Page 5 - Hawaii Island MIdWeek - May 26, 2021

Laureta’s Compilation Celebrates Filipino Music
FROM PAGE 4
or Cebuano and feature Asian-American artists who are not only professionals in their own right, but also Laureta’s friends, which is how the album got its name.
cat Dolls’ Stickwitu. (Their) songs are part of my upbring- ing,” Laureta recalls. “And I love working with Nicole now. She is one of the most beautiful people on the plan- et, inside and out. Whether it’s her Hawaiian roots or her Filipino roots, she’s proud of her heritage.”
and being Filipino, music is such an important part of our culture,” he explains. “We were surrounded by that, at church, at parties. My whole family does ka- raoke, night or day. Both my sister and I knew at a young age what we wanted to do and we did it.”
Laureta, the elder by two years, took the production route, using his platform to promote Asian represen- tation in the entertainment industry. And create great music, of course. In fact, pri- or to the pandemic, he was supposed to tour with music executive and producer ex- traordinaire David Foster, and is hoping to continue touring once things start to reopen. For now, he’s hard at work on various other proj- ects, including some yet-to- be-revealed projects with his sister, as well as volume two of Kaibigan (expect it to drop this fall).
And, Laureta teases, lis- teners can expect the same melding of Western and Fil-
“Kaibigan means friend,” Laureta explains. “When I was choosing singers, I want- ed to make sure the majority of them were people I knew and understood who I was as a person.”
F
The former ‘Ewa native grew up listening to Hawaiian and Filipino music, something his parents, Joseph and Te- nie, had playing in the house all the time. Even when the family moved to Kalihi, mu- sical melodies continued to fill the home.
It’s why his sister Cheesa is a featured artist — “It’s always best when you’re working with family,” he shares — as is Hawai‘i-born Nicole Scherzinger of The Pussycat Dolls.
or Laureta, the desire and ability to create music is in his genes.
Cheesa, for her part, was the first Filipina to perform on singing competition The Voice, and made it to the top 12 as part of Team Cee- Lo Green in 2012. And, her songs have been featured on renowned television series, including So You Think You Can Dance and The Bache- lor. (And, she was featured on MidWeek’s cover back on May 20, 2012.)
“Growing up in high school (he’s a 2006 Punahou grad), we’d listen to Pussy-
ipino cultures that embody volume one.
“Being from Hawai‘i
“We should unite as a community,” he says. “With something like this album, it’s
MAY 26, 2021
HAWAI‘I ISLAND MIDWEEK 5
Troy Laureta, parents Tenie and Joseph, and sister Cheesa are a self-proclaimed musical family. PHOTO COURTESY TROY LAURETA
a small contribution of music, but it’s a way that I can use my voice to not only promote Filipino music but also Asian representation.”
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