orn between her studies and her blossoming music career back in 2003, Anna Katrina “Kitchie” Nadal decided to concentrate on her schooling. The decision did wonders to her spirits. Refreshed, the singer-songwriter reentered the entertainment industry in 2004—with a great big bang. Within months, her hit single “'Wag Na ‘Wag Mong Sasabihin,” from her self-title album, Kitchie Nadal, was a chartbuster.

Kitchie admits she had high hopes for the album.

“I knew na it will go somewhere. I'm also open kung hindi mangyayari ‘yon. Kasi when did the album, parang medyo mini-meditate-an ko… I expected hard work, ‘yon lang. And then ‘yong vision na it's gonna hit the charts. Kasi alam mo ‘yong saying na ‘People with no vision, cast off restraint'? It's something biblical. You have to have a vision, otherwise don't do it na… It's more of meditating and praying na ‘God, this is what I want to happen.”

Kitchie is now a part of the Victory Christian Fellowship congregation. She is still taking up education and psychology at De La Salle University. And of course she's swamped with gigs.

Still, Kitchie found time for a new project—renovating her late grandfather's former study and turning into her own bedroom.

The fourth of five siblings, the 24-year-old Ktichie lives with her family in her maternal grandparents' two-story Makati home. “This is an old house, 50 years old,” says Kitchie's mom, Marjorie Nadal.

Mom explains why the family decide to give Kitchie the spare room: “As much as possible, when Kitchie's at home, she wants to sleep, she wants it quiet… para she can write. And during her free time, she really wants to be home… she's very attached sa amin.”

Kitchie herself says that her mom, who studied classical piano, was her greatest influence: “Bata pa lang ako, from Barry Manilow to Chopin to Mozart, ‘yon na ang naririnig ko. Paggising ko ng umaga, ‘yon na ang naririnig ko.”

Today, whether Kitchie likes it or not, she is celebrity . “Ngayon, I have to be careful where I'm going,” she admits. “Dati, parang I don't care where I go.”

But she's more ready now to make it big: “I have to have that vision e. It's something God wants. He wants us to have a vision.”

Looks like there's something there. Last May, the 18 th Awit Awards named Kitchie Nadal Best Female Performer.

The living room, with its high ceiling and wooden floors, boasts furniture that has been in the family for years, like the curved sectional sofa with its white canvass slipcover. Embroidered on one throw pillow is the name of Kitchie's grandmother, Ester.

The dining area's formal set—narra table and chairs, cream-colored lace tablecloths—complement the traditional Filipino look of the living roam, which is just across the dining area.

This path in front of the house leads to the patio and the landscaped garden. And just like the rest of the house, it's been a while since any major change has been done to the garden, according to Kitchie's mom.

The spacious patio, with its pebble-washed floor, is the ideal place for meditating, taking a light snacks, or reading a book. Kitchie, who still has more than a year to go with her studies, admits that she doesn't know exactly what to do with her degree after graduation: “Pero as of now it already helps me. It helps me with my songwriting ‘yong discipline.”

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