Kapamilya star Charlie Dizon recalled the time when she almost debuted as a K-Pop idol several years ago. In an interview with Bianca Gonzalez for The B Side, the What Lies Beneath actress admitted how heartbroken she was that she was unable to fulfill her K-Pop idol dreams.
Charlie trained for several months in South Korea with an undisclosed talent agency.
READ: Charlie Dizon marks first wedding anniversary with Carlo Aquino
She shared that it was a friend that got her into the world of K-Pop back when she was still studying for a Nursing degree at the University of Sto. Tomas.
“May kaklase ako na mahilig sa K-Pop, so siya ‘yung nagtuturo sa akin talaga –– pinapakita niya sa akin ‘yung girl groups. Mahilig ako sa K-Drama dati, tapos tinuruan niya na ako agad paano magbasa [at] magsulat ng Korean,” she recalled.
From then on, she became so interested in becoming a K-Pop idol that she revealed how she prayed for an audition to happen in the country–– something that rarely happens back then. Fortunately for Charlie, her prayers were answered and she was accepted into the training program.
Charlie was chosen out of the 1000 hopeful auditionees and was the only one who was given the opportunity to fly out to South Korea. She recalled how she sang Black Eyed Peas’ hit song, “Where is the Love?” in the hope of impressing the judges with her rapping abilities.
“Gusto ko maging rapper — ‘yun ‘yung goal ko talaga. Sabi ko, ‘pag ako nakapasok sa girl group, gusto ko rapper ako. So ‘Where is the Love’ para makita nila na nagra-rap ako,” she revealed.
Even though she was already chosen to fly to South Korea to become a trainee, her parents were initially dismissive of the idea and rejected it, wanting her to prioritize her education just like her other siblings.
“Syempre ayaw ng mom ko–– dead end na usapin ‘yun sa amin. Wala kasing nagshowbiz sa amin, so parang imposible ‘yun. Kailangan talaga academics,” she added.
READ: Charlie Dizon details how Carlo Aquino proposed to her in Thailand
Despite this, she was able to convince her parents, who eventually flew with her to the East Asian country to check her living conditions there. From then on, she trained for several months alongside other K-Pop hopefuls.
Unfortunately for Charlie, her plans didn’t come to fruition because of a setback from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA). She was unable to continue her training in South Korea due to the mismatch in her contract details.
“Hindi daw nagma-match–– ayaw ng POEA. Nung kukunan na nila ako ng long term na visa, ayaw akong payagan,” she explained.
“Yun siguro ‘yung first heartbreak na nangyari sa akin. Hindi ata ako pang ganito; hindi ata ako pangshowbiz,” she admitted.
While becoming a K-Pop star might not have been for her, Charlie continues to let her star shine as one of the top actresses in the country, with several awards under her name.