Keeping up with a Magalona
here ya go! (nahiya naman ako dun sa nagrequest.hehe)
from Garage Magazine’s Young Talents Issue 2012 (writer: Leo Marvin Balante)
To say that Elmo Magalona’s road to fame looks promising is an understatement. And why not? Magalona hails from a rich lineage of showbiz giants, with 1940s stars Pancho Magalona and Tita Duran for grandparents, and the late Master Rapper himself for a father; many say that his surname is his passport to success.
Many also call it “oligarchy in showbiz”: fathers and daughters starring in the same film, brothers and sisters performing together on television screens. In a society that both glorifies and undermines showbiz clans, identifying who’s noteworthy and who’s a fluke is never an easy feat.
Magalona admits there’s pressure in being under scrutiny, but the 17-year-old, passion has seen him through so far. He is no longer just Francis M’s son, that boy in braces rapping with his Papa in Eat Bulaga (father’s day). Nor is he that baby in diapersstarring in a noodle commercial with his dad. A rapper, dancer, actor and product endorser, the younger Magalona is making his mark in the industry, one successful project at a time.
“I know that my career still has something to do with my dad but I’m really glad that people are starting to appreciate my individuality, the things that i enjoy doing. Now, I am trying to make my own name and my own mark,” he shares.
With 13 commercials already under his belt even before his major break into local entertainment scene, Magalona shows no sign of turning back. Now, he has become one of the biggest draws for young female viewers on Party Pilipinas, GMA 7’s Sunday noontime variety show.
While PP served as his entry point to showbiz, he owes a huge part of his success to his experience with school plays at the Montessori Integrated School, and to a supportive sister, Unna, who scored him auditions and saw him land roles for Tanghalang Ateneo, a theater organization at the Ateneo de Manila University. This kind of exposure to the performing arts prepared Magalona for roles int television shows: Pilyang Kerubin (2009), Bantatay (2010) and Daldalita (2011). He also starred in a GMA Films production, Tween Academy: Class of 2012, a film that featured GMA’s roster of young talents. “It’s not really that hard to adjust to this kind of lifestyle because ever since, I have been performing. And i feel blessed that I get to call the thing I love doing as my job. Not everyone gets that luxury.” Magalona sees the industry, populated s it is with other young talents, as a continuous learning process. “I know I am not at my best right now, but in time, I know I can be better.”
That might already be true. In 2011 alone, Magalona was cited as Best Teen Male Performer at the Awit Awards and by Guillermo Mendoza Foundation Awards as the Most Promising Love Team of 2010 with the fellow Party Pilipinas regular, Julie Anne San Jose. He was also nominated for his breakthrough performance in various roles by the Golden Screen TV Awards and the PMPC Awards.
For his Garage cover shoot at the Pacquiao Suite of the Midas Hotel in Manila, Magalona dances around, takes Instagram photos, checks his Twitter feed, exchanges mobile phone games comments with fellow Garage cover boy Sam Concepcion, and cordially offers snacks to others—a shy but friendly and happy teenager.
“I am not the most ‘makulit’ at home yet” he says. “But you know, everyone in our family just loves to laugh and I enjoy every minute I spend with them. It’s something that my father taught us to value, actually.” On a regular day, Magalona enjoys video games at home (NBA or Final Fantasy) and takes photographs, just like his father who was a Camera Club of the Philippines official member.
When asked about his style, he describes his wardrobe selection as urban classy. “It really depends on what I would like to look like that day. I like having the freedom to wear what I want: if i want to look preppy, then I wear chinos ans classic shirt. If I feel like looking laid-back and cool the next day,i wear shorts and sneakers. I don’t like looking like someone who’s just riding the trends; I’d rather be the one setting them.” Magalona also mixes and matches items from brands he supports such as Zara, F&H, Vans, Nike and of course FMCC.
By the time this story goes to print, Magalona would have heard about the results of his college application; he hopes to start working on getting on college degree while juggling work. 2012 already looks packed for him, with projects with San Jose and the release of his first and homemade album already in the works. His preview track “3 Stars and the Son”, a play on his father’s hit “3 Stars and a Sun”, was released last 11-11-11 and it trended for four consecutive days on twitter, something that the young artist really takes pride in.
“It gets me going when I have work, and for some reason, I like the pressure because it pushes me. I still call myself lucky for being able to do what I do. I guess the real achievement here is being able to do so much for the industry, and that is something I cherish.”
- o ayan ha..hehe it gets him going daw pag may work..when he’s working with Julie Anne..chos lang.hihi pero parang ganun na din yon diba??charot.hehe :)
