Life can be so crazy sometimes because what do you mean Dua Lipa performed on the Wish Bus?
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When international celebrities come to the Philippines, it’s either for work commitments or vacation. Rarely do you see big global celebrities deviate from this path, but some do, and it makes for random yet intriguing and amusing moments. There’s a lot more to do in the Philippines aside from going to the beach or island hopping, as these following stars can attest to. Unexpected? Yes. But do we love it? Absolutely. Scroll down for famous faces you probably didn’t know had a little side quest in the country.
MARGOT ROBBIE DOING VOLUNTEER WORK IN CEBU
ICYDK, Margot Robbie has already been to the Philippines. Back in 2015, before she reached global stardom as Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad, Margot and her now-husband Tom Ackerley volunteered at a local NGO called Rise Above Foundation Cebu. There, the superstar actress and other volunteers prepared and gave away meals to the residents of Guadalajara, Guadalupe, Cebu.
ROSE HELPING ANDREA BRILLANTES WITH HER PROMPOSAL
Global icon by day, helper for promposals by night. During BLACKPINK’s two-day concert in the country as part of their Born Pink World Tour, Rose helped Andrea Brillantes deliver one of the most iconic promposals in history when Rose read her banner asking ask Ricci Rivero to be Blythe’s prom date. The fact that Rose also learned that Blythe broke up with Ricci later on made for a fitting full-circle moment.
KATY PERRY ON IT’S SHOWTIME
There are a few hundred lucky people who can say that they attended a tapping of It’s Showtime where Katy Perry performed live. The pop superstar performed on the variety show back in 2009, where she sang Hot N Cold to promote her first concert in the country. Backed by a live band, Katy was full of energy, and it looked like the live audience was having a great time. Plus points for Katy singing the uncensored version of the track on national television.
DUA LIPA ON ASAP AND THE WISH BUS
Given Dua Lipa’s penchant for living that jet-setter life and being in a new city seemingly every week, it’s no surprise she made the most of the last time she was in the Philippines. Back in May 2017, she performed her then-biggest hit Blow Your Mind on ASAP and went on the Wish 107.5 Bus to perform Blow Your Mind and Lost In Your Light. Who knows, if Dua were to ever come back to the Philippines, we can see her exploring more of the city.
MILEY CYRUS ON EAT BULAGA
Eat Bulaga has seen its fair share of international celebrity guests, but none quite match the random yet lowkey iconic appearance of Miley Cyrus. Back in 2011, Miley was in the country for her Gypsy Heart World Tour, with the Philippines being the only stop in Asia on that tour, and made an appearance on the noontime show to promote her concert.
DAVID ARCHULETA’S TELESERYE ERA
For a time, American Idol was one of the most popular shows in the Philippines, which meant quite a few visits from the show’s contestants to the country. But none were quite as popular as David Archuleta. He was so popular, in fact, that he even starred in a teleserye from TV5 called Nandito Ako in 2012 alongside Jasmine Curtis Smith and Eula Caballero. The show centered on Josh Bradley, a Fil-Am musician who returns to the Philippines to find out what happened to his mother.
KAPUSO NANCY MCDONIE
INSTAGRAM/SPARKLEGMAARTISTCENTER
As wild as it sounds, the K-pop idol to artista pipeline is real. Just look at Nancy McDonie. When MOMOLAND was still active, Nancy was slated to co-star alongside James Reid in a local TV show, but that fell through. Years later, though, Nancy’s artista era is still pushing through when she was announced to have signed under Sparkle, GMA Network’s talent management arm. This technically makes Nancy a Kapuso, a sentence we never thought we’re gonna have to write.
MICHELLE YEOH AT UP DILIMAN
Also : Michelle Yeoh riding an e-jeep in UP Diliman https://t.co/jlauxsaKMb pic.twitter.com/kcCJJTpAAm
— gwen (@lucillefilms) March 29, 2024
You’d be surprised which international celebrities have ridden a jeepney. For example, did you know that Oscar-winning actress Michelle Yeoh rode a jeepney at UP Diliman? Yup, and it happened back in 2011 as Michelle was in the country to promote road safety as an ambassador of the “Make Roads Safe” campaign. Part of her stay in the Philippines saw her visit UP Diliman and take an e-jeep around the campus. You learn something new every day.
SABRINA CARPENTER X SHANTI DOPE
If she isn’t talking to Andrea Brillantes about her ex, Sabrina Carpenter is collaborating with Filipino rappers. In one of her visits to the country, the actress and singer dropped a new version of her single Almost Love featuring, you guessed it, Shanti Dope. Both of them performed the collaboration on ASAP, and it was quite special to have Sabrina feature a Filipino rapper rapping in Tagalog on her song. Feather remix featuring Shanti Dope when?
2NE1’S DANCE SHOWDOWN AT JOLLIBEE
It’s no secret that 2NE1, and especially Sandara Park, love their fair share of Jollibee. And their love goes as far as having a party at one of the fast food chain’s branches. ICYDK, when the girl group was in the country in 2014 for a concert, they held an actual party at a Jollibee branch, which included, among other things, a dance battle with the Jollibee mascot. TBH, we’re kinda here for it.
NICKI MINAJ RAPPING AT THE AIRPORT
A prophetess once said, “I’m from the Philippines/Badder than Billie Jean/Guess that’s why I get more head than the guillotine.” And that moment happened when Nicki Minaj landed in the Philippines for a concert in 2012. As she was being interviewed by media at the airport, the raptress uttered those iconic lines that were actually lyrics from an old song of hers called Higher than a Kite. The layers of this moment need to be studied.
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