Kaymira ang pagbigkas sa pangalan ng Chinese actress-singer na si Qymira.
“Sorry it’s a little bit complicated,” umpisang saad ng lead female star ng pelikulang Shadow Transit.
“I’ve always been very fascinated by Greek mythology, Greek stories, ancient stories, and it’s actually the story of a beast.
“The beast is called Chimera and it’s actually an animal that’s got a lion’s head and then snake and goat, so it’s actually three animals in one.
“And so I feel that all of us, all humans are a bit of a Chimera. We are never one thing, we are always, you know, different things at the same time.
“But I think that we should embrace the different sides of us. And especially as an artist in the entertainment industry, [whether for] music or movies or fashion or anything, you’re just basically letting the different sides of you shine.”
Read: Ellen Adarna shows convo with Derek Ramsay's ex-girlfriend
QYMIRA'S LOVE FOR MUSIC
Nagsimula sa entertainment business si Qymira bilang singer.
“I actually started in piano and violin when I was three years old," aniya.
Isang piano teacher ang kanyang ina.
Lahad pa ni Qymira: “And then later on when I went to England... I took up solo singing as a classical soprano at the age of maybe 15.
“And then later on I made the so-called transition into pop music because you use a different way of singing.
"And that was only because by chance I was playing the violin in a Hong Kong coliseum for a pop singer and played the violin. And then a British manager contacted me when I went back to England, and then I did R&B in England.
“And then it just so happened everything went really well and then the songs, you know, were well-received.
"And then I went from there to L.A., and then also to Brazil, and then went back to England as well.
“My world has been in music, but through chance or by opportunity, I was in a couple of movies before and a TV series when I was in L.A."
Ilan sa pelikulang naging parte siya ay sa The Counting House (2007) at Tempting Heart (1999).
Ilan sa R&B songs niya ay ang "Sun and Sea," "Wait For No One," at "Give It To Me."
Read: Sagot ni Louie Heredia kung may dayaan ba sa 74th Miss Universe
QYMIRA ON MOM'S ILLNESS
Hanggang sa natigil si Qymira sa pag-arte nang magkasakit ang ina.
Ang pagkakasakit ng kanyang ina ang pinakamalaking pagsubok na hinarap ni Qymira sa kanyang buhay.
“I have been very lucky in the sense that since I started going into music and then later on in movies, in the movie industry, that I have been given lots of opportunities."
Hanggang sa sinubok daw ng tadhana si Qymira nang magkasakit ang kanyang ina.
“And as I was working hard on these opportunities in L.A., in the U.K., then my mom, who was my best friend, fell very sick in Hong Kong," balik-tanaw pa niya.
Ano ang naging karamdaman ng kanyang ina?
“Actually, first stroke and then cancer. She had lymphoma and because she was my best friend and my mom, I didn't want to leave her to continue with my work.
“So I gave up everything.
"And it was hard because then I went back to Hong Kong to be with my mom and many years to be with her.”
Bunsong anak si Qymira kaya siya ang nag-alaga sa kanyang ina.
“Yes and I was closest to her. I was with her for over a decade and then she passed.”
Sobrang sakit daw para sa kanya ang pagkawala ng ina.
“Because from when I was a kid, mom never really saw me as just a daughter. So we had always been like best friends.
“Whether I was studying in England and my work took me there, and [when I] lived in the U.S., it meant that we were separated for a long time.
“So when she got sick, it was a no-brainer for me to go back."
Read: Derek Ramsay, ano ang reaksiyon sa audio recordings ni Ellen?
ON GIVING UP HER JOB
Aminado si Qymira na hindi madali para sa kanya na isuko ang kanyang trabaho.
"But it also meant that the years of putting in to my work, in my career, meant that it wouldn't be around.
“And as a woman, it's hard to, in a way, give up for such a long period. To then take care of mom. Even though I would have not thought twice to do it, I would do it again.
“But it also meant that you lost your purpose, you felt like you lost yourself."
Mahal daw niya talaga ang kanyang craft bilang actress-singer.
"Especially for example, when you're not a banker, a doctor, an accountant, but when you're in something creative, you invest your soul, your heart, everything in it.
