Filipino singer-songwriter Rico Blanco, calls out the Philippine Entertainment Portal for their headline stating that he did not want to be labelled as the “Keanu Reeves ng Pilipinas,” tweeting that it was “stupid” and “will get [him] in trouble.”
On his Twitter account with 1.66 million followers, the 46-year-old musician posts last Monday, July 8 responding to the article, saying, “Stupid headline will get me into trouble, guys. My point was let’s stop making Filipinos local versions of global icons,” referring to his statement during a contract signing with Viva Music Publishing that he “takes it as a compliment” and is “flattered” when people say he looks like the John Wick star, but he has “a running silent advocacy that Filipinos should not be Pinoy versions of whoever.”
Blanco further expressed his dismay with Pep, tagging their social media account, saying, “That’s the last time you’ll ever be invited to a presscon of mine. I trusted you, but you abused the trust like you always do with artists. Next time, learn to respect the artists you interview. Understand they work hard and help put food on YOUR table.”
In the initial interview, he elaborates to the entertainment news portal, who initially brought up the topic, “We should be Anne Curtis is Anne Curtis. Sarah G. is Sarah G. She’s not Adele of the Philippines. She’s not Lady Gaga of the Philippines. So, whenever someone says maybe Keanu Reeves is Rico Blanco, I don’t know… We’re two different people. How many gigs has he played? How many Hollywood blockbusters have I starred in? But I think people mean it lightly anyway – that we both have long hair and don’t shave.”
The former Rivermaya frontman, who was part of popularizing Original Pilipino Music (OPM) tracks “Kisapmata,” “Liwanag sa Dilim,” “Elesi,” “Ulan,” and “Himala.”