Kuh Ledesma's music career spans 25 years of performances which include more than 300 concerts, numerous awards in the Philippine music scene, and 18 albums in the local recording industry. She was the first Filipino singer to be the recipient of the Salem Music Awards in March 1989. In 1997 she released an international debut album entitled PRECIOUS, a collaboration of the best American and Filipino songwriters, arrangers and musicians.
Her singing career began when she joined Lastiko, then the Ensalada band in Bacolod while she was still in college taking up Nursing. Kuh and bandmates Toto Gentica and Jet Montelibano later went to Manila and formed the MUSIC & MAGIC band. It was her very successful stint performing with Music & Magic which proved to be pivotal to her career. The strong presence of the group in the live circuit paved the way for Kuh to snag the lead role in Alice Reyes' pop ballet, RAMA HARI. She eventually went solo with her first hit song DITO BA.
Kuh is known for her lavish concept shows, putting up solo concerts in venues like the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Araneta Coliseum, PICC and Folk Arts Theater in the 80's during a time when singers shunned large venues because they were difficult to fill.
She launched an all-Filipino concert AKO AY PILIPINO (1982) at the CCP which featured a repertoire of ethnic sounds, classic kundimans and beautiful pop songs in a refreshing production that displayed Kuh's passion for tapping into the rich node of indegenous art as well as contemporary pop music to produce alternative approaches to songs. The show eventually spinned off into a TV special and a double album.
This was immediately followed by another production at the CCP, INSPIRED MADNESS (1983), created in collaboration with film director Peque Gallaga and musical director Ryan Cayabyab featuring noveau musical arrangements and unconventional production design. In light of the state of the times back then it was also here where we see a glimpse of Kuh's political color as she quietly paid tribute to Ninoy Aquino at the end of the show by singing a beautiful a cappella of "Impossible Dream" and "You'll Never Walk Alone" (translation: "Hindi Ka Nag-iisa"). And she did this in CCP yet! 1984 through 1986 Kuh joined the APO Hiking Society in ANG PINOY NGA NAMAN! 1, 2, and 3 at the Folk Arts Theater.
In the 90's Kuh had a series of back-to-back concerts with foreign artists like Noel Pointer, Jack Jones, and Kenny Rankin (and later with The Platters and Michel Legrand). This later led to the popular POWER OF TWO concert series that had Kuh performing with local artists like Regine Velasquez, Pops Fernandez, and Jaya in a bid to show that artists can work together and go against formula in creating a good show.
Kuh has also appeared in films (ORO PLATA MATA, TINIMBANG ANG LANGIT, THE YEAR OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY) and theater (RAMA HARI and KAPINANGAN), and made numerous TV specials including the award-winning program KUH BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT.
Not content with being just a performer, Kuh has also formed her own production company (HEADLINE CONCEPTS), built alternative concert venues like the MUSIC MUSEUM and the REPUBLIC OF MALATE, owns a recording studio (BRAVO RECORDS) -- thus, giving her much artistic freedom and enabling her to produce and market her own work. She is known for looking out for new talents and helping jumpstart their careers through appearances in her concerts.
Kuh has also brough most of her shows abroad like her POWER OF TWO series and her DIVA2DIVA concert with Zsa Zsa Padilla which toured again in the US last November and December. Currently, Kuh marks her importance in the local music scene via rare, talked-about shows and a co-hosting spot in the Sunday variety show, "A.S.A.P. Mania."
This year Kuh celebrates her 25th year in the music industry through a series of shows at the Captain's Bar of the Mandarin Oriental Manila dubbed as "Kuh Ledesma Presents." Every month Kuh puts up a different show featuring artists of her choice. The series kicked off in February in time for the Valentine season, and with young pop idol Christian Bautista as special guest. Kuh is also set to release a number of albums this year as well as a photo book chronicling her career.
