As an alternative rock icon, Kitchie Nadal’s name is synonymous with the early 2000s Philippine music scene, whose gentle and emotionally resonant style of alternative rock captured themes of vulnerability, love, and yearning. Her guitar work and powerful vocal presence sets her apart from her contemporaries, ultimately forging a sound that prioritized emotional honesty over the era’s prevailing testosterone-addled hard rock music such as nu-metal and grunge was all the rage.
Since debuting with two albums with her first band Mojofly in 1999, Nadal has co-written memorable tracks from the band’s earlier oeuvre, including “Alright Without U,” “Minamalas,” and “Puro Palusot,” as well as a majority of songs in albums like Birthday in 1999 and A Million Stories in 2002.
After Mojofly’s sophomore album release, she left the band to pursue a solo career. Her 2004 self-titled debut album catapulted her to fame, delivering timeless hits like “Same Ground,” “Huwag Na Huwag Mong Sasabihin,” and “Bulong” — songs that have become karaoke staples and soundtracks to everyday lives and special occasions of Filipinos.
After moving to Spain in 2015 to raise a family, she left behind a legacy that, in the Philippines, would only grow stronger in her absence.
Hitting the Same Ground Running
In 2025, Nadal’s music is experiencing a renaissance. TikTok videos featuring her songs have gone viral, with Gen Z users creating cinematic montages of girlhood, friendship, and life’s fleeting moments. Even BINI member Maloi has shared Nadal’s tracks on her Instagram Stories, which she eventually performed live in Marikina earlier this year. This resurgence couldn’t have come at a better time.
Nadal is set to headline the UP Fair’s Rev Music Festival on April 5 at the University of the Philippines Diliman, one of the country’s most well-attended music festivals. Historically dominated by male-led rock acts from the 1990s to the 2020s, the festival’s decision to spotlight Nadal marks a milestone in her career. Nadal’s generational appeal, which bridges millennials who grew up with her music and Gen Z audiences who embrace it today, makes her headlining act a breath of fresh air in a scene often criticized for its lack of diversity.
In June 2024, Nadal celebrated her 20th anniversary in the music industry at New Frontier Theater in Cubao, Quezon City. The event featured collaborations with artists like Monty Macalino of Mayonnaise, Barbie Almalbis, and Zild, and even included a karaoke visualizer on giant LED screens, a playful nod to her music’s legacy. The same year, her debut album was re-released on vinyl by Backspacer Records.
As streaming dissolves generational divides and Filipino artists genre-bend with abandon, Nadal’s particular strain of emotional truth hits harder than ever. In an era of algorithm-chasing and forced nostalgia, this organic revival says everything: Real songwriting doesn’t fade, it hibernates. And when the world finally catches up, it resonates all over again.
