Showbiz sure has changed, according to actress Aiko Melendez, who started as a child star and later on became successful as a teen and then adult actress. Bernie Franco of Pep.ph asked Aiko to share what she thinks has changed in the industry, specifically with the artistas, and she said that in terms of popularity, “yung mga artista, parang ang bilis nilang sumikat pero di nila ma-maintain ng matagal. Yung stability, hindi ganun kahaba.”
She added, “Mas maraming mayayabang na bata ngayon na artista kesa nung panahon namin.” Aiko explained that during their era, the culture was that the bigger the star is, the more humble they are. According to Aiko, newbies nowadays feel like “they’ve made their own mark in this industry” right after being given a show.
So what went “wrong” with today’s generation of stars?
Aiko thinks it’s because fame is so accessible to everyone now. “Siguro kulang sila dun sa naghirap para sa fame, para sa stardom. Kasi nung time namin, dumaan kami sa pagiging extra, dumaan kami sa proseso. Dumaan kami na di namin kinakailangang sumali sa reality show para sumikat. We had to do everything from scratch kay vina-value namin yung stardom na na-achieve namin, kasi pinaghirapan talaga namin.”
