We all know that TWICE has sold out MOA Arena in span of almost 3 hours. It is due to the love and support they’ve received from their Filipino ONCEs.
A group of ONCEs lead by Jericho Libardo made an awesome video cover of TWICE’s music videos: “What is Love?” and “Cheer Up” and yes, their videos trended!
Check out their What is Love video here.
I reached out to Jericho and asked him a few questions to learn more about his love for TWICE:
AO: When did you start liking TWICE?
Jericho: Actually, hindi kami sabay sabay naging fan ng Twice. Ang pinakamatagal na sa amin na fan (of TWICE) started last year, noong April 2018. Then yung iba samin ay naging ONCE towards the end of 2018 then ang pinakabagong fan po samin started just this March.
AO: Why do you like them?
Jericho: For us, TWICE isn’t just a girl group who gives quality music and performance. They were a great help to us mentally and emotionally. One of our members actually battled his depression with the help of Twice and after learning about the group, TWICE gave him peace of mind, motivation, and a reason to move on.
We deal with stressful moments by watching TWICE’s videos and they helped us a lot and make us happy all the time. Even if we don’t understand the lyrics, TWICE has a way of connecting to the fans, that’s why we love them very much.
AO: Where you judged by other people for supporting them? If yes, how did you cope up with them?
Jericho: YES, MOST OF THE TIME. Ito rin siguro yung reason kung bakit karamihan sa amin ay tinago yung pagiging fanboy for a long time. Most of the time, pag may taong nakaalam na nakikinig kami sa KPOP, may stereotype na agad na we are gay or something. “Bakit ka ba nakikinig diyan?”. Yun yung madalas naming marinig kasi sinasabi rin nila na hindi rin naman daw namin maintindihan yung lyrics. Kaya naman hindi kami ganon ka-open na nakikinig at nahihilig kami sa KPOP.
Hindi rin kami nagpapatugtog ng KPOP sa public at hindi rin kami nagrereact pag may KPOP song na pinapatugtog. Pero siguro nitong March, narealize namin na wala naman kasi talagang masama kung makinig kami at manood ng KPOP kahit mga lalaki kami. Music preference doesn’t define masculinity at kahit hindi namin maintindihan ang lyrics, pwede pa rin namang magsearch for translations to appreciate the meaning of the song and pwede rin naman na maappreciate yung song itself.
That’s why we took the chance to break the stereotype to our schoolmates, friends, and family, by making the music video. After nito, naging confident na kami sa pagiging fanboys at nakakapagpatugtog na rin kami kahit sa sarili naming mga bahay without the judgement ng magulang o mga kapatid namin. Sinuportahan din kami ng pamilya namin sa pagpunta namin sa concert ng TWICE sa Manila.
AO: Aside from TWICE, which other K-Pop groups do you support or music do you like?
Jericho: BLACKPINK, ITZY, BTS, EXO, MAMAMOO, DAY6, (G)I-DLE, IZ*ONE, RED VELVET, MONSTA X, WANNA ONE, IKON, GOT7, JYP, SEVENTEEN, FROMIS_9, GFRIEND, Suzy, Baek A Yeon, Stray Kidz, TXT, Sunmi, IU, Somi, Momoland
AO: Who came up with the idea of covering their Music Videos?
Jericho: Ako po. Gumagawa na po kasi kami ng music video parodies and remakes simula pa noong Grade 7 kami. At dahil naging fan nga po kami ng TWICE, at dahil maghihiwa-hiwalay na kami this schoolyear after graduation, naisip ko pong gumawa ng one last music video remake.
Pumayag silang lahat so nagshoot kami ng music video noong March 30-31 and April 4. Tapos nagkataon pong nag-release ng news na magkakaron ng TWICELIGHTS MANILA noong April 7 and anniversary ng What Is Love sa April 9, so nagdecide po akong i-post yung MV noong April 8 at 11 pm (12am KST, April 9) to celebrate the anniversary of the said MV.
Tapos dahil naging successful nga po yung MV remake namin, we decided to do another one for Cheer Up’s anniversary last April 25.
Here’s their Cheer Up cover, watch it here.
AO: What can you say to your fellow PH ONCEs?
Jericho: Please support TWICE on their upcoming concert! It doesn’t matter if you’re #TeamBahay, #TeamAirport, or #TeamConcert. Just keep the fire burning. Let’s go PH ONCEs!
AO: What will you look forward to their upcoming concert here?
Jericho: We’re really looking forward to finally see them in-person and cheer them on. Needless to say their breath-taking performances.
True enough, TWICE’s impact to the Filipino fans were amazing! They’ve broken some stereotypes as to imply that every guy can be a K-POP fan too! And yes, there is nothing wrong with it.
Kaya to our fan boys followers, don’t worry. Welcome kayo samin and we will always share our feels with you!
TWICELIGHTS in Manila is happening this Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena!
(Annyeong Oppa would like to Thank Jericho Libardo for accommodating us! We hope you and your friends will enjoy TWICE’s concert!)