I enjoy doing interviews. It makes me know and understand another person better. In the case of Issa Perez de Tagle, it’s a mix of playtime and cross-examination with the objective of digging deeper into her pysche’ as well as squeezing out her ideas on an assortment of topics – be it serious, hypothetical or altogether crazy. Amidst her busy schedule – juggling time between hosting a daily morning show on Mellow 94.7 and taping for the MYX Channel – she gamely agreed to a one-on-one and for that, my heartfelt thanks. This is a blog exclusive! Here goes…
You’re the DJ who wants to be a VJ. If you can come up with words for the two letters – D and V – to reflect the transition from one medium to the next, what will these be?
ISSA: Daring – coz I’m putting myself out there to be judged by the masses. I mean, as much as radio let’s me speak my mind, it does allow me considerable amount of anonymity. On TV, there’s no hiding. I’m going to be criticized not just for what I say but also down to how I look.
Vivacious – it was the first ‘v’ word I thought of. I thought it was kind of perfect since it means ‘spirited’, ‘full of life’, and ‘charming’ – which are all things I aim to come across as in this competition. This is my dream and my passion and I’m going to fight for it with everything I’ve got.
What is it with becoming a VJ that donning a nurse’s uniform and cap won’t do for you?
ISSA: Two things that have been constant throughout my life is my love of music and my love of talking. There was never any love for the nursing profession, noble as it may be. It was never for me.
Radio allows me to combine these two things that I love and make other people happy and there are no words to describe how awesome that is. I really feel like it’s something I was meant to do.
TV will allow me to reach a wider audience and let me touch their lives the way I hope I’ve touched my listener’s lives. If I can achieve that – why settle for less?
If you were granted a live one-on-one with a foreign artist, who would you choose: Miley Cyrus or Justin Bieber?
ISSA: I’d choose Miley Cyrus. I actually enjoyed Hannah Montana when I’d catch it on TV every now and again. And I like a lot of her songs and usually, the way she dresses. I actually get told I dress like her sometimes because I like wearing boots and shorts – comfort with style. I also admire her as a singer, oddly enough. I think her voice is… unique. I’d like to ask her a few interesting questions if ever I get the chance.
Now, if you can trade places with another person of the opposite sex for a week, who would you choose: VJ Luis or VJ Nel?
ISSA: Definitely Nel. Even before I joined the MYX VJ Search, he was my favorite male MYX VJ. I taped with him the other day and he is the nicest guy in the world. Aside from being ridiculously goodlooking, he’s super interesting to talk to, smart and really down-to-earth. Plus he’s a sick dancer. I’ve always wanted to be a really good dancer. It’s one of my frustrations!
Time for off-the-wall questions: If aliens landed in front of you and, in exchange for anything you desire, offered you any position on their planet, what would you want?
ISSA: Probably a really powerful advisory position. I think ruling a planet is a big responsibility and sounds really tough. But I know I have good opinions and I give relatively awesome advice so I think I can help whoever is ruling make the right decisions. All the glory without the blame HAHAHAHAHAHA!! I mean, seriously… I don’t want to get too stressed out.
If you had to be shipwrecked on a deserted island, but all your human needs – such as food and water – were taken care of, what two items would you want to have with you?
ISSA: My boyfriend HAHAHA and a how-to-escape-a-desert-island manual. Is that lame? LOL I’m such a loser.
If you had six months with no obligations or financial constraints, what would you do with the time?
ISSA: SHOP! HAHAHAHAHAHA!! Girly answer.
I’d probably travel. I’m a big nerd and a real history/culture buff so I’d really like to see other countries.
If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title should be?
ISSA: I’m in a really corny mood today so they should call it “This ISSA Real Story” HAHAHAHAHA!!
Your blogger and MYX VJ Search 2010 finalist ISSA
Back to reality, aside from your natural beauty, what’s your edge over the 5 other ladies in the final line-up?
ISSA: I basically live and breathe music. It’s really almost second nature to me to hunt down new sounds and explore artists. I have a plethora of useless information about music stored in my head. I’m a music nerd and I don’t confine myself to one genre. That kind of versatility and flexibility is important in this job, I believe. I’m also one of the most opinionated people I know and I’m not afraid to say it. I can talk about anything for an unlimited amount of time. It’s God’s gift to me HAHA!! Also, I think I actually look like the audience that MYX is trying to represent.
VJs are supposed to be role models to the youth. Agree or disagree? Explain.
ISSA: Oh definitely. We watched a primer during one of the first days of the competition and MYX stated that their vision for their VJ’s is that they become the embodiment of the youth TODAY. That’s why they have annual searches. They want to keep things fresh and current. But as much as they want to represent their audience, they want to represent what’s BEST about it. As much as they’re aiming for someone relatable, they also want to give the spot to people that their viewers want to strive to become.
How can P-Pop (Pinoy Pop) rise to the level of K-Pop (Korean pop) if not J-pop?
ISSA: When it stops trying to copy K-pop and J-pop? One thing to notice about really successful music is that it becomes phenomenal because it doesn’t sound like anything out there on the market. When P-pop starts capitalizing on things that make them distinctly Filipino, I think we’ll see a rise in the success of the genre. People want to hear music that speaks to their hearts, minds and souls – they want something genuine and imitation simply won’t do.
There you are….more of Issa – her mind, her quirks and her passion.
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