Kai (band)
Encyclopedia
Kai is a Filipino American
R&B musical group from the San Francisco Bay Area
started in 1992 and retired in 2001.
member) to perform at a San Francisco benefit concert. Following a group split, AC, Dru and Leo began working as a trio and in 1995, added Errol Viray and AC's cousin Andrey "Drey" Silva.
Originally named APEX, the group changed its name to Kai, an abbrevated version of the Tagalog
word "kaibigan", which means "friend". They were signed to HB Records, a local studio and began working on an album. Their debut single, "Say You'll Stay" was released shortly after and received strong radio play. This helped them get signed by Geffen
in 1997. In 1998, they released their self-titled debut album on Geffen, making them the second Filipino American recording artist to release an album on a major record label (Jocelyn Enriquez
was the first, releasing Jocelyn on Tommy Boy Records
in 1997.). Their only charting single was the previously mentioned "Say You'll Stay" which reached #59 on the Billboard Hot 100
. In that same year, they were also featured in an issue of Vibe Magazine alongside rap group The Mountain Brothers in an article promoting up-and-coming Asian American
talent in the music industry.
In 2000, as a Promise to his family to complete his education, Andrew Gapuz left the group. He was replaced by Johnny Misa, amidst a controversy that Misa was already slated to fill a vacated spot in the Los Angeles
based a cappella
group Ja'a. With Misa in the lineup, Kai released their second album, The Promise under C3D Records with singles "Every Little Thing" and "It Might Be You." They toured for the album with the backup band Deviation.
In a similar fashion to other Filipino American recording artists, both of Kai's albums were recorded in English
and also featured many covers
of songs which were prominent in the 1970s and 1980s. Also in similar fashion to their peers, they were known to sing Tagalog covers at their live performances, as well as other popular English covers that were more recent.
Throughout their career, Kai also released exclusive songs not featured on their albums on various compilation album
s. In 1998, "Last to Know" was featured on Serenade Volume 1, a compilation released by Filipino American record label Classified Records
. Kai also contributed to two compilations released by popular social networking website AsianAvenue.com. A version of "The Promise", which would later be modified before it became the title track of their second album, was released on AsianAvenue.com Plugged In Volume 1 in 1999 and a cover of Shai
's "Come With Me" featuring Deviation was released on AsianAvenue.com Plugged In Volume 3 in 2001.
In 2001, Kai officially retired as a group. With the group's lack of a consistent webpage throughout their career and popular sites such as MySpace
or Wikipedia
which are typically used by recording artists and their fans to convey information to a wider audience not developed yet, the circumstances surrounding their retirement remain a mystery.
Members Andrey Silva and Errol Viray attempted to continue under the name Kai as a duo shortly after the group's initial breakup. This venture, however, was short-lived.
, the state with the largest Filipino American population in the United States
, especially in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Other groups included in this influx were Jocelyn Enriquez
, Pinay, Premiere, Julie Plug, Kim Del Fierro, One Vo1ce
, Innerlude, DnH (Drop N Harmony), Ja'a, Devotion, and CQuence.
In 2006, Kid Heroes Productions featured Kai's "Something Inside Me" music video on their Bootleg Visuals Volume 1 release, which featured music videos from Filipino American recording artists.
Kai is often miscited as the artist of certain songs on music sharing websites such as imeem
or peer to peer networks such as Kazaa
or BitTorrent. Most notably, their name is incorrectly accredited to R&B group Portrait
's "How Deep Is Your Love", which was released three years before Kai's debut album. They are also miscited as being the artists of "Forever", and "Twinkle Twinkle", recorded by R&B groups Damage
and Simplicity, respectively.
Filipino American
Filipino Americans are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipino Americans, often shortened to "Fil-Ams", or "Pinoy",Filipinos in what is now the United States were first documented in the 16th century, with small settlements beginning in the 18th century...
R&B musical group from the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
started in 1992 and retired in 2001.
Career
The group was formed when Anthony "AC" Lorenzo invited Andrew "Dru" Gapuz, Geoffrey "Geof" Lintao, Quincy "Q" Victoria and Leo Chan (the group's sole Chinese AmericanChinese American
Chinese Americans represent Americans of Chinese descent. Chinese Americans constitute one group of overseas Chinese and also a subgroup of East Asian Americans, which is further a subgroup of Asian Americans...
member) to perform at a San Francisco benefit concert. Following a group split, AC, Dru and Leo began working as a trio and in 1995, added Errol Viray and AC's cousin Andrey "Drey" Silva.
Originally named APEX, the group changed its name to Kai, an abbrevated version of the Tagalog
Tagalog language
Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a third of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by most of the rest. It is the first language of the Philippine region IV and of Metro Manila...
word "kaibigan", which means "friend". They were signed to HB Records, a local studio and began working on an album. Their debut single, "Say You'll Stay" was released shortly after and received strong radio play. This helped them get signed by Geffen
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
in 1997. In 1998, they released their self-titled debut album on Geffen, making them the second Filipino American recording artist to release an album on a major record label (Jocelyn Enriquez
Jocelyn Enriquez
Jocelyn Enriquez is a Dance-pop singer from San Francisco. She is of Filipino descent: her parents are from the province of Pangasinan. She graduated from Pinole Valley High School in 1993.-Career:...
was the first, releasing Jocelyn on Tommy Boy Records
Tommy Boy Records
Tommy Boy Entertainment is an independent record label started in 1981 by Tom Silverman.-History:...
in 1997.). Their only charting single was the previously mentioned "Say You'll Stay" which reached #59 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. In that same year, they were also featured in an issue of Vibe Magazine alongside rap group The Mountain Brothers in an article promoting up-and-coming Asian American
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
talent in the music industry.
