Meet Miss Ramonne

Today we’d like to introduce you to Miss Ramonne.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Miss Ramonne: Starting my career in the Philippines was not smooth at all. Labels told me that the music I was making wasn’t for the Filipino market or wasn’t Filipino enough since I was initially writing in English. That the genre I wanted to do was just not cut to be considered OPM (Original Pilipino Music). I was denied attendance and participation in several organizations, auditions, and venues. 

I took it hard and to heart. I started joining bootcamps, learning how to write in the native language of the Philippines: Tagalog. I released my tracks little by little, hoping one would penetrate the ceiling set upon me. 

Independently, I started releasing in 2016, I was able to find my tribe by 2018 making it possible to tour the country until 2020 and Europe in 2021-22. 

Miss Ramonne LIVE: 

When I first landed in LA in 2023, I was invited by several Filipino festivals: Pistahan 2023 in San Francisco and Filipino-American Heritage Month in San Diego. As a band girl, it was very hard to do show without my band, but I wanted to take part in the festivities celebrating my roots – so I would perform with backing tracks. I was happy to perform but I knew in my heart of hearts that I must find my bandmates in the USA. 

By the beginning of 2024, I was in my 2nd semester in Music at UCLA, I had several classmates who are so well-versed with their chosen instrument/s that when I was invited by The Hotel Cafe in March for a show in April, I knew I had to get them all by my side. 

1. My first yes is my now bassist: Colin Gotschall. I witnessed him playing with a classmate of ours out in the valley. I knew I wanted to make music with him. We were driving from a jam one night when I asked him about playing with me. We’re classmates in 3 classes.

2. My second yes is my now keyboardist, producer, and music director, Thaddeus Demeke. We were producing a track which will be released soon *wink* when I asked him to be in the band. We’re classmates in 5 classes.

3. The third yes came from my now sitar player, Royat Alex. He is my seat mate and was the person I asked if the email from The Hotel Cafe was for real. I had to ask; I’ve been scammed by phishing emails before. He said it was legitimate. We’re classmates in 5 classes.

4. The fourth yes was made out in the valley when I visited my now guitarist, Timothy Stellar. He’s been in bands and sings marvelously. He and I met through our good friend Griffin Childers, an actor classmate of mine in 1 class.

5. My fifth yes was possible through Colin’s help. He has a friend who plays the drums: Max Bosque. It was a very tricky conversation since he’s still learning his way around the English language; he’s Russian. We relied on Google Translate and hand signals. It was quite funny.

6. The final yes was probably the hardest to get. I spent weeks scouring the LA live music scene looking for the right saxophonist. I found him onstage in Malibu. The way he played was so moving, I had to ask him to play with me right after the show.

With all six players by my side, we started rehearsing for 3 Sundays at Invincinal Village in Beverly Hills. By the 25th of April, the debut show, we’ve only played together four times. It was so beautiful and surreal that seven musicians could gel like we did with only four meets. 

Now, the challenge is how to get our name, our sound, our music to the right ears and crowd while we finesse our act. Watch out America, we’re coming for you! 

We love surprises, fun facts, and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I sing and write for brands, artists, and personalities. Multiple companies around the world is currently using my voice for their theme songs, campaigns, brand music, and releases. I sing, speak, and write in 3 languages: English, Tagalog, and Ilocano. 

I was the youngest jazz singer in the Philippines back in 2017. I held residencies in seven 5-star hotels in the country. 

I transitioned from soul/rnb to fusing my sound with dance-pop music after touring in Europe. Athens, Greece, had this movement where they would play Top40s before midnight – but as soon as the last second of midnight would pass, they would transition to Greek music. 

It inspired me to consider my multilingual capacity as a writer, to take this as a sign to evolve, to embrace myself, and let the whole world know I exist. 

The name Miss Ramonne was originally just Ramonne. The “Miss” was added after one incident at a show where the host was hyping up the crowd saying “Ramonne”, and a lot of the younger female audiences got excited for an upcoming star: “Ramon”. Haha. As soon as I got onstage, I saw the shock in their faces, the slight dismay after finding out “Ramon” was a girl. I decided to add the “Miss” that same night. It’s been Miss Ramonne ever since. No more misinterpretations. 

Contact Info:

• Website: missramonne.com
• Instagram: @missramonne
• Facebook: fb.com/missramonneofficial
• Twitter: @missramonne
• Youtube: youtube.com/missramonne

Image Credits
Tadeo Paras
Hiraya Media