Tina Prodigalidad

This interview was originally published on November 22, 2015.  Note that some links may be broken.

“Music is like a home for me. Some of the other mediums I pursue are fun to do, but music has been a part of me for so long... I remember why I do it. I remember how it makes me feel, remember that I'm good at it, that it's how I like to express myself the best. It's... my one true art medium. I feel like, when all the other things I do are scraped away, music is always there.”

As an alum[1] of UCLA, class of 2013, Cristina Prodigalidad may not be known by many of the current members in Tinig. But they should know her. You should know the insanely talented Tina, former Alto Section Leader and Director of Tinig, Tinanay (an amalgam of her name and nanay, the Tagalog word for “mother”), Alto Pusit[2] Mama, or Bunan Tsokolatte as she’s called on Youtube.

Since her time as an Applied Linguistics major and French minor, Tina has been making covers of songs such as “Cosmic Love” by Florence and the Machine (above) and “Ride Along, Sparks Nevada” from “The Thrilling Adventure Hour” podcast.[3] Many of her current video posts, however, have been about Dragon Age: Inquisition, an obsession partly due to a linguistics project related to the game. Her channel also includes various DIY beauty tips and recipes like the Asian turkey meatballs[4] that people consumed at Tinigsgiving.

Her life beyond Youtube involves helping special-ed students at a high school, managing her Etsy shop The Bunan Boutique in which she sells clothing with hand-painted video game symbols, expanding Dragon Age languages for functional use in fan works, and Tumblr. A lot of Tumblr.

“I'm a mix of creativity and determination. People call me 'multitalented,' but I just genuinely like a lot of things. I get inspiration from them, though the end product isn't necessarily what I wanted... Some people say they can never learn how to do stuff, but you totally can learn how to do stuff! Nothing can stop me from learning, from having ideas. I have the willpower, and I just like seeing how far I can go.”

Other likes and dislikes? Although she studiously avoided the latter, Tina had plenty to say about her dog, food, and music. Tina has a gorgeous golden retriever called Kimo, which is the Hawaiian equivalent of the name James (“He's an obnoxious diva, but I love him”), known as #kimotherapy on her Instagram. She enjoys spicy food, particularly of the Korean variety.

As for music, Tina has no preferences, instead claiming “I tend to find the good in every genre.” Specific artists, however, include Bjork, Beirut, and Florence and the Machine. Tina described Bjork—an Icelandic singer-songwriter who fuses elements of dance, alternative rock, jazz, classical, trip hop, electronic, and more—and her work as “music from another world... [with] poetical lyrics that really drive the message home.” Beirut interests her due to its “unlikely sound.” Indeed, unlike most bands, “the lead singer can't play guitar,” instead using brass instruments or the ukulele. Yet Tina's current favorite clearly remains Florence and the Machine.

When asked why she chose that particular band, Tina laughed. “Where do I even begin? … She's like a religious experience. The way that her mind works is so interesting, and then the thing that my friends and I always talk about is—because many of my friends and I suffer from depression and anxiety—the way she writes it is so spot-on, and otherworldly. When she performs, she's crazy. She goes all out, dancing on stage, she's running through the crowd, like barefoot! And her voice is incredible, but when she talks normally she talks like a seven-year-old at a talent show. Sorry, I mean that in the best way! But she's just like” Here, Tina switches over to a quiet, timid voice with a slight British accent: “'Um, hi. So umm, I wrote this song in the Crystal Palace,' and I'm like how did that voice come out of you?? But yeah she's just fantastic. Don't let me talk about her too long, or else I'll just talk about her forever.”

“I nerd out a lot, in case it wasn't noticeable already.”

From recorder in third grade, to violin in fourth, then flute in fifth alongside piccolo and piano lessons until the end of middle school, Tina has had an extensive instrumental history. In high school, she joined marching band, playing flute for her first year, then mellophone for her second. In winter term of her sophomore year, Tina also joined drumline, specifically synth, which she continued for the rest of her time there. With college came self-education, teaching herself how to play guitar and ukulele in her spare time.

As for previous singing experience, Tina was only part of a formal choir from third to fifth grade. Although she took music class for the performing arts requirement of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, said class and jazz band class occurred simultaneously—assigned to the same professor. As expected, the band director focused on the latter, thus leaving Tina to independent study: an entire hour to play piano on stage alone. “What I loved in high school was how I was basically all by myself in the theater,” she said. “I could sing to my heart's content, as loud as I wanted, sing to an empty crowd, only for me.

“That was when I got the courage to try singing while playing. Then I started doing it at performances, visual arts showcases.”

