YouTube FanFest is back in the Philippines for its second year! CelebMix first brought you our exclusive coverage for the YouTube FanFest Manila Press Conference. Now, we bring you the coverage for the live show.
Filipino dancer, actor, musician, host, percussionist, drummer, choreographer, producer, filmmaker and commercial model Gab Valenciano kicked off the show with possibly the most lively and exciting performance we have ever seen in our lives. He came in on stage via a motorcycle which was both unique and thrilling. It was immediately followed by a dance number that would make you want to jump up to your feet and dance to the rhythm.
It seemed like a normal dance performance until Gab and his dancers stripped off their over coats to reveal bright and colourful neon workout outfits. It added a dash of comic relief and a whole lot of fun to the whole performance and turned it into a perfect opening for the night.
Californian singer-songwriter, AJ Rafael was up next with a very romantic performance of his two songs: “Emma Watson” and “We Could Happen” which made the fans swoon. These two songs seems like crowd favourites since everybody was singing along with smiles on their faces.
We found it adorable everytime AJ had to keep himself from laughing, not to mention his reaction when the crowd started to sing along to “We Could Happen”. It was heartwarming and it made the fans be even more proud of him.
Next on the line-up is, Tanner Patrick. He is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer from Dallas. He performed “Merry Go Round” and “Satellites”. Aside from his sweet voice, Tanner has an equally sweet personality. He kept on asking how the crowd was and he also kept on making remarks about how beautiful the Philippines was. We were almost swept off our feet with his sweet serenade.
After being serenaded by Tanner Patrick, it was Wengie’s time to shine. This Chinese-Australian lifestyle influencer who is focused on bridging the cultural gap in beauty and lifestyle became a backstage correspondent and interviewed Gab Valenciano and Aj Rafael who were the ones to open the whole show.
She asked the pair about their experience on the meet-and-greet session that happened before the show. Gab described the M&Gs as “the most sincere thing” that he has ever experienced due to all the things that the fans did in order to meet them and also because he can the happiness in the eyes of their fans during the M&G session. Gab was also asked about his choreographing experience for Beyonce and whether or not he met Queen Bey, herself. Sadly, he didn’t get the chance to meet Beyonce but he described the whole process as both “tough” and “exciting”.
Lastly, Aj Rafael was asked about the difference between the crowd’s energy in this year’s FanFest compared to last year and also about his favourite thing in the Philippines. The singer-songwriter said that the crowd was definitely louder and crazier this year compared to the last. “There’s so much more people and the energy is just out of this world.” he said, “I love the people, I love hanging out with my friends like Gab over here. I love the food too! I love sinigang (a Filipino soup or stew characterized by its sour and savoury taste most often associated with tamarind)!”
After, the mini-interview courtesy of Wengie, the next creator to perform was introduced.
It’s now time for the “Ambassador of Filipinos on the Internet” to shine like a star!
Mikey Bustos quite literally did shine like a star in his performance. This Canadian-born Filipino singer-songwriter, performer, comedian, actor, video maker and online personality performed three of his songs: “Sanggol the Pig”, “One Song at a Time” and the “Pinoy Courting Song”. Two of these he performed wearing a sparkly Filipino themed suit and the last one he performed as Super Pinoy Boy. Mikey’s performance is honestly one of the most entertaining performances of the night and it’s all because of his songs, his dance moves and his costumes.
Next on the line-up is the man that everyone was waiting for: Connor Franta!
Connor played a game on-stage to test his fans’ knowledge about him. Mikey served as the impromtu game show host, adding a very comedic touch to the whole segment. Aside from the “How Well Do You Know Connor Franta?” game, in which his fans answered EVERY question correctly, Connor also played a mini-game called “How Well Does Connor Franta Know The Philippines?”. He was not as stellar on this game as his fans were in the previous game but maybe that’s because the crowd kept on shouting the wrong answer instead of helping him. It was both funny and really entertaining.
Next up is a girl that could audition for the title of “America’s Sweetheart” and have a great chance of winning the said title, Tiffany Alvord! Tiffany started posting covers and original songs on YouTube in 2008, when she was just a 15-year-old. Since then, she has developed into a beautiful woman and has become more talented than ever.
Tiffany is hailed as one of YouTube’s First Homegrown celebrities and is among the Top 50 Most Subscribed Music Channels. During the live show, she performed two songs: “Tightrope” and “Baby I Love You”. The audio in the video above does not give justice to Tiffany’s very amazing voice. She is not only talented but also very adorable on stage. It’s obvious that she loves her fans very much with the way she acts on stage. Tiffany Alvord will definitely warm your heart and put a smile on your face.
Wengie had another turn with the spotlight, still as a backstage correspondent. This time, she interviewed Alex Wassabi, another man that everybody has been waiting for.
Alex was asked about what he’s feeling about his upcoming segment. This Filipino-American YouTube creator admitted that he was nervous about his segment. He also asked the fans to scream “wassabi” since he could hear them scream from all the way backstage.
After the mini-interview session, Wengie introduced the next creator to appear on-stage and it’s the “Face That Launched a Thousand Memes”, Lloyd Cafe Cadena!
