Meet jaeya “Jaeonic” BAYANI

Jaeya "Jaeonic" Bayani – a Filipinx singer-songwriter, dancer (popper), and rapper from the Bay Area, CA – is a Columbia College Chicago (CCC) honors graduate with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) pursuing a Music Business: Recorded Music and Publishing major and a Double-Minor in Hip-Hop Studies and Pre-Law Studies. She’s a member of GrammyU, BMI, and the 2024 recipient of the CCC Parker Lee Williams Award for Hip-Hop Excellence. For 4+ years, she’s established a space in the global Filipino music industry dedicated to uplifting underrepresented creatives through her roles as an Operations Assistant at The Luna Company, LLC (Traverse Music Group & Zion Agency), an Operations Director for Quilt Magazine. Her marketing/advertising and event production internships exposed her to assisting with corporate campaigns and events, allowing her to thrive in navigating hands-on, fast-paced environments.

Jaeya is a participant and guest to the Filipinx-American and Hip-Hop cultures, respectively—having grown up in both Fremont and San Francisco, CA. She blends her consumption of unapologetic, informative flows from Filipino emcees with her lifelong training as an R&B vocalist. This led to the opportunity to serve as the class client for her now-alma mater’s Artist Management Practicum — taught by Monique Maye, JD — and perform at Darwin’s Piano Bar @ SXSW 2024. Her ultimate goal is to take her music dreams beyond herself, by pursuing a law degree to serve local Filipino/Filipino-American artists who lack adequate legal representation or resources.

Jaeya released her freshman EP, BAYANI, in June 2023, and has since headlined Bay Area, Chicago, and ATX shows. She’s been featured in multiple blogs, articles, campaigns, and podcasts — not to mention the podcast she cohosted, Movement, Body, & Soul. She co-founded the popping crew, Electric Minds with Myka "Slump Puppet" Okot, with professional dancer and instructor Torrence "Tea-Buggz" Griffin as an honorary member. Most recently, Jaeya co-created and co-produced her first Fil-Am event with peer and friend Cali Castillo — Kapwa Chicago Vol. I — at the Rizal Center on April 27th. Catch her tracks, "510" and "Believe Me" in Episode ONE of "No Room For Love" by Malou and Randal Kamradt.