Jan Angelo Batongbakal

Denise Julia claps back at critics of ‘Speechless’ performance video: ‘I was born and raised in Tondo’

Article (news)

Peter Andrew Acierto

Push Team

<p>Singer-songwriter Denise Julia didn’t mince her words as she answered the criticisms coming from netizens following the release of her Speechless performance video. On her X (formerly Twitter) account, she maintained that she was &quot;born and raised&quot; in Tondo, which was why the performance video was set in the area.</p><div> </div><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:550px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X21peGVkX21lZGlhXzE1ODk3Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRyZWF0bWVudCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3Nob3dfYmlyZHdhdGNoX3Bpdm90c19lbmFibGVkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19kdXBsaWNhdGVfc2NyaWJlc190b19zZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdXNlX3Byb2ZpbGVfaW1hZ2Vfc2hhcGVfZW5hYmxlZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdmlkZW9faGxzX2R5bmFtaWNfbWFuaWZlc3RzXzE1MDgyIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRydWVfYml0cmF0ZSIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbGVnYWN5X3RpbWVsaW5lX3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9mcm9udGVuZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=2081595316894110062&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com%2F%23%2Fworkspace%2Fmonitoring%3Fitem%3Durn%3Anewsml%3Aod2-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com%3A2026-07-28T05%3A09%3A50.907212%3A43a1d0c4-b981-40cf-9f52-45676562a99e%26action%3Dedit&amp;sessionId=80a89c37b6a0fd364c599e904fef0a358e178640&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px" style="position:static;visibility:visible;width:550px;height:370px;display:block;flex-grow:1" data-tweet-id="2081595316894110062"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8"></script><div><br/></div><p>Netizens accused her of showing an “inauthentic” version of Tondo in the performance video, comments which she quickly shut down.</p><div><br/></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/2023/11/17/denise-julia-successfully-releases-her-debut-album-2203" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>READ: Denise Julia releases debut album<br/></strong></a></div><div><br/></div><p>“Exactly why we did it this way, keyfang. To show that we exist. The streets don’t always have to be the dirty or ragged parts of it,” Denise expressed.</p><p>The singer-songwriter maintained how tired she is of Tondo being painted in the usual way and not how she showed it in the performance video. She asserted that there are people who share her aesthetics and live in Tondo. </p><div><br/></div><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:550px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-1&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=2080432498740207708&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com%2F%23%2Fworkspace%2Fmonitoring%3Fitem%3Durn%3Anewsml%3Aod2-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com%3A2026-07-28T05%3A09%3A50.907212%3A43a1d0c4-b981-40cf-9f52-45676562a99e%26action%3Dedit&amp;sessionId=80a89c37b6a0fd364c599e904fef0a358e178640&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px" style="position:static;visibility:visible;width:550px;height:529px;display:block;flex-grow:1" data-tweet-id="2080432498740207708"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8"></script><div><br/></div><p>“I&#x27;m tired of it being the main aesthetic we &#x27;should always&#x27; present kasi paano yung mga tita na lumipad at this age papuntang Japan na naka-y2k designer na may blue eyeshadow… mga newly hired na pupunta ng dv para bumili ng class A… all the kikay girls like me!!!! always have always been. both exist. Filipinos are one of the most diverse people. And yes, baddies exist in Tondo,” she clarified.</p><p>In another post, Denise maintained that she is proud to come from Tondo and happy to represent the country in an international setting</p><div><br/></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/music/2026/5/13/denise-julia-officially-signs-under-us-record-label-empire-0944" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>READ: Denise Julia officially signs under US record label EMPIRE: &#x27;Filipino artistry deserves space on the global stage&#x27;<br/></strong></a></div><div><br/></div><p>“What exactly are people from Tondo only supposed to look and sound like for them to be believable? The idea that someone cannot carry themself a certain way, or go to certain schools or dream beyond where she grew up, I believe, is quite classist,” she said.</p><p>“At the end of the day, I will always represent where I come from because I know what it took for a girl from Tondo to accomplish the things she once thought were impossible,” she maintained. </p><p>“If you get it, you get it. If you don’t, that’s okay too,” she ended.</p><p>Denise recently signed with EMPIRE, a US-based independent record label and distribution company. She has also released her latest EP,<em> Love Again</em>, which includes &quot;Speechless.&quot;</p>

<p>Denise Julia responds to the hate comments. </p>

Denise Julia responds to the hate comments.