KC Concepcion is privileged.
People are inclined to think so, what with her pedigree, her educational background in Corporate Communications from the American University of Paris (also the Alma Mater of the future heir to the Monegasque throne Andrea Casiraghi) and her demeanor that seems "it's easy for her to get what she wants."
But things have not always been that smooth and easy for the daughter of top actor Gabby Concepcion and Megastar Sharon Cuneta.
As a kid, she grew up before the public eye. The entire country knew about her parents' separation.
In an interview during the launch of Palmolive's Go Natural campaign at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati City, KC told the press: "Probably, the hardest part was my growing up...Naturally, you wish for your parents to be spending more time together if they've broken up..."
In college, she lived independently in her modest apartment in Paris, where she commuted and even did her own laundry.
And then, entering showbiz officially in 2008 she was constantly dubbed the "Megadaughter."
Pinoys hardly remember that when she auditioned for the musical The Little Mermaid in 2003, she came unannounced and unobtrusively.
We also don't seem to notice that she's been working so hard because, aside from getting away from the shadow of her famous mom, KC's bigger challenge is "to be appreciated."
She said almost wistfully, "I would appreciate if people would appreciate [me] in the real sense. I never demand respect, I don't demand it...But I do feel bad when I feel slightly disrespected. But I won't demand [respect]. I won't demand that people appreciate the work, but I do feel bad when I feel the people are focusing on something else [other] than the work. So I wouldn't demand it. But I do notice."
Her ongoing show in ABS-CBN, Simply KC, brings out her natural side. "We go through real life situations and it really grounds me. It goes back to the basics, to what's simple and real," she said.
There's really more to this lady than meets the eye.
Spot.ph listed down "Ten things you may not know" about KC. Now PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) gives you Ten things worth knowing about the singer-actress-host-endorser.
1. "Being an authentic person in showbiz, for me, subjectively, grounds me."
Her course in college taught her much about image engineering. She said it would only take a good publicity plan—such as "copying somebody or creating an image that you're more expensive or classy"—to change the public's perception about a celebrity.
She explained, "There's a fine line between personal and professional in this work. And one thing that broke my heart last year was the realization that it's so easy for companies to replicate it for business. It's like we're products...In the end, it's somebody you may not be. So I always, right now, I'm more protective over what's real for me because that's what makes me, that's something that I will carry for the rest of my life in or out of showbiz.
"And it reflects on all the things that I do, you know, with my album, everything from the look of the album to the show that I have now to the topics that we talk about too."
KC assures her fans that nothing is fake about what they see on TV, what they read online or in print, what they hear about her. "Everything is a reflection of what's real about me, my personality—that's hard to replicate," she added.
2. She doesn't jeer at fake beauties but..."i-value mo pa rin yung pagkatao mo."
When she was a kid, she broke her nose. "Mali yung dive ko in one swimming competition. Pak! Kasi ibang pool, e, so parang mas shallow pala...Kaya kita mo yung bali?" she related.
But she chose not to have it fixed. "Natakot ako ipaayos kasi baka maiba yung itsura ko," she reasoned.
Generally speaking, she doesn't have anything against cosmetic surgery.
"Hindi naman ako magiging plastic and sasabihin kong you can buy a good nose or you can buy beauty these days. I don't mind that as long as they still give value sa kung anong klaseng tao sila," KC explained.
Aside from totally forgetting the natural concept of beauty, KC also says no-no to getting obsessed with enhancing how a person looks. She resumed, "Tingin nila dahil maganda sila, hindi na nila kailangan makisama or hindi na nila iva-value yung mga bagay that really matter, di ba?"
Beauty, according to KC, is also a mindset. "Ang dali-daling magpagawa ng ilong, ang dali-daling maglagay ng whatever gusto mong gawin sa katawan mo. But minsan kahit sobrang gandang tingnan, hindi pa rin ako nagagandahan kasi, kulang. Yung puso pa rin is what would matter most sa akin."
3. "Emotions are beautiful."
Another thing that she doesn't want to fake are her emotions. She's generally nice, but just like ordinary people, when she's upset or hurt, "people would see me break the niceness and I won't do that for show," the Kapamilya star said.
When she was younger, she recalled, "Lumaki ako na maraming tanong, di ba, and puwede naman akong maging ano [rebelde]...I learned to control that emotion."
