Why Kitchie Nadal dreams of teaching music to kids

Kitchie Nadal —TURNING TIDES MARIKINA

Raising a family is a handful as it is. But if time ever allows, Kitchie Nadal would love to try her hand at teaching children—a dream that has long taken a back seat to music.

“I have always wanted to teach kids, perhaps music, because that was my background when I was in school,” Nadal, who holds a double degree in early childhood education and psychology from the De La Salle University, told Lifestyle.

But she never got around to practicing what she studied.

In 1999, Nadal joined the alternative rock band Mojofly and began making a name for herself in the local music scene. By 2004, she had launched her solo career with the release of her chart-topping self-titled debut album, which spawned a slew of hits, including “Same Ground,” “Bulong,” and “Huwag na Huwag Mong Sasabihin.”

She never looked back. “I was making music in college and kept at it after graduation—dire-diretso na. I haven’t stopped writing and playing since,” she said. “But I do believe that teaching would be a great thing for me to do one day.”

The only kids Nadal has had experience teaching so far are her own—Keon, 7, and Iago, 1—with her husband, Spanish journalist Carlos Lopez. And they’re the reasons her creative juices continue to flow, even though she and her family have been living in Madrid for almost 10 years now, away from the bustle of the music industry.

“I’m happy. I’ve always wanted to have a family. So even if I don’t get to perform as often as I used to, I’m grateful to my children for keeping that artistic side alive,” said the 44-year-old singer, who hopes to gently encourage and nurture her older son’s interest in music.

Rock star

Keon has yet to take up a specific instrument, but it’s already clear that he’s fond of singing—and mostly in tune, too. Does he realize that his mother is a rock star? “One time he asked me, ‘If you’re famous, am I also famous?’ It was funny. I was like, ‘Why is that even important to you?’” Nadal said, laughing.

While her sons keep her plenty busy, she still finds time to write songs and watch concerts with her husband. She plays for Filipino communities in Spain and occasionally gets invited to overseas events—from Sweden to Canada, and soon, back to the Philippines.

“I’m very selective and intentional when it comes to gigging, only because I live so far away. So, if I travel all the way to the Philippines, it has to be worth it,” Nadal pointed out.

Her upcoming concert, “New Ground: Manila,” on June 21, will surely be worth the 17-hour flight. It might come as a surprise to many, but this will be her first solo concert at the Araneta Coliseum. And it definitely wasn’t for lack of demand.

Nadal with husband Carlos Lopez and kids Iago and Keon —KITCHIE NADAL FACEBOOK

At the peak of her popularity, Nadal had no shortage of offers to do shows at the Big Dome—and she very well could have sold them out.

But the timing didn’t feel right. “I would always get cold feet; I felt like I wasn’t ready for it. I had a lot of worries before. ‘What if no one goes?’ But I don’t think about those things anymore. I eventually realized that I shouldn’t let myself get consumed by those questions,” she said.

Blessing

This time around, the opportunity felt like a blessing that she simply couldn’t pass up. “I think it’s because of maturity and how I’ve evolved. I feel more secure,” she said.

The same goes for her craft. After years of experience—and her exposure to other music cultures and scenes, like Spain’s—Nadal has never been more inspired and confident with her playing. Being married to a journalist, she added, also helped her become more aware of different global issues.

“Back then, I loved writing about emo stuff or heartbreak songs. Now, there’s more global awareness. I’m driven to write positive songs … as well as songs about our realities,” said Nadal, who has been vocal about her support for Palestine in the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

There’s also a newfound impulse to step out of the proverbial box. “Back then, if you were a rock artist, you couldn’t simply cross over to hip-hop or other genres. Nagwawala ang fans! I remember being in rock gigs and fans throwing stuff when a hip-hop act appears. Nagkakagulo,” she recalled.

“Now that I’m older, I no longer box myself in, or think, ‘Hanggang dito lang ako. Ito ang market ko.’ No one cares about that anymore. I just want to enjoy music,” said Nadal, who has been experimenting with ethnic sounds and percussions for her new material and using a horn section for live performances.

“Whatever sounds happy to the ears, we just do it,” she said.

As such, her upcoming concert—unlike her 20th-anniversary concert last year—will go beyond nostalgia. This is Nadal, breaking new ground.

“I want something fresh. There will be new songs, collaborations with artists I’ve never performed with before. It’s about me exploring a new direction in my career,” she said. INQ