P-Pop soloist Prince Keino talks about the hate he received when shippers paired him with UNIS member Gehlee Dangca on social media.
The matching sparked from Prince’s display of admiration towards the newly-formed K-Pop group, especially for Gehlee, who was his bias.
Unfortunately, some fans were not happy about it and Prince has become a target of bashing.
In an interview with FreebieMNL during his launch as the new ambassador of Chingu Fried Noodles, Prince said that he remains committed to his support for UNIS.
But admittedly, the Star Music artist was surprised by the mean comments he received on social media.
Prince explained, “Siyempre, di naman po mawawala siguro yung bias, ganyan, idol po na isang member. So, sinupport ko po yung member na yun, na si K-pop UNIS Gehlee.
“Then, may mga comments po na hindi po maganda kasi may mga supporters po na parang shini-ship po kami, parang nagli-link po, ganun. Then, may mga fans din po na Gehlee fans din po na ayaw.”
These fans who objected to their pairing wrote insults directed at the teen artist. Prince mentioned that some would mock him and call him “TikTok Boy.”
But for Prince, he was just expressing support just like any other fan.
He continued, “Tinatawag po nila [akong] TikTok boy, kasi sumasayaw po ako sa TikTok, obsessed fan, ganun…
“Pero sa akin po, gusto ka lang po na mag-support. So, parang sa akin po, wala naman po akong ginagawang mali. Gusto ka lang po mag-support.
“Parehas din po, minamahal po nila (fans) ako, sinusuportahan po nila ako… parang ganun din po yung ginagawa ko.”
The 15-year-old artist keeps himself guarded with a strong mentality as he normally pays no attention to negativity.
He said, “Ako po kasi, hindi po ako talaga nagbabasa kasi, para sa akin, sinasabi lang po nila yan.
“Mas kilala ko po yung sarili ko. So, kahit ano po sabihin sa akin na masama, alam ko sa sarili na, ‘Ay, hindi ako ganyan, e. Yun po yung mindset ko po.”
Prince debuted with his single “Indak” in 2023. He was also a former contestant in the Philippine-Korean reality program “Dream Maker.”
Prince is going forward with his career in P-Pop, considering he was two places close to debuting with Filipino K-Pop group Hori7on.
While Prince initially dreamed of becoming either a P-Pop or a K-Pop artist, which explains his participation in “Dream Maker,” he is currently decisive of his choice to stay local.
The teen artist said, “Before po ng ‘Dream Maker,’ gusto ko po talagang maging P-Pop or K-Pop man or basta, maging performer po talaga.
“Nagfo-focus po ako ngayon sa P-Pop. Kasi sa P-Pop, talagang… siguro, [as a] soloist po, so, magra-rap po ako. Sa sarili ko pong kanta, magra-rap, kakanta, siyempre, sasayaw pa ng solo.
“Yun po yung pinakanatutuwa po ako kasi siyempre po sa solo, sobrang hirap po nun, lalo pag ipe-perform ko po. So, sariling angat. So, magsha-shine ka po sa sarili mo. So, talagang natutuwa po ako kasi nagagawa ko po siya.“
At the moment, Prince is expecting his second single to come around soon.
Prince’s music career is handled by ABS-CBN’s Star Music while his career is being managed by Artist Circle headed by Rams David.
READ ALSO: Former Dream Chaser Prince Keino Navigates P-Pop Scene As A Young Soloist
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