LOOK: Ylona Garcia leads ‘Lupang Hinirang’ for LA Dodgers’ Filipino Heritage Night 

MANILA, Philippines – Filipina-Australian singer Ylona Garcia expressed her Pinoy pride as she led the singing of the Philippine National Anthem in front of the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Oakland Athletics crowd on Wednesday, August 2. 

The baseball game also marked the Dodgers’ annual Filipino Heritage Night, with Filipino rapper EZ Mil throwing the ceremonial first pitch.

In an Instagram post on Sunday, August 13, the 21-year-old singer gushed about the exciting yet nerve-wracking experience. 

“Medyo kabado ako nung una na kantahin ito, dahil hindi ito ang sarili kong kanta. Pero kahit na ganumpaman, ito ang kanta na nag-rerepresenta sa aking sarili at sa aking bansa (I was nervous singing it at first, since this isn’t a song of mine. Nevertheless, this is the song that represents my identity and my country).” 

“Sinigurado ko na nasa tamang tono, tamang oras, at higit sa lahat, galing sa aking puso ang pagkanta ko nito (I made sure that I was in the right tune, on the right timing, and most of all, that my singing came from the heart),” she added.

Garcia ended her caption with a sweet message to all Filipinos: “Sana’y napasaya at napahanga ko kayo, mga kababayan. Sana ay proud kayo, Pilipinas (I hope I made you happy and impressed, my fellow Filipinos! I hope I made you proud, Pilipinas)!”

Garcia first shot to fame as the teen runner-up of the Filipino reality show Pinoy Big Brother: 737. She is now making strides in the international scene as a singer-songwriter, releasing songs under music collective 88Rising such as “All That,” “Vibin,” and “Don’t Go Changing.”

She has also collaborated with Riot Games, the company behind Valorant, for her song “Entertain Me.” – Rappler.com