MANALO Dad Hat Burgendy

At the age of 10, I became intrigued by the sound of the guitar. I saw my mother playing the acoustic guitar in our little apartment in Corona, CA and I just couldn’t get enough of it. Eventually, I saved up and bought my own guitar. It was twice my size. I played that guitar for hours and hours until my fingers calloused, learning all the chords I could.

Throughout my teen years, I battled with my sexuality and self love. I was this tiny 4’11 Filipina girl that couldn’t speak or sing on the mic even if I wanted to. I’d shake at the thought of performing for 5 people, let alone for 1 person; I was so scared of what everyone would think of me.

At 15, I found myself being attracted to women. These feelings terrified me and I tried to hide them. I didn’t know who I was and didn’t feel very confident. On top of that, my family wasn’t the most accepting at the time, diminishing my sense of self worth.

It wasn’t until I started college in 2011 when I decided to give the mic a real shot. I discovered an open mic in Downtown Las Vegas called the Human Experience. For two years straight, I was dedicated to going every Monday night. The community here was so supportive and loving -- no one cared if you were straight, gay, Asian, black, or blue. This was the beginning of my shift to self love.

After my shaky first attempt on the mic, it got easier and easier. The crowd loved my music. In turn, I started to believe in myself and my confidence was boosting. I gained a lot of traction at the Human Experience and began getting booked left and right by numerous venues in Las Vegas.