18-year-old Tanya Manibusan is a senior at Southern High School in Santa Rita and soon to be recording artist and hopefully touring with popular R&B artist Shaun Kingston. "It's kinda crazy because I'm going to be one of the first Guamanians to tour around with someone big like that, but it's cool, hopefully he's a real chill person," said the prodigious singer/songwriter.
Manibusan recently signed a record deal with independent label 1980 Entertainment, based out of Hawaii. She was apparently discovered after her friends posted one of her songs on MySpace and YouTube. "It went on YouTube and everybody started hearing a lot of things," she said of the viral popularity that she enjoys.
For her talent of playing musical instruments and singing, it all comes back to the family. She says her mom and sister inspired her over the years with their own great singing voices, saying, "She was like known, she's the oldest one in my family and she was always know to play instruments and I always wanted to follow her. Not only her but my sister Tricia's husband Gerald Kosaka, one of them who taught me how to play guitar too and I just picked it up."
She says most of her music comes from experiences she's had in life, good and bad. Am exampled of the former is having her 2-year-old son Tyler James by her side. But among the largest negative experiences she's had to endure was losing two friends in the same year - one to an untimely death and another to prison. "Losing those two is like losing two of our youngest brothers. It hurts man, it hurts, it really does," she said, unashamed.
But the tune most of us may know Tanya from is one of her first songs to be played on the radio, with a little help for her friends at i94 - "Let Me Be". Manibusan says she wrote the song particularly for those who not only have a problem with her, but her sexuality as well. "I never liked guys," she admitted. "So if they have a problem with it, OK - deal with it. That's your problem, not mine." She strongly stated, "It's what you say, I don't care what you say, it's who I want to be, so leave me alone. I ain't hurting nobody, so leave me alone."
Most of all, Tanya says her family deserves most of the credit. "I love them, man," said the artist. "I can't do anything to prove to them that I'm thanking them, I guess this is my only way. The first paycheck that comes out? Boom! It's on them."
Tanya is expecting to be on tour in 2008.
