Biography
Cynthia Alexander earns recognition as a folk hero across the Philippines through her work as a singer and songwriter who also produces and arranges her own material while performing on several instruments. She first took up guitar at age seven after her brother, the noted ethnic musician Joey Ayala, supplied her with introductory chord instruction. Her studies led her to Ateneo De Davao, and by the late 1980s she had become the bassist for Hayp. The band maintained a steady presence at Manila’s underground clubs such as Club Dredd and Mayric’s, though Alexander’s command of the bass quickly drew attention beyond national borders. In 1989 she was named Best Bass Player at the World Band Explosion Finals in Tokyo, Japan. Hayp issued its debut album in 1991. A year afterward she reunited with her brother Ayala and incorporated numerous indigenous instruments into their sound. The pair recorded three albums for Ang Bagong Lumad—Encantada in 1995, Parol in 1996, and Lupa't Langit in 1997—while touring the United States, Canada, India, Japan, Malaysia, and New Zealand. She also appeared onstage alongside Filipino rock legends Mike Hanopol and Jun Lupito. Alexander released her solo debut, Insomnia and Other Lullabyes, in 1997. Reviewers responded with extensive praise, placing her alongside Joni Mitchell and Patti Smith as an artist who declined to dilute her vision in pursuit of mainstream hits. Her career thereby illustrated that a female musician could sustain both independence and success in the Philippines. At the 1997 NU-107 Rock Awards she received nominations for Best New Artist and Best Bass Player; the following year the KATHA Music Awards granted her fifteen nominations and awarded her Best New Artist plus Best Alternative Music Album. Her next record, Rippingyarns, arrived in 2000 and attracted further honors. The song “Owner of the Sky” emerged as a major success on Philippine alternative radio.
Albums