BAGUIO CITY – Inamin ng 22-year-old Filipino-Australian singer na si Leila Alcasid na kinaharap niya ang malaking adjustment matapos lumipat sa Pilipinas mula Australia noong 2017 para naman i-pursue ang kanyang music career sa bansa.
Sa exclusive interview ng Star FM Baguio sa anak ng OPM hitmaker na si Ogie Alcasid at Miss Universe Australia 1994 Michelle van Eimeren, ibinahagi nitong may pressure itong naramdaman sa kanyang pagdating sa bansa, at natakot ito na hindi niya ma-meet ang expectations ng mga Pilipino sa kanya.
“It’s been a big adjustment. I was a little bit nervous because I felt like people would naturally compare me to my parents so I was kinda worried that I wouldn’t live up to the expectations of Filipino people who love my parents music, and as people. There was a little bit of pressure because I wanted to both make my parents proud and also make my audience proud. I definitely felt a little bit of pressure especially in 2017.”
Samantala, thankful naman si Leila dahil sa kasalukuyan ay inamin niyang “at home” na siya sa bansa at nahanap na niya ang mga taong tunay na sumusuporta sa kanyang musika.
“Now, I feel like I kind of settled in and I have found my place, and I feel a lot more at ease and comfortable and at home now. I found my audience as well. There are people now who listen to my music because they like my music. I’m starting to make my own sound and my own name.”
Ibinahagi rin ng singer-songwriter na malaki ang naitulong sa kanya ng kanyang veteran singer dad na si Ogie na itinuturing niyang kaniyang “idol”.
“There are temptations to try to do what’s uso, but I have my own music that makes me happy, that I like to make. My dad really encouraged me. Sometimes, I would go to him and say, ‘Maybe I should try this, maybe I should do something different’, and he would always remind me that I have my own authentic sound, and that I should stick to it, because that’s what he did in his career.”
Sa kasalukuyan ay kasama ni Leila ang kanyang daddy Ogie at ang kanyang step mom na si Asia’s songbird Regine Velasquez, at masaya ito dahil sa panahon ng quarantine ay lalo siyang napalapit dito.
“I’ve been really grateful because I live with her, and so I got to know her better. We really built a close relationship. She was really, really helpful when I moved here, to make me feel at home. I was missing my mom in Australia, so she filled that gap for me.”
