Spotlight on Kat Agarrado

12:10 AM October 03, 2017

Kat Agarrado was the key player of the Pinoy Soul Movement that started in the early to mid 2000’s. More noteworthy is that to this day each time she performs in any venue, gig, event, show, and concert we are reminded that she is very much the embodiment of that rise to relevance, crossover appeal, and social acceptance of a genre that Kat Agarrado is the main driving force behind.

It is because of the efforts primarily of Kat Agarrado that Pinoy Soul Movement has become what it is today and interestingly, it continues to be one of the most flourishing music movements around here in the Philippines.

This will be the very first time for me that I will be able to interview the main artist behind a movement that has helped shape and refine the musical tastes of Filipinos beginning more than a decade ago.

Even for that reason alone–without having to mention the others–I consider Kat Agarrado to be one of the living treasures in the Philippine Music Scene.

Kat Agarrado is one the most important and influential artists who have risen from obscurity to mainstream awareness in the last thirty or more years.

http://entertainment.inquirer.net/244475/spotlight-kat-agarrado

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Big surprises do come in dainty packages. Standing at a modest 5"2, Kat Agarrado, the brainchild behind Sinosikat, proves she is more than just easy on the eyes once she unleashes her incredibly soulful vocal chops the main reason behind her being named Vocalist of the Year at the 2007 NU Rock Awards. Juggling the roles of band manager, image model, and front woman is a tricky deal especially in an industry muddled with so many acts offering different flavors of music.

Many may remember her as that 16-year-old singer of ’90s band Passage. But her career actually started a year earlier after she won Ad Faces, a competition which eventually landed Kat her first gig as the female vocalist of Kindred Garden. "I performed with them for six months," Kat recalls, "One night I jammed with Side A at News Bar Cafe (now Strumms). It was there that [manager] Wyngard Tracy discovered me before signing me up with Passage."

Leading her own band since 2004, Kat is exhilarated. "With Sinosikat I get to write my own songs and music. I have full creative control and freedom. I get to choose the musicians I like and want to work with. There’s more love and friendship now compared to just working for the money. But I’m still very grateful to [have been a part of] Kindred Garden and Passage because I have learned a lot from those experiences, and experience, indeed, is the best teacher.”

-From: Spot.ph

http://www.spot.ph/peopleparties/43719/on-the-spot-sinosikats-kat-agarrado?ref=cxsearch

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Sino si Kat Agarrado? Ever heard of Sinosikat? Of course you have. They've been around the scene for a good while now and well, they've probably been played in over a hundred long drives to the beach, afterschool sessions at your local haunt, parties at every club, frathouse, outhouse, and even your parents' house. But who is Kat Agarrado? Who is that beautiful, sensual, ridiculously talented woman onstage, commanding the attention of everyone in the audience?. She is one of those rare gems, a classic beauty and divine performer, confidence erupting from her. An award-winning singer, producer, and songwriter, Kat has numerous recordings under her belt- having been a professional singer since she was very young cleary translates to her unmatched professionalism and her impressive body of work. She formed the successful Pinoy Soul band ""Sinosikat?"" and subsequently released 2 critically-acclaimed albums with Warner Music Philippines, winning several major awards in the prestigious Awit Awards and was named vocalist of the year at the 2007 NU Rock Awards.""

-From: http://pinoytuner.com

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About a decade ago, she was the teenage singer of successful R&B cover band Passage. After that stint, Kat did classic rock and sang blues tunes with Wally Gonzales. And 7 years ago, she won NU 107’s Vocalist of the Year award during the station’s annual Rock Awards in 2006.

Steeped in music, she is probably more popularly known as the “Pinoy Soul Siren” of SinoSikat? a band she created, wrote songs for and even managed. It was in 2004 — when only TV stars were signed into music labels — that she dared to form the band. Without the backing of record labels, and without the safety of cover songs that more cautious singers and producers usually opted for, she just went ahead and recorded songs.

“Every musician’s dream is to record his or her own album,” Kat says, explaining her decision then to throw caution to the wind. For the love of music, the band members did free gigs for months until they were noticed by Warner Music Philippines. Their passion paid off as their first album won the Awit Awards 2007’s Best Jazz Recording and People’s Choice Best Group honors soon after.

Kat says she is inspired by equally passionate singers like Lea Salonga, Ella Fitzgerald, Erykah Badu, Gwen Stefani and Adele. “When you see them, you know that they know what they want, and they were able to do it because they’re so passionate about it and so determined; they really pursued their dreams. I look up to those kinds of women.”

"Beauty comes from within, and it radiates outward. It's the same as performing: when you are enjoying yourself onstage, people can sense it, and they enjoy themselves too. But if you aren't enjoying yourself, no matter how good your music is, the audience won't appreciate it."

-From www.rappler.com/life-and-style/18640-soul-siren-lands-on-palawan-shores

SinoSikat? opens the 10th International Java Jazz Fest in Indonesia

https://ph.celebrity.yahoo.com/news/sinosikat--opens-the-10th-international-java-jazz-fest-in-indonesia-005407828.html;_ylt=A2oKmLSOZFtUQDYAqT2zRwx.;_ylu=X3oDMTBzYzQzaW9tBHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDMzcEY29sbwNzZzMEdnRpZAM-

Kat Magic Express:

http://entertainment.inquirer.net/77561/filipino-band-to-join-memphis-contest

Sinosikat believes in pinoys

http://entertainment.inquirer.net/84845/sinosikat-believes-in-pinoys/sinosikat

Sinosikat: The Book of Soul

http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/sim/sim/view/20080330-127270/SinoSikat-The-Book-of-Soul