Maria Luisa Ramsey Kagahastian, known professionally as Jaya, is a Filipino singer, actress, and television personality. Referred to as the country's "Queen of Soul", she is known for her distinctively deep voice and soulful singing style. She was a talent of GMA Network but later transferred to ABS-CBN, where she served as one of the head jury of the Tawag ng Tanghalan segment of the Philippine noontime variety show It's Showtime and performer on ASAP. Jaya is the second Filipino recording artist to chart in the United States, with her debut single "If You Leave Me Now" peaking at number 44 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Jaya (singer)
Honorific nicknames in popular music
When describing popular music artists, honorific nicknames are used, most often in the media or by fans, to indicate the significance of an artist, and are often religious, familial, or most frequently royal and aristocratic titles, used metaphorically. Honorific nicknames were used in classical music in Europe even in the early 19th century, with figures such as Mozart being called "The father of modern music" and Bach "The father of modern piano music". They were also particularly prominent in African-American culture in the post-Civil War era, perhaps as a means of conferring status that had been negated by slavery, and as a result entered early jazz and blues music, including figures such as Duke Ellington and Count Basie.
American singer Aaliyah is known as the "Princess of R&B".
American singer Christina Aguilera is known as the "Voice of a Generation".
American musician James Brown was known as the "Godfather of Soul".
American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey is known as the "Songbird Supreme" and "the Queen of Christmas".