Gabi Nanaman Productions and Vandals on the Wall have proven time and again that, in music, three is never a crowd. This time, they are bringing together singer-songwriters Aia de Leon, Barbie Almalbis and Kitchie Nadal on the Music Museum stage.

Beyond nostalgia

Their first concert together, Secrets: A Night with Aia, Barbie and Kitchie​, is happening on December 10, 2016. Anyone who grew up listening to the music of these OPM icons is unarguably excited to hear familiar songs from their adolescence, but if their press conference (and recent guest apperance online) is any indication, the trio has something else in mind.

"[We're going to] feature songs in our lives that people don't know about," Kitchie revealed at Burgos Eats last Friday, November 4, where she performed 'Iniibig', a song she wrote as part of the soundtrack of the fantasy series Rounin.

"We are looking forward to playing some of our hits, as well as the new songs we've made the last couple of years," Barbie said, playing a new arrangement of her hit 'Money for Food'.

"There will be many surprises," confirmed Aia, who also played one of her new songs as a solo artist, 'Bottom Dollar'.

Local music love is no secret

To give a taste of what's in store for those watching the show, the three also performed 'Sundo' (from Imago, the band where Aia used to be vocalist). However, their version of the song is quite different from the original and so reflects the idea of how refreshing the show in December will be.

"We haven't written together yet, but [...] we're going to be playing some songs together on stage," shared Barbie.

When asked if they'd be covering each other songs, the three flashed enigmatic smiles and answered with the evasive, "We'll see."  But while the artists have been mum about what will take place during the show itself, they were very vocal about their support for the local music scene today.

"I would really like to write a song for Bituin Escalante," Aia answered when asked whom she would want to collaborate with. "She's really one of the best here, locally. I'm just really mesmerized by [her]."

"Ako, si Bullet Dumas pero naka-collaborate ko na siya," replied Kitchie, referring to their creation of the song 'Idoy, Uday' together.

"Gusto ko yung tide/edit, Autotelic, Tom's Story, BP (Valenzuela)...sila Reese (Lansangan). [...] I really enjoy listening to their stuff," Barbie claimed.

And her regional artist pick?

"Fan ako ng toe!" She exclaimed, mentioning the Japanese math rock band who will be in Manila on November 27.

Not just a collaboration

For the three artists though, having a concert together goes beyond playing together — it's sharing their music with good friends.

"We're having so much fun, even during the preparation pa lang," Barbie said, her smile clearly showing how much fun she's having. 

"Magaan lang. I think we're all familiar with each other's work and familiar with each other's personality. So parang hindi na kapaan masyado," Aia also shared.

This doesn't mean that everything has been overly easy for them, though.

"We have to prepare songs or a set list that [would] complement each other," claimed Kitchie, which is something that she sees as a challenge for the musicians in them.

"Ang challenge lang siguro talaga, magkakalayo kami ng bahay and traffic is just a major setback lang when it comes to friendships or concerts," Aia added with a laugh.

"It's a blessing to be able to do [this concert] with good friends," concluded Barbie.

Watch Aia, Kitchie and Barbie on Rappler Live Jam:

Secrets: A Night with Aia, Barbie and Kitchie is happening on Saturday, December 10, 2016, 7PM at the Music Museum. Find out how to get your tickets here.