But in this business, she learned early on that the way to please people is not to try so hard to please them.
"Puwedeng sabihin [na] suplada, malaki ang ulo, mayabang or whatever the adjectives that come up to [describe] a celebrity or work here. It's fulfilling when you become open...I allow myself to feel things. I don't try to control it. I really believe that a woman who feels things is beautiful."
4. Inherently, "hindi ako talakera."
There's a caveatto "being real" with her emotions.
If one day, KC finds herself embroiled in a controversy, she's not the type who would react drastically.
"Hindi ako yung tipong papatol, alam mo yun, yung papatol ng ganun...Actually, silent and deadly nga yung pamilya namin. Sabi nila, inaano ka na, hindi mo pa alam."
And she will be on 'protective mode" only when "pamilya mo na yung inaaway."
5. Speaking of family, she dreads working with her mom.
For her latest project, the film I'll Be There, she admitted finding it difficult to act in front of her dad.
How about having a scene with her mom?
"Worst, mas malala pa," she quickly replied. "E, siya yung nagpalaki sa akin, e, 'tapos aarte ako? Parang mas naging madali pa nga na hindi kami nagkita ni Papa, e, kasi at least kahit papaano puwede pang may wall, di ba."
Then with a laugh, she added, "Try mo sa mommy mo, umarte kayong dalawa, mas malala pa yun! 'Tapos babae pa kami pareho, 'tapos iniwan kami ng lalaki, parehong lalaki—si Papa!"
But is the project with the Megastar happening soon?
A pause, before answering, "I don't think this year pa naman."
6. At one point in her life, "parang nag-rebelde ako."
But before people jump to conclusions, she stressed that it was just out of curiosity.
"Hindi dahil sa kung ano, pero halos lahat naman dumadaan sa stage na ganun. Curious ka lang gawin ang mga ganitong bagay, that's just about it...," she said.
7. KC is very candid. Whatever comes to her mind, she tends to blurt them out.
She made the press and media people laugh when she said, "Hinahanap-hanap ko yung amoy ng basement. Di ba, nakaka-addict yung...there's something about gas, parang nakaka-addict! Hindi naman siya mabango, pero nakaka-addict 'to, a."
The former screen partner of Piolo Pascual wasn't shy either in admitting that from time to time, "I have split-ends."
She told PEP, "Sa work kasi, teleserye pa lang, ginagawa ko plantsa, kulot, blower, tuyo, basa... may wet scene, may running in the rain...." And her quick remedy: Regular trim and Palmolive.
8. Showbiz used to be the farthest thing from her mind.
She initially became visible via commercials, and also as a VJ. KC said she didn't imagine making it her profession until one day, offers started coming her way.
"Medyo marami nang nangyayari at dun ako parang...Bigla na lang, sabi ko, 'Sandali kailangan ko ng manager.'"
9. She has tried performing, acting, hosting, but singing is when she's in her element.
Music, she says, is her outlet to write down her thoughts, share her emotions, and show her naturally artistic side.
Smiling, she recounted how one of her compositions unconsciously preempted her desire to host a show.
"Yung song nga na sinulat ko, first song I wrote [after] five years. I mean, five years akong nag-stop mag-sulat...Nung nakapagsulat ako ulit, sobrang weird kasi sa dinami-dami ng themes, naging 'Magandang Umaga, usap tayo/ Walang pumipigil sa atin, usap tayo/ Kaibigan natin yung simoy ng hangin, usap tayo/ Kahit medyo dumilim, usap tayo/ Kung ano man ang trip mo, pag-usapan natin....' Parang yun yung unang nasulat kong kanta, 'tapos nagkaroon ako ng talk show, and months and months and months later pa, yun yung ginamit nilang theme song!"
10. "It's hard to say, 'I want to be known as this...'"
So far, she has done three movies, two albums, a TV series, and is presently hosting Simply KC and co-hosting The Buzz. She has been enjoying her time in showbiz immensely. At the same time, she's always on her toes.
"That's why may multimedia, magkakasama lahat, e...Hindi ko masabi kung saan ang direksiyon. Basta, I give my best in every thing I do. I don't plan things either. I'm really more on wait for the things to unfold."
And naturally, she's bound to get the appreciation she wants, not because she's privileged but simply because KC deserves it.