Just months after their U.S. debut, Pan-Asian girl group Blush has already made huge strides internationally—collaborating with hip-hop artist Snoop Dogg and opening for the live appearances of Justin Bieber, Black Eyed Peas and Mario Maurer.
Blush—composed of Angeli Flores from the Philippines, Natsuko Danjo from Japan, Alisha Budhrani from India, Victoria Chan from China and Lee Ji-hae from South Korea—also had their debut single “Undivided” hit the Top 3 on Billboard’s dance/club charts.
Based in the U.S. and Hong Kong, Blush recently visited the Philippines for promotional activities.
The girls opened for the recent Manila show of the Black Eyed Peas at the SM Mall of Asia grounds. They also performed at Thai heartthrob Mario Maurer’s Penshoppe Fan Conference at the PICC, where they were warmly welcomed by their growing Filipino fan base.
They’ve also chilled with Snoop Dogg on set and spoke to Justin Bieber in Japanese.
“It feels unreal,” Jihae from South Korea told Yahoo! Philippines OMG! in an email interview. “Every time we meet international stars, they were really friendly even though they're on top. That inspired us a lot. We can learn from them through those experiences.”
First show with Justin Bieber
Blush’s first show for an international star was during a Justin Bieber’s concert, which Chinese member Vic described as “very exciting and nerve-wracking” at the same time. They also debuted on U.S. TV in Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance” (SYTYCD) and performed “Undivided” with Snoop Dogg.
“It's really nice to meet people that you've only previously seen through a box or in magazines. Bieber even spoke to Nacho in Japanese and meeting the SYTYCD crew was great because you could relate to them chasing after their dreams,” Vic said.
The girls have definitely come a long way since they were chosen individually from 3,500 who auditioned for Project Lotus, last year’s talent search in Hong Kong spearheaded by Jon Niermann, former Walt Disney Asia Pacific President and Eliot Kennedy, a Grammy-winning songwriter and music producer.
When their first song, “Undivided” featuring Snoop Dogg made the U.S. charts, Alisha from India was in disbelief.
“Of course I had high hopes for it to rise every week but to end up at 3 is an amazing and shocking thing for us,” she confessed.
They were equally enthused to have performed with Black Eyed Peas.
“We were so excited once we found out that we'd be opening for the BEPs and we were buzzing all the way even after the show! We're just so thankful for the amazing opportunity and experience to share the stage with BEPs,” Vic added.
Recalled Filipino member Angeli, “They were really nice. I was also star struck. I have always loved their music so meeting them in person was crazy.”
Genuine warmth from Pinoys
Showing their facets and styles to the international crowd is what Blush aims for whenever they perform. And Japanese member Nacho is happy at how their Filipino fans here are embracing their style.
“I felt genuine warmth from the Pinoy people. And we are lucky to have Angeli because we can go back there anytime soon! Personally, I want to go explore around Manila more the next time we go back,” Nacho added. Prior to their visit last October, Blush went to Manila briefly last April for a press conference organized by PR Asia Worldwide.
Jihae agreed that Filipino fans “are really supportive and really proud that there's a Filipino in the group.”
Before joining Blush, Angeli herself had gone through local singing competitions such as “Pinoy Idol” and “Star for a Night” which was won by Sarah Geronimo.
When she first performed in the Philippines as part of Blush, Angeli admitted to mixed emotions “because it is my home town so I felt nervous but also very excited.”
She explained, “I didn't know what to expect but I am so happy how it came out. The audiences were all very supportive.”
Blush will return to the U.S. for a series of school tours and other performances.
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