The Queen of Soul's journey

At the young age of 12, Jaya was made to join her mom’s shows as a singer. Little did she know that the small gigs she scored, will bring her opportunities to make it big.

Her mom, celebrated singer Elizabeth Ramsey, shared that she didn't teach Jaya to sing. She believes that her daughter just naturally acquired the skill, and developed her own style.

“Si Jaya, ni isang letra, ni isang tono, wala akong itinuro. Ang sabi ko lang sa kanya, ganito ‘Kailangan kumanta ka kung gusto mo mabuhay tayo,” she said.

Jaya became her mom's pride, because Elizabeth had always wanted one of her kids to follow her footsteps. Fueled by her talent and inspired by her mother, she worked her way into the music industry. She worked as a back-up singer until the owner of the recording company that she worked for, saw tremendous potential in her, and signed her right away.

From being on the side lines, she found her way into bigger stages, and eventually her own.

Today, she’s one of the veterans of the Filipino music industry and has been dubbed as the ‘Queen of Soul.’ More than anything, this humbles Jaya and challenges her to keep striving to do better.

“Privilege 'yun. I’m honored to be part of the roster of artists na may title, and it makes you up your game,” Jaya declared.

It hasn’t been easy, she admitted. Being in the public eye, opens one to a lot of scrutiny. She eventually learned to handle it with grace and strength.

“Ang realidad, ke maayos ka, ke ‘di ka maayos, may masasabi sayo. Just do your job, the best way you can,” she said.

Watch Jaya, as she mentors and helps out the young stars of the industry in Sunday All Stars, every Sunday at noon.

-- Text by Meryl Ligunas, GMANetwork.com