“To then give it up even though she was mom, meant that you felt like, ‘Okay, what's your purpose?’
“You know, everything is like vanished."
Kaya raw ganoon na lang ang saya niya na nakabalik siya sa pagkanta at pag-arte
"So it's a big deal to be able to come back for the music to now do well and now to go back into my first movie since coming back."
Read: Ellen Adarna disputes Derek Ramsay’s "never cursed my wife" claim
ON SHADOW TRANSIT
Marami raw talaga siyang pinagdaanang pagsubok, kaya malaking bagay na nakabalik siya ngayon sa pag-arte at pagkanta.
Malaki ang naitulong ng personal niyang karanasan upang maka-relate si Qymira sa karakter niya bilang si Celeste sa Shadow Transit.
“It's a big, big deal for me that actually got me very emotional when playing Celeste, because she was also dealing with grief. She was also dealing with loss.”
Kaya iniaalay raw niya ang Shadow Transit sa ina niyang si Dora.
Ang Shadow Transit ay hinulma ng Pinoy director na si Pedring Lopez.
Lahad ni Qymira, “So now I am very thankful to Direk Pedring because it’s like homecoming, going back to where or what I love.”
Nagkatrabaho raw sila noong 2024 para sa isang music video na ang director ay si Pedring.
Nagkakilala raw sila sa tulong ni Sonny Sison, isang fight director na nakakatabrahao ni Pedring sa L.A.
Kasunod nito ay nag-pitch si Pedring ng pelikula kay Qymira, ang Shadow Transit, at nagustuhan naman ito ng aktres.
First feature film ni Qymira in a leading role ang Shadow Transit. Unang beses rin na ginamit niya ang screen name na Qymira. Ang tunay niyang pangalan ay Leslie Loh.
Bidang lalaki sa Shadow Transit ang Indonesian-American actor na si Yoshi Sudarso na nagbida sa mga Power Rangers film franchise.
Si Yoshi ay nakasama rin sa pelikulang Bullet Train na pinagbidahan nina Brad Piit, Joey King, at Sandra Bullock noong 2022.
Nasa Shadow Transit rin si KC Montero.
Ang Shadow Transit ay iprinodyus nina Pedring, Sonny, at misis ni Pedring na si Maia Yambao-Lopez.
Ang magkaka-collab na kumpanya ay ang BlackOps Studios Asia Production, ACT3 Studio, at APL Films.
Kasali ang Shadow Transit sa QCinema Selects ng QCinema International Film Festival 2025.
Mapapanood ito ngayong Linggo, November 23, 6 P.M. sa Cinema 18 ng Gateway Mall sa Quezon City,
Read: Resigned Miss Universe 2025 judge: "Miss Mexico is a Fake winner"
HER FAVORITE PINOY PLACES AND FOOD
Bago matapos ang taon ay babalik sa Pilipinas si Qymira at bibisita sa Cebu at Davao na sinalanta rin ng lindol at bagyo kamakailan.
Paborito raw ni Qymira na mga lugar sa Pilipinas ang Cebu, Bohol, Pampanga at Bataan. Napuntahan niya iyon dahil sa kanyang foundation, ang One Gaia, na ang ibig sabihin ay "one world."
Layunin daw nitong tumutulong sa mga batang nangangailangan tulad ng mga person with disability (PWD) sa Mindanao, mga batang may cancer sa Cebu, piling Aeta community, at mga bata sa Bohol na nasalanta ng bagyong Odette.
Pero nahinto raw iyon nang magpandemya.
Kung pagbabakasyon naman ang usapan, paborito raw niya ang Cebu, Boracay, at Palawan.
Ano naman ang paborito niyang Pinoy food?
“Oh my goodness, I have so many,” bulalas ni Qymira. “I have a savory one and a sweet one. So the savory one is chicken adobo.
"Actually, now it's tying with beef tapa... I love tapsilog, and then the dessert is banana cue.”
Hindi pa niya nasubukang kumain ng balut.
“Oh no, I haven't. I'm aware of it. So I'm actually thinking, should I try it? How do I do it? I'm not sure.
"Maybe I will pucker up the courage to do it one time," pagtatapos ni Qymira.