Kyla at Ayala Center Cebu this Saturday

CEBU, Philippines - After a long break from releasing music, the country’s R&B princess Kyla is back full force with a stronger R&B sound and a passion for showing emotions through her music. Her debut in 2000 up to this date has made her one of the most uniquely talented artists of her generation, and the new album “Journey” via PolyEast Records proves that she still holds the title.

“I have come from a long journey to finally release a new album again and I can say, it feels great to be back. This new album brings so much excitement and fulfillment in my career that now I have a family of my own, I’m back to what I love doing the most—singing and recording songs for my fellow music lovers” she adds.

The first single off the album, titled “Kunwa-kunwari Lang,” is a jazzy song written by Francis Salazar & Jungee Marcelo. The song debuted on radio last month and has been receiving much praise as it peaked #1 on the RX 93.1 daily survey. For its digital format, the song entered the iTunes chart at number one upon release and is now available on www.spinner.ph.

While she took something of a risk by breaking from her norm, this six-track project finds Kyla working with a formidable slate of songwriting and production heavyweights, including Jungee Marcelo, Francis Salazar, Yosha Honasan and Jay-R.

“The title kind of speaks for itself, my journey of life experiences. My last album came out in 2010 and here we are in 2014, and there are a lot of things that happened, obviously. There are a lot of changes that I need to embrace in the music industry and the battle of producing quality songs. And people have seen me go through so many things in the public, whether it’s my personal life or my career,” Kyla shared.

As the album reclaims her prominence, our 33-year old R&B chanteuse brings a range of styles from “Dito Na Lang,” a throwback to the singer’s glory days or much likened to her hit “Hanggang Ngayon”; “I Got This,” a song that mirrors many of her R&B hits, with her co-writer Yosha Honasan; and “Atin ang Walang Hanggan” on slow-motion which emphasizes the album’s firm R&B roots. When Kyla sang a song written for her by Brian McKnight titled “My Heart” during her Sunday show, it has since become her wedding song which is included in the album in a duet with McKnight.

Kyla is now married to PBA cager Rich Alvarez with a one-year-old son. “That part of my life plays a big role in this journey. Especially on how I see life in a much brighter perspective and how love has defined itself for me,” Kyla says as she shared an anecdote to her song and composition “Journey,” which is also included in the album with Jay-R and Kettle Mata as co-music writers.

Shortly after her return in late 2013, Kyla began recording a new album. In March, Kyla renewed her contract with PolyEast Records.

Catch Kyla as she promotes her newest album “Journey” at Ayala Center Cebu’s The Gallery this Saturday, May 31, at 6 p.m.