By Jeffery Fogg | This Is Topeka
Topeka gets an international visitor tonight.
Jaya, the powerhouse Filipino singer known to generations of fans as “Asia’s Queen of Soul,” will take the stage Sunday evening at Hotel Topeka at City Center for an intimate concert celebrating Filipino Heritage Month.
And this isn’t a tribute act or a performer borrowing a famous name.
This is Jaya.
The veteran singer has spent decades as one of the Philippines’ most recognizable voices, building a career around a blend of soul, R&B, pop and gospel influences. Her music has become part of the fabric of Original Pilipino Music, or OPM, and her career continues to take her around the world.
Now that tour brings her to Kansas.
An international artist in Topeka
Tonight’s concert is being presented by Kansas-based Pearl of the Orient Events LLC as “An Intimate Evening with Asia’s Queen of Soul.”
Doors at the Sunflower Ballroom inside Hotel Topeka open at 3 p.m., with the concert scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m.
General admission tickets are $65, while $120 VIP tickets include premium reserved seating, early venue access, a meet-and-greet with Jaya and a photo opportunity.
As of Sunday morning, organizers were warning that VIP was almost sold out.
More than a concert
There’s another reason this particular show deserves some attention.
The concert is being held as a celebration of Filipino Heritage Month, and for promoter Pearl of the Orient Events, tonight represents its first event.
The Topeka-based company says its mission is to bring Filipino and multicultural entertainment to the Midwest while using music and cultural events to connect communities.
That’s a pretty ambitious way to start: bring one of the Philippines’ best-known soul singers to the Capital City.
And Jaya’s Topeka appearance isn’t an isolated performance. It’s part of a broader fall touring schedule that has included Texas and is set to continue into Europe later this month, with dates in Germany and Switzerland.
For one Sunday evening, though, that tour stops here.
Jaya Live in Topeka
Sunday, October 4, 2026
Hotel Topeka at City Center — Sunflower Ballroom
Doors: 3 p.m.
Show: 5:30 p.m.
General Admission: $65
VIP Meet & Greet: $120
Tickets can be reserved directly through Pearl of the Orient Events.
For Topeka’s Filipino community, tonight is a chance to see an artist whose music has been part of Filipino popular culture for decades.
For everybody else, it might be an opportunity to discover why Jaya earned the nickname Asia’s Queen of Soul in the first place.
