The Philippines’ “Queen of Bossa Nova,” Sitti Navarro-Ramirez, is turning her 20-year music journey into an intimate concert experience with “Sittiscape: The City of Bossa.”
Set for May 17 at the Newport Performing Arts Theater, the anniversary concert celebrates two decades since the release of her breakthrough album “Café Bossa,” the record that helped bring bossa nova into mainstream Filipino pop culture.
“When I presented the idea to Fire and Ice [Liza Diño and Ice Seguerra’s production company], they thought, why not we present a show in which we are presenting a place or a city that Café Bossa built, like this whole city of bossa,” Sitti shared in a press conference.
“The show will bring the audience to different streets or quadrants of the 20-year musical journey that I have had as a recording artist and as an entertainer,” she added.
The show, directed by Seguerra, with Diño as creative director and Bobby Velasco as musical director, aims to combine nostalgia with a broader reflection on the artist’s evolution.
But beyond the anniversary milestone, Sitti said the concert carries a more personal purpose, especially for her daughters.
“This is also a documentary-style show. One of its overarching aims is to create something we can record and eventually release, with the sole purpose of introducing my daughters to that side of me as a recording artist,” she said.
“They mostly see me as a mom. The other day, I brought them to Bukidnon, where I was introduced as the Queen of Bossa. They were surprised — ‘Dad, Mom is a queen?’ Now it’s become a running joke at home: Mom is the queen of bossa nova, I’m the princess, and Dad is the king,” she added.
She said charting that journey for her children became one of the emotional anchors of the production.
“They’ve always known that I sing, but the journey of it, of why I get to enjoy this career or how it started, we’re going to plot that all out especially for them,” she furthered.
The concert will also feature first-time collaborations with guests Gary Valenciano, Ebe Dancel and Jason Dhakal, as well as The Sessionistas.
Musically, she said audiences can expect a richer sound than in previous shows.
“In my past shows, the rhythm section was usually keys, guitar, bass, drums, percussion, sax. This time, we have a four-horns section. So it’s going to be really musically busy,” she said.
Known for championing a genre often considered niche, Sitti said she remains committed to bossa nova while embracing experimentation.
“Many times during my whole career, I want to do something else. I want to record something else. As of now I’m doing something else in the live performances because I’m a fan of music in general, not just bossa,” she continued.
“Still, [bossa nova] is not tiring because it’s really fun. It’s my home,” Sitti pointed out.
Meanwhile, she also pushed back on the notion that bossa nova has faded.
“It’s fun because we have younger artists now. Those are testaments to the timelessness of the genre. Yes, it’s a quiet, relatively small genre compared to pop. But it will always be there,” she said.
Looking back at Café Bossa, Sitti said she never imagined the album would make the impact it did, especially arriving in an era dominated by rock.
“At that time, I didn’t really think that I would receive Café Bossa in the way that it was warmly received. So I’m just thankful that I was given the opportunity,” Sitti enthused.
That gratitude extends to “Para Sa Akin,” the song that became a staple of Filipino weddings and remains one of her most enduring hits.
“I’m amazed how ‘Para Sa Akin’ moved up, it leveled up from a song to a meme of a wedding. I’m very thankful to all the wedding audio suppliers, to all the brides… because of you, it has a life of its own.
“And it’s also one of the reasons why I wanted to celebrate. Because I wanted to honor ‘Para Sa Akin’ and Café Bossa, because they mean a lot to different people.”
Even as she celebrates two decades in music, she continues to look ahead, including a long-held ambition to record in Brazil, the birthplace of the genre she made her own.
“It’s a long-standing dream for me to go to Brazil and work as a composer more. The dream is to record there and to work with musicians there,” Sitti ended.
“Sittiscape: The City of Bossa” takes the stage on May 17, 7:30 p.m. at the Newport Performing Arts Theater.