In 2000, as a Promise to his family to complete his education, Andrew Gapuz left the group. He was replaced by Johnny Misa, amidst a controversy that Misa was already slated to fill a vacated spot in the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
based a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
group Ja'a. With Misa in the lineup, Kai released their second album, The Promise under C3D Records with singles "Every Little Thing" and "It Might Be You." They toured for the album with the backup band Deviation.
In a similar fashion to other Filipino American recording artists, both of Kai's albums were recorded in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and also featured many covers
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of songs which were prominent in the 1970s and 1980s. Also in similar fashion to their peers, they were known to sing Tagalog covers at their live performances, as well as other popular English covers that were more recent.
Throughout their career, Kai also released exclusive songs not featured on their albums on various compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
s. In 1998, "Last to Know" was featured on Serenade Volume 1, a compilation released by Filipino American record label Classified Records
Classified Records
2006-PresentClassified Records is currently based in San Diego, CA with CJ Harris as the CEO.With the intent to put the San Diego local music scene on the map, Harris purchased the license to Classified Records in 2006...
. Kai also contributed to two compilations released by popular social networking website AsianAvenue.com. A version of "The Promise", which would later be modified before it became the title track of their second album, was released on AsianAvenue.com Plugged In Volume 1 in 1999 and a cover of Shai
Shai (band)
Shai is an early 1990s vocal R&B/soul quartet. Their biggest hit was "If I Ever Fall in Love," which reached #2 in the U.S. Top 40.-History:...
's "Come With Me" featuring Deviation was released on AsianAvenue.com Plugged In Volume 3 in 2001.
In 2001, Kai officially retired as a group. With the group's lack of a consistent webpage throughout their career and popular sites such as MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
or Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
which are typically used by recording artists and their fans to convey information to a wider audience not developed yet, the circumstances surrounding their retirement remain a mystery.
Members Andrey Silva and Errol Viray attempted to continue under the name Kai as a duo shortly after the group's initial breakup. This venture, however, was short-lived.
Legacy
Kai was the first of many Filipino American R&B/pop artists/groups of the late 1990s and early 2000s that flooded the independent music scene throughout CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, the state with the largest Filipino American population in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, especially in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Other groups included in this influx were Jocelyn Enriquez
Jocelyn Enriquez
Jocelyn Enriquez is a Dance-pop singer from San Francisco. She is of Filipino descent: her parents are from the province of Pangasinan. She graduated from Pinole Valley High School in 1993.-Career:...
, Pinay, Premiere, Julie Plug, Kim Del Fierro, One Vo1ce
One Vo1ce
One Voice is an all-Filipina girl R&B/OPM singing group that originated from Vallejo, California. The group currently consists of sisters Marie and Mae Ceralvo, Monica Castillo, Melissa Ruiz and Aimee Castillo.-Early career:...
, Innerlude, DnH (Drop N Harmony), Ja'a, Devotion, and CQuence.
In 2006, Kid Heroes Productions featured Kai's "Something Inside Me" music video on their Bootleg Visuals Volume 1 release, which featured music videos from Filipino American recording artists.
Kai is often miscited as the artist of certain songs on music sharing websites such as imeem
Imeem
The online service imeem was a social media web site where users interacted with each other by streaming, uploading and sharing music and music videos...
or peer to peer networks such as Kazaa
Kazaa
Kazaa Media Desktop started as a peer-to-peer file sharing application using the FastTrack protocol licensed by Joltid Ltd. and operated as Kazaa by Sharman Networks...
or BitTorrent. Most notably, their name is incorrectly accredited to R&B group Portrait
Portrait (group)
Portrait are an American R&B vocal quartet, consisting of members Michael Angelo Saulsberry, Irving Washington III, Eric Kirkland and Philip Johnson.-Career:...
's "How Deep Is Your Love", which was released three years before Kai's debut album. They are also miscited as being the artists of "Forever", and "Twinkle Twinkle", recorded by R&B groups Damage
Damage (British band)
Damage were a British R&B boy band who achieved success in the 1990s with eleven hit singles, including four Top 10 successes in the UK Singles Chart.-Biography:...
and Simplicity, respectively.
Members
- Leo Chan (1992-2001)
- Andrew Gapuz (1992-2000)
- AC Lorenzo (1992-2001)
- Andrey Silva (1995-2001)
- Errol Viray (1995-2001)
- Johnny Misa (2000-2001)
Album
- Kai (1998) (MCA Music Inc./Geffen)
- The Promise (2000) (Kai Music Ent./C3D Records)
Singles
- "Something Inside Me"
- "Say You'll Stay"
- "Every Little Thing"
- "It Might Be You"
- "Last To Know"
Compilations
- "Last to Know", Serenade Volume 1 (1998, Classified Records)
- "The Promise", AsianAvenue.com Plugged In Volume 1 (1999, AsianAvenue.com)
- "Come With Me (featuring Deviation)", AsianAvenue.com Plugged In Volume 3 (2001, AsianAvenue.com)
- "Something Inside Me (music video)" Bootleg Visuals Volume 1 (2006, Kid Heroes Productions)