Ramona is Out to Harness Gossip Mongers, Rumors, and the Entire Grapevine

There's a new red-wigged punk rock heroine in town, and she wants you to call her Ramona.

She just released her debut track "Gaga," which is a cross between the charm of Avril Lavigne and Paramore and her own anger caused by gossip and unsavory comments about her character.

It all started with a singular dream that most girls growing up in the Disney Channel generation have, hearing her songs on the radio and having the best of both worlds.

"Music is my first love. I want to be Hannah Montana. I want to be a pop star. I want to be Beyoncé. My fondest memory of pursuing my dream of being a singer is simply singing in front of an electric fan as most kids do," she told Esquire Philippines as we snagged a few minutes with the burgeoning artist.

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The music video for Ramona's debut track "Gaga," which featured actor Pepe Herrera

"I grew up with the feeling that I don't know how to sing. So I decided not to continue singing. I'll just stick to what I know. I'll just act forever. Because I feel like I don't have a voice," she added.

Sonically, "Gaga" doesn't sound like the typical overproduced record that draws from derivative topics like romantic love and the usual contrived inspirational message of pushing through hardships.

The song has genuine punk alternative rock flair to it, and it makes sense since its production credits reveal Tim and Sam Marquez from the mega-talented local pop-rock outfit One Click Straight. Their latest EP, otw/BROke, made it to Esquire Philippines' 10 Best Local Albums and Eps of 2025

Ramona is genuinely trying to draw from her own life experiences that had a lasting impact on her personality.

She initially wrote the song when she was 18, when she described it as the height of the weaponization of the rumor mill against her.

"The title of this song should be 'pa-victim.' Because that's what they told me. I wrote this song when I was 18. It's about what I went through when I was 18. It's about what they told me," she said, citing one of the main lyrics sung in the track's hook.

"It became therapeutic for me when I released it. But at the same time, it got stuck in my notes."

While she admitted that her vocal ability is still rough around the edges and could use some work and that she doesn't know how to play any instrument, she said it was the only way to create her own art and expression in her own terms.

She cited a bunch of her all-time favorite artists, which include Olivia Rodrigo, Avril Lavigne, Parokya ni Edgar, Yeng Constantino, and Juan Karlos Labajo.

"I'm so happy with the feeling. This is it. This is what we're going to do as a single," the singer recounted about the time she worked on the track with the folks from One Click Straight.

"I don't expect to fit in or get international recognition. I just really want to create music, perform, and release the music that I made, that I wrote," said Ramona.

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