The showbiz industry in the Philippines is mostly concentrated in Manila, with many of its talents coming from Metro Manila cities. Not known to many is that Visayas has produced several great talents, too — especially for the younger crowd.

Young, unique, and talented — these are the qualities that Gen Z celebrities represent now. From singers, actors, to multi-talented stars, Visayas surely has representatives.

Hailing from different parts of the Visayan Islands, meet the 6 Gen Z celebrities who have Bisaya roots:

1. Kyle Echarri

While born in California, Echarri’s family actually moved to Cebu back in 2014. His showbiz work is centered in Metro Manila, but he comes back to Cebu every once in a while for a vacation. He even shared some clips of him in Cebu on his Instagram and YouTube accounts!

Echarri debuted as a singer, but later went on to explore acting and theater roles. He recently surprised fans by posting snaps from his beach trip with fellow actors Daniel Padilla, Joshua Garcia, Zanjoe Marudo, and Yubs Azarcon — a friendship mix that surprised Pinoys.

2. Seth Fedelin

While Fedelin and his family are currently residing in Dasmariñas Cavite, he actually has roots from Romblon. His parents are natives of Romblon and they speak Bisaya. He goes home to his hometown once in a while. When lucky, Bisaya fans even get a greeting from him in Bisaya sometimes! Surely, Fedelin is a Bisaya through and through.

3. Janella Salvador

Born in Cebu, Salvador is the love child of West End musical actress Jenine Desiderio and award-winning songwriter Juan Miguel Salvador. Coming from a family full of celebrities, she is known to be related to actors Phillip Salvador and Maja Salvador.

Multi-talented at best, she is great at singing and acting — but now, she’s also great at being a new mom. She recently gave birth to her baby with actor Markus Paterson.

4. Bailey May

Remember the Filipino-British teen who gained fame for his Sean Kingston and Daniel Padilla covers? Well, Bailey May is actually from Cebu. He garnered more attention from Pinoys when he joined Pinoy Big Brother: 737 (PBB 737) and finished as the 4th Teen Big Placer.

May was born in Cebu from his Cebuana mother and British father. While he isn’t as active now in Philippine showbiz, he is currently a member of global pop group Now United, as the only Filipino representative.

5. Vivoree Esclito

Another gem from PBB is none other than Vivoree Esclito, who is more known for her roles in the online series Hello Stranger (2020) and He’s Into Her (2021). Esclito is born from Loon, Bohol in Central Visayas. As a loud and proud Bisaya, she recently helped raise funds for Typhoon Odette victims in her hometown, Bohol via YouTube.

6. Janine Berdin

As a singer, Janine Berdin is unique and talented. A proud Cebuana, she rose to fame when she finished as the Season 2 Grand Champion of Tawag ng Tanghalan, an amateur singing competition. She was dubbed as the “Cadets My Girl ng Cebu” back then. Now, she is flourishing in her singing and songwriting career.

In retrospect, Bisaya Gen Zs in Philippine showbiz is currently dominated by Cebuanos — and who knows, there might just be another incoming star from the hidden places in Visayas. It will not matter at the end of the day, though, because these loud and proud Bisayas will continue to shine and represent the islands of the beautiful Visayas.

Photo Credit: https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ34ZW1pzuu/, https://www.instagram.com/p/ChedVqIurHn/, https://www.instagram.com/p/CcuX8wHJad3/, https://www.instagram.com/p/Cg1V-COLOY2/, https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb6Vg-qvIu4/, https://www.instagram.com/p/CdDQIcpvhuK/