Filipino talent makes it big in the Korean Pop scene, as Filipino-American teen Kriesha Tiu makes it to the grand finals of KPOP Star 6. Kriesha advanced to the final live show as part of newly formed trio KWIN. Two other Korean teens, Kim Sohee and Kim Hyerim are part of KWIN.
The trio claimed first place in the March 26 episode of the competition, with their energetic performance of Swing Baby. The song’s composer, JYP, was also one of the judges. He called Kriesha “the ace” in the performance. In the April 2 episode, they came in at second place.
Kriesha Tiu, A.K.A. Chrisha Choo
According to a report in Koreaboo, Kriesha earned so much praise for her performance. No less than music producer JYP said, “Chrisha Choo perfectly captured the feeling of the swing dance and song. This is beyond anything I could have imagined. Her volume and tone was so refreshing, I could tell she has singing skills. Chrisha Choo was the ace.”
Kriesha uses the stage name Chrisha Choo on the KPOP stage. She however is not Korean but is a Filipino. She grew up in San Francisco and went to Korea to pursue a career in KPOP.
She joined the competition late last year. Her audition video went viral after it was posted on Facebook. The judges were impressed mainly with her dancing skills as well as her language skills. According to Kriesha, she intentionally studied the Korean language.
KWIN For The Win
KWIN took second place during the April 2 episode of the competition, with their rendition of the Spice Girls Wannabe. They beat other contestants such as singer Shannon Williams and boy group Min A Lee.
For the finals, the trio will take on Boyfriend, a group of two young Korean boys. Boyfriend got the highest score of 100 in the last episode for their performance of Let’s Get It Started. The finals is slated on April 9.