For Color It Red vocalist Cooky Chua, inspiration to start a band emanated from the Justine Bateman film Satisfaction. Chua was still a high school student in 1989 when she formed Color It Red with Barbi Cristi (rhythm guitar) and Maricar Florendo (keyboards), naming themselves after a crossword puzzle clue. Mike Villegas (lead guitar), Hank Palenzuela (bass), and Edison Javellano (drums) eventually joined the group, and Color It Red became one of the most promising alternative pop/rock bands to emerge from the Philippines' legendary Club Dredd, a wellspring for underground Filipino acts in the early '90s. In 1994, Color It Red released its debut album, Hand Painted Sky, and the LP went platinum. A year later, Color It Red was selected as Best New Artist at the Awit Awards in the Philippines. In 1997, Chua played Lidy, a Pinoy activist's wife, in Lean, A Filipino Musical. Chua received the Golden Voice of Asia award in Hanoi, Vietnam, in 1998. While her competitors covered songs from Whitney Houston and Celine Dion, Chua performed two Color It Red tracks, mesmerizing judges with her rich, soulful voice. Color It Red's mainstream success didn't tarnish Chua's alternative credibility. In 2000, Color It Red released Pop Fiction. ~ Michael Sutton