Haniely Pableo
Speaker Bio:
Han Han is a Filipina-Canadian artist and operating room nurse. At the hospital, she saves lives. Onstage, she inspires audiences. Her kinetic, high-energy performances offer unique perspectives. Her songs grapple with social issues and her experiences as a woman and an immigrant.
Han Han can broadly be described as an emcee, using rap and spoken word techniques to deliver her vocals. Her approach is melodic, and she chooses to sing almost exclusively in Filipino languages — Tagalog and Cebuano — rather than shoehorning her ideas into translation in order to cater to English-speaking audiences. Her songs combine contemporary, 808-hip-hop beats with traditional Filipino rhythms and cadences, yielding fresh sounds that tend to spur dancing wherever they're heard.
After immigrating to Toronto in 2006, she took part in an ongoing poetry workshop. This experience organically drew her into the city's music and arts communities, as she joined collectives and performed at local events. In 2014, she self-released her debut album, Han Han, which was praised by NOW Magazine, the Huffington Post, and the CBC. Single 'World Gong Crazy' was nominated for "Best Song" in Berlin Music Video Awards 2017. The record also led to a publishing deal with EMI, high-quality film / television placements, and international radio play in Germany, France, New Zealand, Australia and the Philippines. In January 2020, she released her second album, URDUJA, which was generously funded by the Toronto Arts Council, Ontario Arts Council and FACTOR.