Kuh Ledesma

Kuh Ledesma
Ledesma singing during a concert
Born	Maria Socorro Ledesma (1955-03-16) March 16, 1955 (age 62) Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, Philippines
Other names	Pop Diva
Occupation	Singer, actress, model, fashion designer
Years active	1980–present
Children	Isabella Gonzales

Maria Socorro Ledesma (born March 16, 1955), better known as Kuh Ledesma, is a Filipino pop and jazz singer, actress, (painter) model and fashion designer. She is known in the Philippines as the 'Pop Diva' and wants herself to be remembered as 'The Renaissance Woman' according to her in her interview on Tonight with Boy Abunda.

Ledesma has been performing for 35 years in the music industry which encompasses more than 1,000 concerts all over the world, numerous awards in the Philippines, and 20 albums in the Philippine recording industry. She was the first Filipino singer to become a recipient of the Salem Music Awards in London in March 1989. In 1997, she released her international debut album Precious in collaboration with American and Filipino songwriters, arrangers and musicians.

Kuh Ledesma was born in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, Philippines with a Lebanese lineage.

Ledesma's career in music began when she joined the Lastiko band (formerly known as Ensalada band) in Bacolod while she was still a nursing student at Colegio San Agustin-Bacolod. Ledesma finished the course and successfully passed the Philippine National Nursing Board Exam and became a registered nurse. Ledesma and her bandmates Toto Gentica and Jet Montelibano later went to Manila to form the Music & Magic band which became pivotal for her career. She later received the lead role in the pop ballet Rama Hari by Alice Reyes. She eventually went solo with "Dito Ba?", Ledesma's first hit song.

During the 1980s, Ledesma has performed solo concerts at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), the Araneta Coliseum, PICC and the Philippine Folk Arts Theater.