Girl group Dione stakes claim to bigger slice of the P-pop pie

By rito P. Asilo Inquirer.net

the female lead Melanie dela Cruz, an ukay-ukay seller who is determined to pursue her big dream of becoming a fashion designer.

“My character and I are the same when it comes to achieving our goals. We’re both go-getters,” said Kim on how similar or different she is to her character. “Na parang walang makakapigil, gagawin ko gusto ko. (As if nothing can stop me, I will do what I want).”

“Then her soft side… she was raised by her lola (grandmother), I was also raised by my lola. And then (like her), I have friends and barkada whom I draw my strength from whenever I lose hope.”

As an aspiring fashion designer, Kim’s Melanie is into upcycled fashion or creatively “recycling” and “repurposing” second-hand wear.

Channeling her character, Kim wore a jeepney-inspired outfit during this interview. Meron siyang mga foil, pantanggal ng shape. It has linoleum (covering) sa mga upuan, stuff you hang on the rear mirror kasi mga pantanggal malas daw ang mga ganito,” she described her outfit during the separate presscon.

“I am proud to represent the Philippines and this is made by ha.mu, an up-and-coming designer. So they’re like Melanie dela Cruz, they want to aim big, dream high and start their passion for fashion. And I super support them and I hope they become big in the next month or in the next year.”

Kim further shared that real people in the business, such as fashion designer Michael Leyva, fashion show director Robbie Carmona and makeup artist Juan Sarte, are having cameos in the series.

Jake Ejercito, on the other hand, plays the male lead Chris Blanco, the son of a business magnate (Christopher de Leon), who in the process of trying to prove himself, finds a business opportunity and then romance with Kim’s character.

“Chris is someone arrogant, proud and medyo may yabang but it’s a facade. Deep inside, he’s longing to be accepted by his father,” he said.

“Mayabang ba ako (Am I arrogant)?” Jake jokingly asked his leading lady. “Hindi naman siguro, ‘di ba (Maybe not, right?). That’s the difference with us. Humility is very important to me so, I guess, that’s where we differ.”

As for similarities, the actor said, “We’re both strong-willed. And we all just want to be loved at the end of day.”

This is the first time Jake and Kim are paired together in an acting project.

“We had a lot of preparations. We had workshops before we started rolling,” he said. “But we had never met each other before this.”

“Yes, our paths never crossed until this project,” agreed Kim. “But my jokes click with him, they’re my icebreakers. For example, ano yung mga favorite joke ng mga magician? Turon!!!”

“That’s it (laughs). That’s how she breaks the ice. But really, the workshops helped (build) our chemistry on camera,” Jake said.

“We really got to know each other,” added Kim.

“Once you get to know Kim, it’s really easy to get along with her. She was the glue that kept us together (during the lockin taping late last year). Her energy, it never went down. It’s contagious,” Jake added.

Other “Fit Check” cast members are Kylie Verzosa, Justine Luzares, Kaladkaren Davila, Frenchie Dy, Lie Reposposa, Liza Lorena, Angel Aquino and Christopher de Leon.

“It’s a big project. I know it’s going to be shown all over. It has a unique concept — the ukay queen, the fashion world — and then it promotes our culture,” said the veteran actor, Christopher de Leon. “And we have a great cast, we have good music, and it’s Dreamscape. This one is quite an experience. Actually, this was offered to me first before Cattleya Killer (also available on Prime Video). They had a big concept and big dream for this project. I had to grab it right away.”

For Angel, who was once part of the modeling and pageant worlds, “Fit Check” was an opportunity to revisit the past.

Nevertheless, the veteran actress said, “I would like to think we were cast beyond how we were as people from fashion and pageantry and beauty. I think malaking merit, I guess, our past work. And because of that, we complemented everybody, especially Kim.”

She further said, “I think our experiences gelled well with everybody else’s experiences… If anything, I just had to recall how it was to be a model, yung stance of a model. Otherwise, it really needed the heart more than what we represented from people of that field.”

(“Fit Check: Confessions of an Ukay Queen” is now streaming on Prime Video.) n

IF the catchy groove and empowering themes of Dione’s self-penned song “Break You Down” were an indication of what’s to come for one of P-pop’s finest and fiercest girl groups, then the quartet’s eager fans — collectively called Tali — should gear up for more exciting times ahead.

Not only can the Talis expect to see more of Joyden, Clara, Ella and DK’s terpsichorean skills in the coming days, they can also hone their singalong proficiency and performing chops when the fab-and-fearless foursome releases its upcoming ballad “Pangako,” which will be released by Warner Music Philippines on July 13. Indeed, the girls of Dione are gearing up to stake