4th Impact —PHOTOS COURTESY OF ANGEL R&J PRODUCTIONS
Given the opportunity to choose Filipino artists to work with, the pop girl group 4th Impact—composed of sisters Almira, Irene, Celina and Mylene Cercado—said they need not look further than P-pop stars SB19 and Bini.
“Lalayo pa po ba tayo, siguro dun po tayo sa P-pop kings, SB19,” Celina told reporters in a recent virtual conference.
“We have been saying this for quite some time now, but our [schedules] just can’t seem to sync,” Irene said. “We would love to have a back-to-back with them.”
Both groups were former talents of the Manila-based South Korean media company ShowBT.
“They were our brothers under our former management. It’s still a dream to collaborate with them because they’re really talented,” Almira said.
‘Nation’s girl group’
Meanwhile, as part of the first Pinoy Pop Convention and Concert in 2022, 4th Impact and Bini got to share the stage, and interact with each other off it.
“They were one of the groups we grew close with during the event—sina Mikha, Jhoanna, Maloi … They were really all so sweet. But they’re very humble. We’re just so happy as their ates that they’re harvesting the fruits of their hard work,” Irene said.
Almira described Bini as “the nation’s girl group.” “They deserve all that. It would be a dream come true for us to collaborate with them someday. To be with the nation’s girl group, that’s a dream,” she said.
4th Impact, which placed fifth in “X Factor UK” 2015, is currently based in the United States where they intend to look for a new label and make the rounds of the live music circuit. The girls are set to headline the “Pinoy Champs: World Class” show (Angel R&J Productions) in Las Vegas on June 21.
4th Impact
Negative comments
“There are invitations every week. It’s so heartening to know that producers trust us,” Almira said, adding that fans will get to see “4th Impact 2.0” at the said event. “We’re giving people a glimpse of 4th Impact next level. We hope to give them something they haven’t seen before … a Vegas-vibed show. We hope to make an impact and give not just entertainment, but something Filipinos can be proud of.”
They’re not going to lie. The deluge of criticism they have been dealing with recently was also one of the reasons they thought of moving to the United States for the time being. Earlier this year, the girls were accused of being “irresponsible pet owners,” after setting up an online fundraising campaign for their 200 dogs.
“Hindi na po kami magpapaka-plastik. It’s one of the reasons we came to the US. We just surrendered everything to God. Perhaps He has a perfect plan for us,” Irene said. “We just cry it out and pray. We’re breadwinners, so we just want to focus on our goal.”
“We’re human and we get hurt by what we read, the negative comments but that makes us stronger. We just focus on the brighter side. The downside is something artists have to go through. But we’re still here, still fighting,” added Almira, who stressed that their dogs are well-taken care of.
“Our relatives, who are now living in our house, are taking care of the dogs. They’re not neglected. We feed them well, they have air conditioning, they get their regular vaccines. They also inspire us to work hard,” she said.
Home country
Still, the group remains thankful to everyone who supports them and vowed to make the Philippines proud of their talents.
“The Philippines will be our home. We’re just looking for places where we are appreciated now. I hope the Philippines will embrace us more and be proud of us. Dala namin ang bansa wherever we go,” she said. “Where we are right now is all because of the support of Filipinos around the world.”