YASSI Pressman
Yassi Pressman acts, hosts, sings and dances—each one, she said, she pursues with equal amount of passion and curiosity, fulfills her in different ways, and allows her to touch on her different sides as a performer.
“Assuming a different character is something I find challenging about acting. Dancing onstage never fails to make me happy and get the adrenaline going. Being a pop music artist has always been a childhood dream. And hosting gives me the chance to show my personality, who I really am,” she told the Inquirer.
Her resolve to be a more well-rounded artist, the Filipino-British celebrity pointed out, has been advantageous to her career, because more project opportunities have opened up for her.
“Doing all four, somehow, reinforces discipline. I start to worry if I feel like I’m neglecting or lagging in an aspect of my career, so I make sure I tend to [all of them],” Yassi said. “When I have time, I take lessons. I undergo workshops.”
Yassi was one of the hosts of the singing contest, “Born to Be a Star,” on TV5. She is part of two movies set to be released in the next three months.
In sundry events and TV appearances, she still gets to show off her dancing—a skill she honed in the defunct GMA 7 variety shows, “SOP,” “Party Pilipinas” and “Sayaw Pilipinas.”
As for her singing, she was recently named as one of the song interpreters at the grand finals of the PhilPop songwriting tilt in July.
But the show biz gig that keeps her constantly busy is being a VJ on the music channel MTV Pinoy, on which the 21-year-old artist appears daily.
She likewise hosts different live events, like the coming MTV Music Evolution Manila 2016 concert, set on June 24 at the SM Mall of Asia concert grounds.
This VJ-ing stint, Yassi said, has so far been quite a learning experience. “In my two years doing this, I’ve improved the way I speak and carry myself,” she related. “And in interviewing various international music stars, I’ve learned to ask more interesting and engaging questions.”
This year’s MTV Evolution is expected to attract an even bigger audience, as the event will highlight and celebrate pop music, which has a wider market than hip-hop.
Headlining the show is the American pop-rock band OneRepublic, which will be joined by local artists like James Reid and Nadine Lustre, the American electro-pop act Bebe Rexha and the popular all-girl Korean group Apink.
It will be recorded live for telecast in more than 160 countries.
MTV Evolution aims to boost the country’s tourism through music. Admission to the concert is free, with passes being given away to people who will participate in a brief online survey (www.mtvmusicevo.com), which lasts until June 12.
E-mail apolicarpio@inquirer.com.ph