Kai

About Kai



KAI wasn't always KAI. The group's first name was APEX. Later on, they changed the name to KAI, which had a more deeper meaning to it. The word, KAI, is the abbreviation of the Filipino dialect, Tagalog word-Kaibigan, meaning friendship, brotherhood, and camaraderie. It is also about harmony, the harmony synonymous with indivisible brotherhood, as well as the tuneful sound of simultaneous musical notes converging in a chord. This name thus fits the five member pop vocal group from the San Francisco Bay Area who were disengaged on a cappella singing.

The five members decided a Tagalog word to represent themselves in the music industry because four of its five members, Andrey Silva, Errol Viray, Andrew Gapus, and AC Lorenzo, are Filipino-Americans. The fifth member, Leo Chan, is Chinese American, he was born in Hong Kong.

The group was formed in 1992 when then 16 year old AC was asked to sing at a community benefit. He was a volunteer coordinator for a religious organization for Filipino youth. He was discovered while singing in the shower at the facility. He was singing so loud someone heard him in the hall. That is when he was asked to sing at a function for the organization. AC had never sung in public. He called upon two friends to help him-Andrew and Leo. Andrew is a sax player and Leo played the trumpet. Leo was chosen because he had a low-pitched voice and AC figured he could handle the bass parts.

The three practiced and rehearsed for the benefit only to find out that it was to be canceled later on. The three had practiced tirelessly and learned several songs in the process. So they decided to stay together and sing at school events. Eventually, the one time deal turned into a lifetime deal.

Andrey (AC's cousin), joined the trio in 1995. He is also a pianist. He had mostly sung at church. Andrey is a Iglesia Ni Cristo member which he spends a lot of time with. Andrey would miss gigs if it conflicts with his twice weekly attendance at church. He feels he owes a lot to God, and that they are successful because oh Him. Andrey stated, "This group is a gift from God."

The year 1995 was also the arrival of Errol. At that point, he had been with a very different group. He was the member with the attitude of "Don't mess with me or I'll mess you up!" AC and Andrew knew Errol had a love for singing and gave him an opportunity to join the group and at the same time, change the course of his life. Errol states that if it wasn't for singing, he would not know where he would be if the group had not offered him this lifetime opportunity. At first, Errol did not make the cut. He was angry, but he understood. So he kept on practicing and growing. After the group found out that Errol was still singing, they gave him another chance. They still believed in him. He was enrolled in the group, and thus adding the 5th and final dynamic to KAI's sound.

Organized and assembled, KAI continued their exhaustive schedule of gigs. Most of the time, they were the youngest groups when they performed at major events. They would be so scared. Once they started singing and the audience groove with their music, it made them feel good and the feeling of nervousness had banished. The quintet went on to compete in the 1995 Harmony Sweepstakes at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, which led to major gigs such as Cal Expo, where they performed three one hour sets for three consecutive days.

The group's first single was "Say You'll Stay". It initially captivated radio listeners when it was released by the independent record label, HB Records, in the summer of 1997. The song featured Andrey on the lead vocals which was reissued that same year in December by Geffen Records after the group signed contracts with the company. At that time, sales of the single sky rocketed. The song was heard mainly in the southwest area of the United States, mainly in the Bay Area, San Diego, and Honolulu. "Say You'll Stay" was the top selling single in San Francisco, a top 5 seller in Hawaii, and a hot single in San Diego. Sales were even growing in cities where KAI had not yet received substantial airplay.

The album was a dream for the five members of the group, who until two years ago maintained a busy life of a cappella performances at fairs and festivals, schools and colleges, community events and benefits. In 1995, they were discovered by Brandon Cruz, who is now their manager. KAI found themselves singing on the same stage with singers such as Sheryl Crow and All-4-One.

Their self titled freshmen album, KAI, was recorded at Studio 684 and Russian Hill Recording, both located in San Francisco. The album was produced by Tristan Bishop, a former member of the House Jacks, along with Buddy Saleman and Fitzgerald Scott, who has worked with the Backstreet Boys and Keith Sweat. The album offered a variety of harmony drenched songs. Ranging from rhythmic workouts that get people dancing, to gospel music that lifts the spirits, and to ve ballads such as "Will You Still Love Me".

Kai no longer exists, but their music still remains.



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Please do not ask us about top 8. TRUE that we do not know some people on it but, We just let it stay itself. We do read most of our messages, but as much as we want to, we do not have time to reply to all of them and we will not be able to join your groups due to the fact that we get so much invites. but we hope your kind for understanding. Thank you.