Jennifer Cua, also known as “Lady Paisley” in the Honolulu music scene, has been studying performing arts since the early years in her birthplace of Manila, Philippines. She began with piano lessons at age 6, developed her love for music while singing in a traveling choral group in Southern California at age 8, fell in love with the flute at age 11 and proceeded to play in her school’s church band for the next two years. As a relatively shy person, she kept voice lessons under wraps & continued to build her confidence as a performer by taking jazz, ballet & theater classes. At 19, she was accepted into the Integrated Program at the American Musical & Dramatic Academy in New York, but did not attend until age 22. During this time on O’ahu, she would occasionally play with the likes of Johnny & Ernie Cruz, Troy Fernandez, Makana, Fiji, BB Shawn, Jake Shimabukuro, John Yamasato & Lopaka Colon of Pure Heart at a local bar called Hot Lava. Upon returning to the islands two years later, she began pursuing other creative interests as well as a degree in Anthropology and a minor in Dance at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. At age 30, she began a musical experiment with the group Tempo Valley, using poetry and journal entries she had been collecting over the last eight years, resulting in her first CD project Memoirs of the Tempo which was released in 2007. The group began as a down tempo, hip-hop, world and dub group, and quickly evolved into a live neo-soul/hip-hop band under the direction of keyboard & saxophone extraordinaire David Mergens. In 2007, Paisley also became the lead vocalist for DeShannon Higa’s improvisational band Groove Improv Artists. In December 2009, main vocalists Paisley & Seph1 played their last show as Tempo Valley to continue their own musical journey. Paisley’s first solo album Malaya Elle P. is underway, which features some of her favorite producers & vocalists including musical genius Ted de Oliveira, son of Carlinhos Pandeiro de Ouro and Honolulu’s finest emcee/KUTH DJ Seph1.
In the summer of 2011, Paisley was invited to become a vocal instructor as a part of the Mana Maoli musical mentorship program at Halau Ku Mana charter school, which eventually opened the doors for her as a vocal coach. With years of private and group study in voice as well as voice & speech for actors, she is happy to offer a class in ear training & mirroring to young students at Hawaii Music School. Paisley incorporates relaxation techniques with vocal warm-ups to build a strong foundation and encourage students to create a practice that is relevant to their current lifestyle & interests. Adults are also encouraged to join; all levels are welcome.
