KZ Tandingan

Quick Facts

KZ Tandingan – Nagmamahal Lang Ako – KZ Live Sessions

About KZ Tandingan

A Digos Girl With a Big Voice

KZ Tandingan was born Kristine Zhenie Lobrigas Tandingan on March 11, 1992 in Digos, a small city in Davao del Sur on the island of Mindanao. She grew up far from the showbiz capital, and for a while music was not even the plan.

She sang as a child but had to stop during junior high because of throat problems. Before she ever stepped onto a national stage, she was gigging with a local acoustic band back home and quietly building the range that would later stun a whole country.

That country got its first real look at her in 2012, when she auditioned for the first season of “The X Factor Philippines.” Her jazzy, fearless takes on songs like “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” earned standing ovations, and in October 2012 she was crowned the very first grand winner of the show.

From “Asia’s Soul Supreme” to a Live-Performance Legend

After “The X Factor,” KZ quickly evolved, leaning into soul, R&B, and a rap-singing style that was rare in OPM, and the nickname “Asia’s Soul Supreme” started to stick.

A big part of her legend was built on the road, and on the Wish 107.5 Bus. Her live covers, from “Two Less Lonely People in the World” to Lorde’s “Royals,” racked up millions of views and turned casual listeners into diehard fans around the world.

Her 2017 sophomore album “Soul Supremacy” pushed her further into her signature sound and went on to earn platinum status. She was no longer just a contest champion; she was one of the most distinctive voices in Philippine music.

The World Takes Notice

In 2018, KZ took her first steps outside of the local entertainment industry when she joined the hit Chinese reality competition “Singer 2018” as a challenger. In her very first week, she performed a jaw-dropping cover of Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” and topped the vote, famously placing ahead of her own idol, the British superstar Jessie J. The moment turned KZ into a source of national pride back home.

She followed it with more history: in 2019 she became the first Filipino artist to headline a sold-out solo concert at the Dubai World Trade Centre Arena.

She has also lent her voice to Disney, recording “Gabay,” the full Filipino-language theme for “Raya and the Last Dragon” in 2021, carrying the flag once more beyond the local scene.

Music and More Milestones

Off stage, KZ’s story is tied to fellow singer-songwriter TJ Monterde, whom she married in August 2020. The couple became one of OPM’s most beloved musical partnerships, trading duets like “Ikaw at Ako Pa Rin” and “Palagi.”

In 2025 they made history together, staging a sold-out multi-night run at the Smart Araneta Coliseum as a couple, a first of its kind for the venue. KZ has also stayed busy as a mentor, coaching on shows like “The Voice Teens” and “The Voice Kids” and passing her craft to a new generation.

She continues to release new music, from recent singles like “Toyo,” “Numbers,” and “Winning” to 2026 tracks “Hiraya Manawari” and “Sinong Magmamahal Sa ‘Kin?” More than a decade after Digos, her voice still sounds like nobody else’s.

Videos

Albums

• KZ Tandingan (2013)
• Soul Supremacy (2017)

Singles

• Killing Me Softly (2012)
• Scared to Death (2013)
• Puro Laro (2013)
• Bakit Lumuluha (2013)
• Mahal Ko o Mahal Ako (2014)
• Two Less Lonely People in the World (2017)
• Labo (2017)
• Halik sa Hangin (2019)
• Imposible, with Shanti Dope (2019)
• My Hair, My Say (2020)
• Raise Your Flag, with Kritiko (2020)
• Gabay (2021)
• 11:59 (2021)
• Dito Ka Lang (2023)
• Toyo (2024)
• Palagi (TJxKZ Version) (2024)
• Numbers (2025)
• Nagmamahal Lang Ako (2025)
• Winning (2025)
• Hiraya Manawari (2026)
• Sinong Magmamahal Sa ‘Kin? (2026)

Song Collaborations

• Bolang Kristal (Abra – 2016)
• Throwback (Morissette – 2017)
• Ikaw at Ako Pa Rin (TJ Monterde – 2017)
• Industriya (Gloc-9 – 2017)
• Imposible (Shanti Dope – 2019)
• Raise Your Flag (Kritiko – 2020)
• Can’t Wait to Say I Do (TJ Monterde – 2020)
• Palagi (TJ Monterde – 2024)
• Hiraya Manawari (TJ Monterde – 2026)

