Image: Instagram/@kztandingan
KZ Tandingan gave some words of wisdom to aspiring artists who are hoping to break into the entertainment industry one day.
The breakout hit of the Chinese singing competition “Singer” 2018 gave some advice and shared some reflections on her own experiences as someone who captured audiences’ heart in another country.
“I thought I needed to conform para tanggapin ako ng industriya na gusto ko kabilangan, pero naramdaman ko na hindi ako nagiging masaya at hindi nagsha-shine yung kung ano talaga ako as an artist,” said Tandingan in an interview for the June 7 episode of evening talk show “Tonight with Boy Abunda.”
(I thought I needed to conform to be accepted by the industry that I wanted to be in, but I felt I wasn’t becoming happy and wasn’t shining as an artist.)
Tandingan added, “Nung narealize ko na dapat ko lang tanggapin kung sino talaga ako as an artist, mas dun ako nag-blossom. Mas dun nakita ng mga tao kung ano pala ang special sa music ko.
(When I realized that I should just accept who I really was as an artist, that’s when I really blossomed. That’s when people really started to see what was special in my music.)
More than just being true to oneself, Tandingan emphasized the importance of being open to new ideas.
“Always be willing to learn. Always have that teachable heart na kahit confident ka dun sa ginagawa mo. Pero pag may mga tao na nagbibigay sa’yo ng healthy criticism, talagang tanggapin mo, isipin mo at i-try mong gawin,” said the singer.
(Always be willing to learn. Always have that teachable heart even if you’re already confident of what you’re doing. When someone gives you healthy criticism, accept it fully, think about it and try doing it.)
In light of her unexpected success, Tandingan told Abunda that she planned to release an album in China. She did not say what songs would be in it except that part of it would be in Mandarin to accommodate the Chinese fans. She also credited her growth as a singer and as an artist to being a part of “Singer 2018.”
Tandingan said, “Kailangan mong kumanta sa isang language na never mo pang nagawa before, never mo pang nasalita before. So parang I needed to prove na I deserve the spot na andun ako. So kelangan best foot forward palagi na parang ‘oh magaling pala sya talaga.’”
(You need to sing in a language that you’ve never used before, never spoken before. So it’s like I needed to prove that I deserved the spot where I was. So I needed to keep putting my best foot forward so people could say, ‘Oh, she’s actually quite good.) /ra
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