist Awards, which honors rising independent acts. According to his official profile, his songs have charted in more than 80 countries, and he has over one million monthly listeners on Spotify and more than three billion total streams.

The tour supports his fifth album, “∞,” released digitally on August 8. The Asian leg kicked off in Hong Kong in September and also includes stops in Seoul, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Taipei, Singapore, and Jakarta.

Unlike an arena show, the Manila concert is designed to be small and intimate, giving fans a closer view of Takase and his music.

The show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at takasetoya.helixpay.ph. The concert is organized by TTT Inc., with production by SMC Entertainment Inc., Free Planet Music Co., Ltd. and Black Star Entertainment.