Why Glaiza de Castro doesn’t want to be compared to foreign stars

Image: Instagram/@glaizaredux

When it comes to entertainment, it seems Hollywood is the standard, and even local celebrities can’t help feeling starstruck when they come face to face with international artists.

And while it’s good to have a benchmark, actress and singer Glaiza de Castro feels local artists don’t need to have foreign counterparts.

When one well-meaning fan told her she is the Filipino version of British singer-songwriter Dua Lipa, De Castro kindly declined the comparison.

“Ay hindi po… Dapat walang version ng kung sino mang foreign artists dahil may sarili tayong identity,” she said on Twitter last Tuesday, Sept. 4. 

Image: Twitter/@glaizaredux

(Oh no… There shouldn’t be a version of any foreign artist because we have our own identity.)

Though the poster’s original tweet has been deleted, De Castro kept her response, which has gathered 16,000 likes.

It seems her message resonated with a number of people including actress Kylie Padilla who replied, “Tomo (That’s right).”

Fans also cheered the “Liway” actress with her reply.

“Maaring gawing inspirasyon yung mga foreign artist kasi talented naman talaga sila pero syempre tama ka naman dapat gumawa tayo ng sa ‘tin, kaya nasasabihan ang mga Pinoy ng gaya-gaya,” said netizen @geepiel.

(We can use foreign artists as inspirations because they’re talented, but you’re right that we should make our own [art]; this is why Pinoys are told that we are copycats.)

https://twitter.com/geepiel/status/1036923261093699584

“It’s just so disrespectful for artists who work hard to make a name for themselves to be called the Asian version of a Western artist,” said @ddaengustv.

yes please!! it's just so disrespectful for artists who work hard to make a name for themselves to be called the asian version of a western artist😩😩 https://t.co/lKnJCtADTN

— 아포방포🐳⁷ (@superjamsi) September 4, 2018

“True! Ikaw ang Glaiza de Castro ng Pilipinas. Haha. Walang iba,” said Rezel (@rezelpolangco).

(True! You are the Glaiza de Castro of the Philippines. Haha. There is no one else.)

https://twitter.com/rezelpolangco/status/1036921460751708161

De Castro’s music and career is a path all her own: Her songs veer more toward acoustic and alternative than pop, and she has pursued starring roles on film and television. She recently made waves in Cinemalaya favorite “Liway,” wherein she portrayed a mother raising her child in a prison camp. De Castro currently plays the title character in the drama series “Contessa,” and is set to study music production abroad.  /ra

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