EXCLUSIVE. One Music PH Asks: Angela Ken on Connecting With Her Audience

Angela Ken is no stranger to showcasing her talent in front of other people, as she had been one of her school’s staple performers. Doing and so and seeing the smile that it brings to those watching her, Angela said, was what made her discover just how much she loved music.

The Tarsier Records artist is set to perform in her first solo concert, “Angela Ken: Panahon Na Natin,” on Oct. 18 at the New Frontier Theater. The major event comes after the success of the singer’s mall busking tour, performing tracks from her “Panahon” EP.

The idea for the busking shows over two years ago, when she was just about to release her single “Kulimlim.”  With the act of busking bringing a musician and their listeners closer together, Angela was drawn to the concept.

“Nakakataba kasi ng puso kapag ang lapit-lapit sa’yo ng mga tao ang they also feel na ang lapit nila sa’yo as an artist,” she said. 

Angela described the concert to be “a different kind of personal and intimate,” brought to life with the direction of John Prats. The show is reflective of the EP it promotes, which Angela said to be expressing the different timelines in a person’s life.

The “Ako Naman Muna” singer has always found drive and inspiration from people connecting with her and her music. She shared how she initially struggled to finish the aforementioned hit song, but was able to do so once she saw how people resonated with it after posting a snippet online.

“I was surprised that a lot of people sa comment section, they have a lot of different stories na iba-iba ‘yung lalim na pinagdadaanan nila,” she said, “From there, I realized na maybe this is the reason why I posted it unexpectedly.” 

The viral song was what led Angela to ABS-CBN Music, and to her supporters whom she calls Angels. Her first cupsleeve event with them was a touching moment she will never forget, adding their support as reasons to keep going with her craft.

“Doon nabuo ‘yung pamilya ng Angels, and hanggang ngayon dumadami lang sila nang dumadami and isa talaga sa mga pinakamalalaking rason kung bakit ako nagpapatuloy sa musika,” she said.

As she goes on with her music, Angela recently released her new single “tayo lang”. The song was first written by 2018, but according to her, “Pinagtibay rin siya ng panahon.”