Her IB classes did succeed, however, in assisting her music composition skills. While lyric writing remains a daunting task for Tina, she became experienced in composing songs with at least three instruments, even attempting entire symphonies. Since her band began warm-ups on B-flat every morning, Tina began using it as a reference to find other notes—until she knew them all, thereby unintentionally developing perfect pitch.[5] With that skill, composing music without a piano became significantly easier, particularly in history class while ignoring the lectures.

“Arranging songs, that's what I my legacy [in Tinig] to be”—expanding our repertoire, making more choral arrangements. “I always imagined it being like 'Hi, you may not know me, but I'm an alumna. I just like composing songs for you guys. You don't have to use it, but it's there.'”

 How did you join Tinig, and why did you stay?

“I was in a place of brokenness. I didn't function like a person, didn't feel like I was gonna fit in college. I thought I could watch other people have that, but not me.”

Summer break-up, second year of college. Tina tried to get over her heartache by joining numerous clubs on campus. At Pilipino Welcome Reception (PWR),[6] she hardly talked to anyone at the table, simply signing the sheet and then leaving. She didn't expect much from rehearsals. Although Tina had joined other organizations the previous year, such as marching band and Samahang Pilipino Cultural Night (SPCN), she was still shy and introverted, unsure how to put herself out there. “People would talk to me a little bit, then gravitate toward others,” she said. “I thought it would be like that with Tinig.”

Yet people would talk to her every rehearsal, even if only asking about her day. Tinig became a support system, and raised her self-esteem. “I entered so unsure of myself, and it helped me come into my own.

“I got really stuck after my first retreat. It was Winter Retreat.[7] I knew what usually happened. HDB.[8] So I sort of spilled my life story during 'hot seat'”—a game in which an individual must answer any question for a set period of time—“my struggles with depression, my suicidal thoughts, low self-esteem, how I never fit in.” Baring herself, her secrets to others felt liberating. She felt that these people could be trusted, that she did trust them, that they were family.

“There's something magical about the Tinig space. It doesn't matter who enters, who leaves,” Tina continued. “No matter what, everyone just accepts each other for their quirks, their personalities, and they just click. I don't know why it happens so well here, that doesn't happen in other places. Even when I come back now, I'm always greeted with hugs. I don't feel awkward. I've never been so myself with any other group.”

Tina misses the biweekly rehearsals, the fantastic acoustics, how heavenly the voices sounded off the walls. Tina misses how, as you approach the Student Activities Center, you can hear them downstairs; how, when coming down the stairs, you see people smile in greeting. She misses everyone's antics, the dancing, the goofy acts, the talks about having dinner afterward. She misses the little moments, how it took forever to leave because everyone had to hug each other, and would forget who they had already hugged.

What are your expectations for the future? For Tinig?

Tina plans on pursuing a special-ed teaching credential, eventually settling somewhere out of California. Perhaps Portland or Seattle, she claimed. One day, she may get married and have her own children; however, her focus remains helping kids with special needs.

As for Tinig, Tina hopes that the space will continue to grow, to try new things. She hopes that we will always push limits, explore new genres, explore our creativity, find new places to perform. She hopes that, most importantly, the family aspect of Tinig stays alive—the warm welcomes, the acceptance, the belonging.

“I want to keep Tinig as part of my life. It's not fair to allow time to let me forget a space like this.”

1. Alum, though informal, is used as a gender neutral version of alumnus/alumna (which respectively refers to a single male/female). Alumni is the plural form that can be used for groups containing both males and females.

2. During a Spring retreat, members were split into kins and asked to create a sand sculpture around a single member. Tina was made into the first altopus, which many associate with 'octopus,' though pusit actually means 'squid.' "Elaine Rimban used to call me [Altopusit Mama] a lot," said Tina, fondly.

3. See it here!

4. Recipe here.  Alterations: +1/4 c. mushrooms, +1/2-1c spinach, only 1 lb turkey; mini-meatballs, 400F for 12 minutes

5. Having perfect pitch, or absolute pitch (AP), means that the associated individual can identify or recreate a given musical note without any reference tone. Within current membership, our Aesthetics and Culture chair (and previously, Soprano Section Leader) Jenine Sahagun has this ability.

6.   a. PWR is an event that introduces all the Pilipinx organizations on campus to new students at UCLA. Here's a link to our performance this past year.

b. Tina commented that "It's funny because Alyssa has the same story." Alyssa Marteja is also a fellow TC, or Trouble Clef, and a soprano.

7. Tinig has biannual weekend retreats, one in Winter and the other in Spring. We kick back, relax, and get to know everyone a lot better! You also get to learn more about Tinig and music in general. Everyone's welcome, new people and current members; alumni can go for free! Price is $25 per person, which covers meals and gas for the trip. (We went to Malibu last year~) Join us next quarter!

8. HDB means "Hella Deep Bonding." (Yes, we realize that we're in Southern California, not Northern.) Someone will cry; it's inevitable. But it feels good afterward!