MANILA – Lani Misalucha, Filipina singer-performer who has made a name for herself in Las Vegas, gave her two-cents worth to industry colleague, Charice Pempengco: pursue your passion and keep singing for your fellow-Filipinos, Misalucha said.
Pempengco recently expressed her misgivings about the “bullying” she has been receiving from the Filipino audience, who seem to find satisfaction in criticizing the singer on personal matters; such as looks, English proficiency, and sexual orientation.
Misalucha encouraged Pempengco, and emphasized that the latter should not lose heart for Filipino viewers.
“Ganito na lang siguro. Kung ako si Charice [at] nangyari sa akin ‘yon, ang gagawin ko na lang is to continue on. Parang kunyari, sa [magkasintahan], kunyari ‘yung lalaki ay nagkaroon ng kasalanan doon sa babae at ‘yung babae ay ayaw na siyang tanggapin. Eh gusto mo talagang bumalik sa girlfriend mo, ano ang gagawin mo? You just have to exert extra effort for you to win her back. It’s just that. If you really love that person, you just have to do everything for you to get her back. Parang ganoon lang ‘yon. ‘Yun lang ang nakikita kong analogy (Let’s put it this way. If I were Charice and that happened to me, what I would do is to continue on. Let’s pretend it is a romantic relationship, and the boy commits a grievance against the girl, and she no longer wants to accept him. But you really want to get back together with your girlfriend, what will you do? You just have to exert extra effort for you to win her back. It’s just that. If you really love that person, you just have to do everything for you to get her back. It’s just like that. That’s the analogy I see.),” she said.
“You just have to continue and go on. If you feel that the people don’t like you anymore, keep on singing for them,” Misalucha added.
A few months ago, Pempengco took to social media to express her feelings, and her doubts as to whether her fellow-nationals are truly proud of what she has achieved through the years.
Pempengco said she has, on occasion, endured “bullying” from Filipino viewers despite her success on the international music scene.
She revealed that she dreads checking on her social media accounts – especially after she appears as a guest on local television shoes – because of the flood of critical comments, targeting her as a person.
“Nakikipag sapalaran [ako] sa bansang ‘di ko naman kinalakihan. Napasama ako sa mga malalaking TV shows, pero pagdating ko dito, iba parin ang hinahanap as akin, iba parin ang nilalait sa akin — pananalita ko, itsura ko, mga sinusuot ko, buhok ko, sekswalidad ko, buhay ko, lahat na (I try my fortune in countries I did not grow up in. I even became part of big TV shows, but then I come back here, and people look for something different from me, and they criticize me for other things—the way I speak, the way I look, my hair, my sexuality, my life, everything.).” Pempengco posted on her Instagram account.
In June 2013, Pempengco made waves when she “came out of the closet;” admitting in an interview on “The Buzz” that she is a lesbian. Although this admission brought an end to months of speculation and rumours on the matter, it fueled a barrage of criticism, as well.