Just Between the Girls: DJ Patty and Kriesha

Patty Tiu (Left) & Kriesha Tiu (Right)

From the fashionable t-shirts that read:  WE SHOULD ALL BE FEMINISTS or THE FUTURE IS FEMALE, it is strongly and undeniably a great time to be a girl.  When a full-blooded Filipina who grew up in California (but she comes back to the Philippines ever year) and a known innovator of the dance scene come together , musical sparks are about to fly.

While many Filipinos are K-Pop fans, one girl went above and beyond and conquered the K-Pop World.  Kriesha has already launched two albums in Korea, she has become a finalist in a reality singing show, and she is the face of a skin care brand as well.  And all this while still in her teens!

Kriesha Chu

The theme of homecoming hits close to home for Kriesha.  She was only 16 when she decided that she would move to Korea and become a k-pop star.  “I was just so determined to prove that a Filipino could make it there.  There was just something in me that was so sure that it was something that I could do.  For most teenagers, their biggest decision of their life is going to college.  But for me, there was so much that I had to do, I had to learn to multitask. Learn to be more confident and just be so much more.  I’m such a perfectionist.   And so for me, the idea of home is something movable.  I grew up in the States but we would come here to the Philippines to go on vacation every year. So when I think about our song, I imagine that the listeners will be able to feel the joy of what a homecoming is.”

“When I heard that I was going to work with a DJ, then I knew that I would be with someone creative, someone who has a lot of ideas!” Kriesha admits.  DJ Patty then adds, “I was just so happy that someone who is part of my scene can be a part of this collaboration, that our scene was recognized.  Some people have this misconception that being a DJ is just about partying. We don’t just press the play button and then that’s it. But there’s also an art to it.”

Kriesha Chu & Patty Tiu

And still on the topic of family, in the brief time that they worked on their collaboration, Kriesha and DJ Patty were able to form a close-to-being-a-family bond.  “I was really very impressed that she would just go to Korea and try to make it at such a young age. She was so sure of herself. But she was so quiet and reserved on the set, while I was more all over the place. When we were working on our song, I felt as if I had a younger sister, that she is someone with so much heart,” DJ Patty observes.

Of their collaboration, they look back with a lot of insight and heart.  Kriesha reflects, “Because I had to think so much of what home really is, then I also learned a lot about myself.”  DJ Patty says, “There were times when it was still surreal.  That I couldn't believe that I was asked to be part of it, and thinking, ‘Is it true?’  And I felt that I was representing my whole scene.  Though I’m very proud of what I’ve achieved, we still have to keep on pushing forward, to just keep pushing.  I’m very grateful that our scene is being recognized, we’re artists, too.”

Patty Tiu

When asked what’s it really like to be a female in the music industry, and what that perspective brings to their music, both of them have a lot to say. “When you’re a girl, you just know that you’re being scrutinized more, both on the stage while you’re performing and also off the stage.  So, at the same time, it just makes you work harder,” Kriesha realizes.  “As a woman, you’re just more in touch with your emotions.  You have so much heart, and that will come out in the music.”

For many young girls, fairy tales encourage them to dream of happily ever after.  Kriesha and DJ Patty were brave and savvy enough to dream big dreams of fulfilling their musical destinies. Their dreams didn't come from fanciful storybooks but from their own hearts. And in the world of music, there is no happy ending, just one big happy journey.

Taste the sounds of Pinoy music as Kriesha Chu and Patty Tiu collaborate for Coke Studio Season 2. Catch them on September 30, at 11:15 a.m. before ASAP on ABS-CBN or on www.youtube.com/CokeStudioPH