TV

• The X Factor Philippines (Season 1 Winner – 2012)
• Your Face Sounds Familiar (Season 2 – 2015)
• Singer 2018 (Hunan TV, China – 2018)
• Top Class (Vocal Mentor – 2022)
• The Voice Teens (Coach – 2023)
• The Voice Kids (Coach – 2023)
• It’s Showtime (Performer – 2024 to present)

Awards

Aliw Awards

• Best New Artist (2012)

Awit Awards

• Best Ballad Recording (Scared to Death – 2014)
• Best Jazz Recording (Darating Din – 2014)
• Best Collaboration (May Bukas Pa, with Yeng Constantino – 2015)
• Best Ballad Recording (Mahal Ko o Mahal Ako – 2015)
• Best Performance by a Female Recording Artist (Halik sa Hangin – 2020)
• Best Collaboration (Imposible, with Shanti Dope – 2020)
• Song of the Year (Imposible, with Shanti Dope – 2020)

Myx Music Awards

• Favorite New Artist (2014)

Wish 107.5 Music Awards

• Wish Original Song of the Year (Throwback, with Morissette – 2017)
• Wishclusive Pop Performance of the Year (Two Less Lonely People in the World – 2018)
• Wish Urban Song of the Year (Labo – 2018)

Nominations

Awit Awards

• Best Performance by a New Female Recording Artist (Wag Ka Nang Umiyak – 2013)
• Best Performance by a Female Recording Artist (Bakit Lumuluha – 2014)
• Best Inspirational/Religious Recording (Darating Din – 2014)
• Best Collaboration (Wag Ka Nang Umiyak, with Ebe Dancel – 2016)
• Best Collaboration (Industriya, with Gloc-9 – 2017)
• Best Rap/HipHop Recording (Industriya, with Gloc-9 – 2017)

Myx Music Awards

• Favorite Female Artist (2014)

Wish 107.5 Music Awards

• Wish Artist of the Year (2018)
• Wishclusive Collaboration of the Year (Ikaw at Ako Pa Rin, with TJ Monterde – 2018)
• Wish Urban Song of the Year (Win the Moment, with Quest – 2018)

Perspective

KZ Tandingan sings like she has nothing to lose and everything to say. She can bend a familiar cover into something entirely her own, sliding from a whispered verse into a full-throttle belt or a sudden burst of Tagalog rap without ever losing the feeling. Listening to her is a reminder that soul is not a genre you are born into, it is a thing you earn note by note.

Praise for the Artist

A star is born in Digos City.

– Gary Valenciano (OPM icon and “The X Factor Philippines” judge)
KZ Tandingan is 1st X Factor Phl winner
Philstar.com

From the moment she opened her mouth in the studio, we were completely astonished.

– Luigie “Lugo” Gonzalez (Grammy-winning producer, on “11:59”)
KZ Tandingan releases soulful new single ’11:59′
NME

Contact

• facebook.com/KZTandinganOfficial
• x.com/KZofficial
• instagram.com/kztandingan
• youtube.com/@KZTandingan
• tiktok.com/@kztandingan

Bookings

• KZ Tandingan – Cornerstone Entertainment

Listen

• Spotify – KZ Tandingan
• Apple Music – KZ Tandingan

Apple Music

On Instagram

Trivia

• She earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Southeastern Philippines before pursuing music full time.
• The National Commission for Culture and the Arts named her an Ambassador for Music, a rare government honor for a pop artist.
• She raps as comfortably as she sings. Weaving rapid Tagalog rap verses into her covers has become her trademark.
• Her hometown of Digos sits in Davao del Sur, and she is a proud champion of Mindanao music on the national stage.
• “Gabay,” her 2021 Disney recording for “Raya and the Last Dragon,” was the first full Filipino-language song featured in a Disney animated film.
• She and husband TJ Monterde are one of the few real-life couples in OPM to build a joint touring brand, releasing duets and headlining arenas together.
• As a child she nearly gave up singing entirely because of recurring throat problems during her school years.

Posted: July 22, 2026