Dia Maté brings music to Miss Universe PH stage
Dia Maté made headlines in February for representing the province of Cavite in Miss Universe Philippines 2024 and for confirming her relationship with award-winning musician and actor Juan Karlos Labajo. But beyond her high-profile relationship and Miss Universe Cavite crown, who is she?
Dia Maté is a singer, songwriter and music producer in a male-dominated industry, signed to Island Records, the international record label. She was a Spotify RADAR artist in 2022. Dia is also an influencer and freelance model who has appeared on the cover of Parcinq magazine and featured in articles by various media outlets. She has a growing organic following on TikTok and Instagram.
A strong advocate for mental health awareness and violence against women and children, Dia’s ultimate goal is to make a positive change in the lives of people through the use of music as therapy, which has helped her deal with her own mental stress and trauma.
Dia grew up around volunteer work and community service. At the age of eight, she started going to CRIBS Foundation Inc., an orphanage and rehabilitation center for abused girls. To this day, Dia regularly visits CRIBS and now teaches music to the abused girls. Throughout high school, she frequented Chosen Children in Silang, Cavite, an orphanage for children who are physically and mentally challenged. Dia was also a featured performer at many fundraising and awareness events of non-profit organizations such as TAKBO, UNICEF and KAMALAYAN. She also took part in disaster relief activities in Cavite.
In 2019, Dia was accepted at the University of Southern California in the United States of America, and King’s College London in the UK. However, to pursue her music career here, she opted to study Communications Technology at Ateneo De Manila University. In her free time, Dia enjoys surfing, going to the gym, and making fashion content.
Storytelling through her songs
Dia was signed to Universal Music Group’s Island Records Philippines in 2020. Island Records’ impressive roster international artists include Bob Marley, Demi Lovato, Shawn Mendes and The Killers, while Zach Tabudlo and Juan Karlos Labajo are two of the bigger artists the label has developed in the Philippines.
Dia has released English and Tagalog songs that she wrote or co-wrote, produced or co-produced with other talented artists. In her latest single Kahit Na, Dia Maté moves away from her R&B and indie-pop poetic storytelling roots to explore a totally different music genre. Here, Dia breaks down the love conundrum as she has experienced it in a Tagalog pop song. This piece, which she collaborated on with talented musician and producer Gab Tagadtad, is the last installment in Dia’s “Tagalog era.”
In this era, Dia stays true to her core by writing raw, honest and relatable songs with lyrics focused on themes in romantic relationships such as falling out of love, heartbreak, recovering from a breakup, moving on and finding love again.
In Another Day, Dia zeroes in on how mental health issues can take a toll on a relationship and ultimately lead to its end. Kalimutan is about accepting oneself, moving from the past and moving forward with a positive emotion. Both songs were co-written and produced by seasoned singer, songwriter and producer, Quest.
I Wanna Make You Mine, centered on falling in love and developing a new relationship with someone new, is Dia’s first collaboration with Gab Tagadtad. Finally, Dia shares the perils of having a secret relationship in Kahit Na.
Dia believes that hearing and making music is a good form of therapy, sharing, “I use music as therapy. When I write and produce songs, it is usually something I am going through or people close to me are experiencing.”