By Umer Nangiana
The star of the second season of The Voice of the Philippines, reggae singer Kokoi Baldo is all set to enthral his fans and lovers in Qatar this August. Invited by AZ Entertainment Hub, the reggae singer is teaming up with Filipino-American actor, singer and comedian, K Brosas to offer a night of ‘reggae and laughter’ on August 28 at Al Sadd Indoor Staduim in Al Sadd Sports Club.
Born and raised in Bacolod City, Baldo often travelled to other islands to perform as a freelance musician. He came to Boracay to meet up with friends, but eventually fell in love with the popular island and called it home.
While he often performs reggae songs at work, his choices are not limited to the genre. He says that as long as the lyrics are good, he would listen and learn the piece. Kokoi joins The Voice of the Philippines for the possible opportunity to provide a better future for his family.
Juan Manuel Baldo was born on September 7, 1979 in the town of Negros Occidental. In the Voice of the Philippines, the 35-year-old reggae singer from Boracay not only turned four chairs but also made the judges dance to the medley of his song One Day on the 1st episode of the second season of the popular music show.
When asked how he got into the reggae music scene, the barefooted, dreadlocked performer said that his mother used to sing the tunes of Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds while doing the laundry.
‘Halimaw’ was the term used by Coach Lea as she described Baldo’s performance during the blind auditions of the music show. The judges were so impressed that they had requested to jam with Baldo, followed by the rest of the coaches joining afterwards. At the end, had had chosen to be with famous singer and performer from Philippines and coach at the Voices of Philippines show, Sarah G’s team, to learn more and improve his abilities as a performer.
He is now married and has a son, Alon. When not performing or when not looking after his son, Baldo likes to take a swim, to race downhill with longboards and to take a hike to the mountains.
His co-performer to be at the show, Maria Carmela Brosas, better known by her screen name K Brosas is an actress, comedian, singer and television host of dual Filipino and American citizenship. She was born in the Philippines to an American father and a Filipina mother and was a band member of Gladys and The Boxers and was lead singer when the group performed as K and The Boxers. In mid-2010, she became a co-host in the game show Pilipinas Win na Win.
Recently, she has hosted and co-hosted many TV shows on multiple channels including Kris TV, It’s showtime, 3-in-1 and Quiet Please.
The gates will be opened to the public at 6pm, an hour before the entertainment begins.
Kokoi Baldo the rising reggae star from Philippines.
