It was a long journey, but these Filipino stars truly deserve everything that they have now.
When you see the people you look up to, sometimes you don’t realize how much work it must have taken just for them to earn a seat at the table. As glamorous as it is, being in the spotlight is also a grueling process, like not being compensated enough, being tossed to the side after long hours of work, or even facing a lot of rejections just because of your looks. Even then, without a doubt, the universe always rewards hard work. Despite working completely different jobs before they skyrocketed to fame, here’s what your favorite Filipino stars were doing before their lucky break.
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JOSHUA GARCIA – DANCER OF A CULTURAL GROUP
Before Joshua Garcia joined PBB, and eventually becoming the versatile actor we know today, he spent most of his time as a dancer of Batangas’ cultural dance group, The Sining Kumintang.
MIMIYUUUH – FASHION ASSISTANT, SOLD CLOTHES IN BACLARAN
Who else feels the necessary push after watching one of Mimiyuuuh’s Monday motivation videos? Pre-vlogger days, she revealed that she assisted fashion designer Mark Bumgarner when she was in college. She also helped her parents sell clothes in Baclaran while being a scholar in Benilde.
GIGI DE LANA – PERFORMED AT BIRTHDAYS AND WEDDINGS
We may know Gigi de Lana as one of the prominent faces in music at the moment, but she also is the CEO of her own cosmetics line, G Cosmetics. Pre-girl boss era, however, Gigi revealed in the past that she used to just perform at birthdays and weddings.
MARJ MAROKET – KEY ACCOUNTS MANAGER
Content creator Marj Maroket is one of the rising morena icons today thanks to her beauty tips for brown-skinned girls. This gave her the opportunity to work with bigger brands and eventually led her to becoming a part of Lazada’s Beauty Council. But at an event, she once mentioned that she used to be a key accounts manager for Lazada! Talk about full circle.
CHARLIE DIZON – K-POP IDOL TRAINEE
The multi-talented actress may be known for her work in films like Fan Girl and Four Sisters Before the Wedding, but did you know that she used to be a K-Pop idol trainee before going back to the Philippines? That’s where she became close with Nancy of MOMOLAND.
BRETMAN ROCK – STUDENT COUNCIL, TRACK RUNNER
Da Baddest Bitch was always THAT bitch since the very beginning. He had a 3.5 GPA, was a member of the student council, and was also a star on his school’s track team.
BELLA POARCH – U.S. NAVY ORDINANCE OFFICER
Before her M to B Tiktok video was liked 61.4 million times, Bella Poarch worked in the U.S. Navy. She served as an aviation ordinance officer for three years and was stationed in Japan and Hawaii.
SB19 – DATA ANALYST, CALL CENTER AGENT
P-Pop group SB19’s phenomenal success is unmatched at this point. They’ve been selling out tours and concerts and yet they all remain grounded. Their humble beginnings were never kept a secret before rising to fame. Their leader Pablo used to work as a data analyst, their main vocalist Stell was a student taking up Hotel and Restaurant Management. SB19’s lead rapper Josh was a call center agent, their main dancer Ken was an Architecture major and their creative director Justin was a Multimedia Arts student.
AC BONIFACIO – INTERNATIONAL DANCE DUO MEMBER
AC Bonifacio has been dancing all her life. Beginning as a dance duo called Lucky Aces together with Lucky Ancheta, the pair found success with their viral dance covers, landed a guesting at The Ellen Degeneres Show and performed in Ariana Grande’s tour.
ZACK TABUDLO – THE VOICE KIDS CONTESTANT
Zack Tabudlo’s songs may pierce right through our hearts especially with how strong his pen game is, but did you know that he started out as a contestant on The Voice Kids? He was under the mentorship of Coach Bamboo, but was eliminated on the second round.
MOIRA DELA TORRE – VOICE ACTOR
Moira Dela Torre’s voice might just be the most distinct among the current generation of P-Pop because of how alluring and effortless she sounds. But before launching her singing career, Moira used to do voice acting for commercials. Remember the Hooray For Today song in McDonald’s commercials? That was her all along.
ANJI SALVACION – BODY DOUBLE
Prior to finding success in her music career, Anji Salvacion was Sam Cruz’s body double, which led the two to become close friends, and joined Idol Philippines 2019.
NATE JAVIER – MAKEUP ARTIST
Before blowing up on TikTok as one of the most-watched beauty content creators, Nate Javier, a.k.a Miss Nate used to work as a makeup artist. He even had a brief stint under the mentorship of celebrity makeup artist Albert Kurniawan. Recently, Miss Nate was announced as an ambassador of MAC Cosmetics. Well-deserved.
JASON DY – PROFESSIONAL HARANISTA
Before becoming the winner of The Voice Season 2 and being invited to perform onstage by David Foster, Jason Dy revealed that he used to be a professional serenade and surprise service provider, most commonly known as a haranista. Now, he’s one of the popular contemporary serenaders in the country.
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