ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Entertainment devider Celebrities devider 'TNT' singer Aila Santos not ready to leave band for solo career

'TNT' singer Aila Santos not ready to leave band for solo career

Published Nov 26, 2025 09:45 am
Former "Tawag Ng Tanghalan" contestant Aila Santos is going full blast with her career as she stages her first concert, "Aila Santos: It's My Turn," at Teatrino in Greenhills on Dec. 13.
Aila Santos
Aila Santos
Aila said she will be performing songs at her fans' requests. "My fans can expect classic songs that we cover. Nagustuhan daw nila ang mga cover namin. (They said they liked our covers)," she said during a media conference at Music Box in Quezon City recently. "Nakaka-kaba rin kasi solo concert ito. (It's also nerve-wracking because it's a solo concert.)"
The 38-year-old mom started her career in Zamboanga, where she also grew up. After high school, Aila joined a band. Then her team worked in South Korea and Dubai for several years.
Aila also became a contestant on 'TNT' in 2017. She then joined ABS-CBN. One of her memorable collaborations in the network was with Gigi De Lana.
On her music style, Aila said, "I go for a variety of music." She has also released her first single, "Ikaw Pa Rin Ang Mahal."
Aila expressed her admiration for Asia's Songbird, Regine Velasquez-Alcasid.
"I idolize Regine Velasquez among our singers. First meeting namin sa Davao kung saan may guesting siya sa isang GMA show. Guest din ako roon. Then meron kaming Regine singing contest at ako ang nanalo. Hindi talaga ako makapaniwala. Sabi niya, 'Continue singing Ang galing mo. (I idolize Regine Velasquez among our singers. "Our first meeting was in Davao, where she was guesting on a GMA show. I was also a guest there. Then we had a Regine singing contest, and I won. I really couldn't believe it. She said, 'Continue singing. You're so good)," she recalled.
But if there's one disappointment in her career now, it's the planned meeting with OPM icon Ogie Alcasid, which didn't materialize. Aila said the talks would explore possible career management with her.
"May call din ako galing from Sir Ogie Alcasid to discuss for possible management. Pero hindi ito nag materialize because hindi ko pwedeng iwan yung band ko. Sayang! (I also had a call from Sir Ogie Alcasid to discuss possible management. But it didn't materialize because I couldn't leave my band. Too bad!) Maybe the best is yet to come," she said.
Aila said she's not ready to leave her band for a solo career.
"I am comfortable with my band. We started from scratch with seven members. Pag may offer naman na solo lang ako na performer, I accept naman. Pero hindi ko pa maiwan ang band ko. (If there's an offer for me to be a solo performer, I'll accept it. But I can't leave my band)," she added.
Aila is also a busy mom for her two children. "Being a mom, mahirap din kasi bukod sa dalawang kids, (Being a mom is also hard because besides having two kids), I'm also a businesswoman. I am tending a sports bar."
She's been in a relationship with one of her band members for 21 years. He is the father of her kids. "He arranges the sound for the band. Whenever we have live streaming, he handles it. He is supportive of my career."
Aila said she used to post a lot on social media. But she's now careful about posting anything about her family, citing scammers.
On getting married, Aila said, "Nag-usap na kami. Baka next year. Andyan lang naman yan. (We've talked about it. Maybe next year. That's all.)"
Aila said she used to post a lot on social media. But she's now careful about posting anything about her family, citing scammers.
On her plans for 2026, Aila said, "I don't really plan — usually, kapag maraming plano na, overwhelm tayo. So kung ano ang magaan ngayon, I go for it. I don't really plan — usually, when we have too many plans, we get overwhelmed. So whatever is easy right now, I go for it.)"
Catch "Aila Santos: It's My Turn" concert at Teatrino in Greenhills, San Juan City on Dec. 13. Carnie Banares of Stargaze Productions produces the show.
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.