Ten years after stepping into the professional music arena, Ylona Garcia has returned to the Philippines for a two-part homecoming celebration. The milestone event is as much a retrospective look at her career as it is a statement of where she is headed next.
By reinterpreting the songs that defined her early years, she offers fans a fresh look at her past through the lens of the mature artist she has become.
A Two-Night Homecoming Celebration
The festivities kick off on September 4 with Backyard Live: Ylona Garcia Spotlight, an exclusive, invitation-only showcase held at the Backyard Warehouse Studio in Baesa, Quezon City. Designed for an intimate crowd, this music-focused performance gives attendees a first glimpse into her anniversary project.
The celebration opens to the wider public the following evening, September 5, with 10 Years of Ylona Garcia: Live at Venice Grand Canal Mall in McKinley Hill, starting at 7:00 p.m.
Finding Her Voice Through Heartbreak
Reflecting on her journey, Garcia views the ten-year mark as a moment of profound personal clarity.
Celebrating 10 years in music is a reminder of how far I’ve come, but also of what really matters to me,” Garcia shares.
Personally, the first five years were a great challenge as I was learning more about my culture and how showbiz worked. However, the last five years have been some of the hardest years of my life.”
I lost someone very important to me, went through experiences where I allowed people to take advantage of me emotionally, and found myself alone in another country for the second time. Artistically, though, those experiences taught me a lot about the difference between being a singer and being an artist.”
Bridging the Past and the Future
Audio recorded during these two performances will form Ylona Garcia’s 10th Anniversary Live Album, a nine-track collection featuring her reimagined catalog. The project also acts as a creative bridge toward her upcoming second EP, seamlessly weaving subtle hints of her new musical direction into the anniversary setlist.
Her path in the music industry has rarely been smooth, yet it remains full of unexpected turns. After gaining early success as a pop star in the Philippines, she joined Paradise Rising—an imprint of 88rising focused on Filipino talent—and moved to Los Angeles to expand her global reach.
Since then, her international credentials have grown to include a performance at the Head in the Clouds festival, the hit track “Entertain Me” for Riot Games’ VALORANT, and coverage in major outlets like V Magazine.
A Healing Creative Chapter
Now back on home soil, the multi-hyphenate artist is reclaiming her catalog alongside Sony Music Entertainment, reshaping her signature tracks into new arrangements.
This is my third time working with a music label, and collaboration truly means a lot to me,” Garcia explains.
So, through this project, being able to figure out what collaboration looks like between Sony Music Entertainment and me has actually been a very healing experience”
I’ve learned a lot about what it means to bring my vision into a room, listen to other people’s perspectives, and build something together without losing what I came there to say.”
As she steps back onto the Philippine stage, Garcia isn’t just honoring where she has been. She is stepping fully into who she has become. With a decade of triumphs, heartbreaks, and hard-won wisdom behind her, this homecoming marks both a joyful reflection and the beginning of an unwritten, powerful new chapter.
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