No pay, no lies: Sitti speaks out on being shortchanged

Bossa Nova Queen Sitti offered fans a rare and charming look into her life at home — one that began with her young daughters learning, for the first time, just how famous their mother truly is.

"Last month, I took them to Bukidnon — I have two girls, Issiah Danelle, 7, and Osseah Lucille, 4. When I was introduced as the Queen of Bossa, they were completely caught off guard. Nagulat sila. They kept asking their dad, 'Is Mom a queen? Is she really a queen?'" said Sitti (real name: Sitti Katrina Baiddin Navarro-Ramirez) at a roundtable media conference held at the Fire & Ice office in Timog, Quezon City, on April 8.

"It became a running joke at home after that," she added. "'My mom is a queen, so I'm a princess! And Dad is the king!' They've always known I sing — I've taken them to mall shows — but someday, I want to walk them through my entire journey: how it all started, how I fell in love with it, and the people who helped shape who I am."

Whether her daughters will one day follow in her footsteps remains to be seen, but music already weaves naturally through their everyday moments together.

"When we're together, we sing made-up songs. My husband, Joey Ramirez, is Ilonggo. My daughter is deep into Katseye right now — we sometimes steer her toward Olivia Dean to mix things up — but she genuinely knows every single Katseye song. We don't impose, though. The music is just there," she said.

Sitti will hold her concert "Sittiscape: The City of Bossa” at the Newport Performing Arts Theater on May 17. The show will commemorate the 20th anniversary of her debut album "Cafe Bossa" and trace her remarkable two-decade journey as a recording artist — a career launched by the breakout hit "Para Sa Akin."

"For the first time, I'll be sharing the stage with Gary V. and Ebi Dencel. It's a documentary-style show — we plan to record it, so I can eventually put it on my YouTube channel to introduce myself to my daughters as an artist. Right now, they only see me as their mom," she said.

Bossa nova may be her musical home, but Sitti’s artistic curiosity has never been content to stay in one place. She has long expressed a desire to visit Brazil, the genre’s birthplace, someday.

"Back in 2018, I explored electronic music. There have been moments in my career when I wanted to record something entirely different. For now, I channel those impulses into my live performances — doon ko na lang ia-apply ang ibang genre.

"My YouTube channel is episodic — sometimes we do '70s music, sometimes rock. Doon ko ginagawa yung ibang genre na gusto kong gawin. I love music in general, not just bossa nova. Eventually, I want to explore a completely different kind of recording. With God's grace, I've reached a point where I can self-produce — so we'll see," she said.

"Sumubok din akong magteleserye twice — pero hindi ko kaya. The work is relentless. You’re running on no sleep, and then they ask you to cry on cue. Ang galing nila kasi kaya nilang gawin iyon. I also did theater. I’ve always pushed myself to venture into different fields.

"I've always believed that stepping into unfamiliar territory — even when you're far from the best at it — teaches you something you can't learn any other way. Pero babalik pa rin ako sa bahay ko," she said.

Where it all came undone

Known for her calm and composed presence, Sitti rarely lets anything rattle her. But even she has had her limits tested — including a time she was left unpaid at a show and forced to make a difficult call.

"There was a time in CDO when I wasn't paid — this was years ago. We arrived early, went through sound check, and then my manager pulled me aside: 'You haven't been paid, so don't go on stage.' So I followed his advice and stayed back.

"Then I heard the producer apologizing to the crowd — but he was lying about what had happened. In the end, I went out anyway and performed without being paid. We had already come all that way," she said.

Sitti said she briefly considered filing a formal complaint but ultimately chose to move on. "Huwag naman sana silang mang-agrabyado," she said — a quiet but pointed plea for artists to be treated with fairness and respect.

That chapter is behind her now, but it left a mark. Despite her team going unpaid, she handled the situation with quiet professionalism — and carries the experience as a reminder to be more guarded going forward.

Looking ahead, the OPM icon says she intends to keep recording bossa nova — but with a sharper eye on quality and a deeper commitment to the craft. Binantayan ko yung mga lumalabas na songs — sana may depth yung ibang kantang ni-re-record ko. Sometimes I walk into a restaurant and hear my music playing, and people are happy. But sometimes, I'm not satisfied with what I hear. I don't have a complete explanation for why a recording I wasn't happy with was embraced. But that's on me now — it's up to me to do better," she said.

Main photo credit: Boss Nova Queen Sitti and family (Facebook)