Alodia Gosiengfiao: J-Pop star

MANILA, Philippines – After being hailed as the country’s “Cosplay Queen,” bagging numerous endorsement deals, starring in films and hosting TV shows, Alodia Gosiengfiao is set to conquer another realm: the music industry.

The 24-year-old Pinay will lead a pop girl group in Japan called Super Dolls. The other members of the group are two popular Japanese cosplayers, Fujaara and RiE. The trio first got to know each other during the Big Show in 2012, the biggest cosplay event in the world held in Tokyo, Japan.

Alodia was handpicked by a Japanese music producer while she was judging a cosplay competition in Singapore.

She has already finished recording their debut album in Japan for which she had to learn to speak Nihongo. But she has also recorded English versions of the songs.

The doll-faced chinita says J-Pop was already a part of her life even before the recording deal.

In an interview with ABS-CBNNews.com, she said, “Actually, I sing in secret (laughs). I sing mostly Japanese songs at home or sometimes in events but kasi (because) mostly here in the Philippines, [it’s] mostly birit (belting out). It’s hard to compete with that.”

With her colorful outfits and passion for cosplay (short for “costume play”), a lifestyle which has many followers in Japan, it’s almost certain that Alodia will appeal to a Japanese audience.

But this is also an opportunity to showcase Filipino talent to a foreign audience.

“It’s a great honor but sobrang napre-pressure ako kasi syempre (I’m feeling a lot of pressure because of course) we have a lot of talented singers and talented artists here in the Philippines,” she said.

The Super Dolls album will be launched on April 3 in Tokyo, Japan. It will be available on iTunes and Amazon on the same day. – With reports by Pia Ranada/Rappler.com