In the time since the release of Alfa's debut LP, "Second Skin", the 25-year-old singer, songwriter and self-proclaimed daydreamer found herself on more planes than fingers (and toes) combined. A self-taught guitarist and once-classical pianist with a knack for catchy melodies, organic lyricism and a powerful, raspy voice, the songstress blanketed the continental U.S., delivering on requests to play at college campuses and venues from New York to L.A., following in the tracks of the 2009 record, hailed as "[Alfa] in her most brilliant form yet!"

Alfa has found herself on the stages of the Ford Amphitheatre and The Shrine (to a crowd of 6,000) in Los Angeles, Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall and the Highline Ballroom in New York,. In 2011 she embarked on her first Texas Tour, and continued her rounds playing countless college campuses - including her alma mater, NYU.

Meanwhile, "Second Skin" landed MTV licensing and its own Pandora channel, Alfa's uplifting piano-pop song, "Supergirl" made the honorable mention list of the New York Songwriters Circle's Songwriting Competition, and the music video for the Shakespeare-inspired song, "Love as Tragedy: A Play in 3 Acts" made its debut (directed by David Speranza). In 2009, Alfa took home the Grand Prize in Kollaboration Acoustic 3 in Hollywood, a nation-wide talent competition featuring Asian-American talent.

Born in the idyllic countryside of the Philippines and raised in NYC and New Jersey by a single mom and extended family members, Alfa got her start playing classical piano and violin in her youth, first as a member of the Children's Orchestra Society in Long Island, led by classical guitarist/conductor Michael Dadap, a group that toured various cities in the U.S. during her tenure. At 13, Alfa took on the guitar and fashioned a sound suited for her not-so-run-of-the-mill voice, drawing comparisons to Regina Spektor, Feist, Gwen Stefani and her influences: Fiona Apple, Jewel and Joni Mitchell.

Alfa took to self-producing a number of EP's (her first, though it doesn't always count, was released her junior year of high school), encouraged by the dizzying NYC music scene during her college years and bolstered by an extensive Asian-American community both in New York and nationally.

Her emotive voice, trained by Don Lawrence in NYC (Tracy Bonham, Lady Gaga, Mick Jagger), complements the catchy, melodic twists of her smart-pop songs. One second, Alfa will have you bobbing your head to the optimistic anthem "Supergirl" the next you'll find yourself whisked to foreign lands in the French and gypsy-inspired "Isabelle"

"Second Skin" was produced by Alex Houton (Charlotte Sometimes, Jet, Panic at the Disco) in Red Bank, NJ and was written in an attic in northern NJ shortly after Alfa graduated college. It is available on www.alfa-music.com, and can be downloaded on iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody, Pandora and other major digital distributors.

~ Praise for ALFA and "Second Skin" ! ~

"Hey, your CD is terrific! Great voice, great songs"

o Pete Kennedy (The Kennedys)

"Alfa creates excellent music and performs it spectacularly. New Jersey should be proud to call her its own."

* Evan Toth, "Good Music" on WFDU radio, 89.1 FM, NJ.

"Alfa's songs are pure, real, and lyrically fresh ... Her unique voice combined with her knack for catchy tunes and beautifully written songs paint stories that capture listeners in ways they never knew. Just a breath of fresh air from what we often hear in today's music."
* Thinh Le, Asian Voice Radio, 900AM, Houston, TX.

"Alfa is able to transport everyone to an intimate New York venue where uplifting musical chords and her singing blends together colorful substance. Alfa's sweet, raspy voice paints a woman mature beyond her years."

* Jess Man, Boston Progress. Boston, MA. 5/21/09 (bprlive.org).

"Alfa was the highlight of the concert. She won the crowd over with her incredible vocals and soulful music, even letting a lucky few join in and play back-up for her last song"

o Charissa Ng, Tufts University (11/19/09).

"The final track not only made me stop playing solitaire, but had me completely absorbed in the song's message of familial love and growth. Mind you, the rest of the album is just as good."

" Second Skin" review by Eugene Song, Born in Chinese (borninchinese.wordpress.com). NYC. 7/6/09.


"In Alfa's sophomore album entitled "Second Skin" we see her in a new phase, which reveals her in her most brilliant form yet, she is currently the best female singer-songwriter in the New York and New Jersey Asian-American music scene."

o Ted Reyes, NY Indie Music Examiner. Newark, NJ. 7/2/09.

"Alfa's music is quite different. It's pop with intelligence."
o Gordon Nash, "Wise Madness", 8/19/10.

"I've come across many singers during my ten years as Executive Director of a national talent show and Alfa is one of the classiest singer/songwriters I've ever heard. She commands the stage in a way that invites you to listen to her words and let it move you...I'm a fan for life."
o Paul "PK" Kim, founder, Kollaboration. Sept. 2010.
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