Lloyd did a “Itanong Mo” live, or a question and answer segment featuring TIffany Alvord and Tanner Patrick. He asked Tiffany and Tanner about when they first realized that music was their first love, in which the pair answered with the following:
Tiffany: “I’d have to say in 4th grade I realized music was my first love. That’s when I first really developed a passion for writing songs. Me and my friends at recess… I was making my friends write songs with me ’cause that was always the funnest.”
Tanner: “I first realized music was my love when I was about 4-years-old. I started playing the piano and I just found love with music and I’ve been playing ever since.”
A couple of other questions were also asked to the pair like “what was the feeling of hitting a million views for the first time?”
After that, Wengie joined the fiasco making the crowd scream.
Lloyd asked Wengie about her personal style and about the inspiration for the outfit that she wore that night, in which she replied with: “I just like anything that’s comfortable with a bit of a twist. Just be comfortable because when you’re comfortable you feel happy or confident and that’s what is beautiful.”
She probably the cutest thing on-stage because she kept on waving to the fans and saying endearing things like: “You’re so cute”.
We actually had the chance to meet Wengie after the Press Conference and it was probably the best moment ever because she’s so cute, sweet and down-to-earth.
Next up is the group of men with voices from heaven, the Filharmonic!
(Aside from being featured in NBC’s hit musical competition, The Sing-Off, this 6-piece vocal group also appeared in Pitch Perfect 2 as the representatives of the Philippines for the world competitions.)
This group’s performance was amazing. The first song was very mellow but with a slight sensual touch due to the way the boys of this group move and sway to the beat of the song. The group also debuted their version of the Nescafe song that night. You can watch their whole performance in the video above. They also performed a very lively version of “Get Up and Go” that will make you want to dance despite being in a similar situation as sardines packed in a can in the FanFest. The Filharmonic’s performance certainly made the night a little bit brighter and a lot more happier.
The next segment is probably the most intense segment of the night.
It features Alex Wassabi and his brother, Aaron.
Instead of doing a special number like singing or dancing, the brothers did a series of truths and dares with the dares getting more difficult at each turn.
And for the most intense dare of the night, the hosts made Alex and Aaron eat balut (a developing bird embryo that is boiled and eaten from the shell) without using their hands. Aaron took the whole thing into his mouth while Alex struggled. Both brothers, however, failed to eat the whole thing. It was a funny thing to watch since Alex kept on screaming at the dead bird fetus that he saw after removing the shell. Eating balut wasn’t the last dare of the night, though. The hosts made the Wassabi brothers make a cup of coffee while gyrating their hips to prevent the hulla-hoop from falling to the floor. It was a difficult dare but it seems like it’s favorable to the brothers compared to eating a dead bird fetus.
Next up on the line-up is Pinoy HipHop’s YouTube Prince, Abra!
This Filipino rapper, battle mc and songwriter performed three songs: “Bolang Kristal” (Crystal Ball), “Diwata” (Fairy) and “Cerberus”. The way that he was rapping the lyrics will make you wish that you knew every word to each song. His performance was lively and intense, just enough to make the crowd re-energize as the end of the night approaches.
After Pinoy HipHop’s YouTube Prince, we have the Explorer from Down Under (Davao), Bogart the Explorer.
Bogart made all of the previous YouTube creators come back on stage and play a game that is a cross between charades and Heads Up!. They were divided into two groups: Team #1 (Gab Valenciano, Mikey Bustos, Niko del Rey, VJ Rosales, Joe Caigoy, Tanner Patrick, Lloyd Cadena and Tiffany Alvord) and Team #2 (Connor Franta, AJ Rafael, Wengie, Trace Gaynor, Barry Fortgang, Jules Cruz and Alex Wassabi). Each them gets a minute to guess the most number of words. Both teams tied and so a tie-breaker was required.
In the tie-breaker, Team#2 won against Team#1, guessing three words compared to Team#1’s two. As a consequence, the losing team gets to eat the lovely BALUT.
And last but definitely not the least, to give out a performance that will perfectly end the night: Tyler Ward!
This amazing and admirable singer, songwriter and producer gave out the liveliest performance that we have ever seen. He performed his songs: “Latin Percussion”, “Without You” and “Hoopty Hoop”. Each song was performed flawlessly and in a very lively way. Tyler’s energy was so contagious that you can’t help but jump and dance to the rhythm or at least belt out the song along with Tyler. The highlight of his performance is definitely “Hoopty Hoop”.
The rhythm, the beat and the lyrics of the song are just so heartwarming that it will make you smile a true smile. Not to mention, Tyler also taught the audience a little dance to do during the interlude of the song. And because it was the last performance of the night, all the other YouTube creators went back on-stage as well to say their temporary goodbyes and “see you soon”s to their Filipino fans because, of course, they will be back.
All in all, the whole day was a blast. From the YouTube FanFest Press Conference to the Live Show in the evening!
We cannot wait for the next YouTube FanFest!
Are you excited for the next one? Tell us what you think in the comments below or tweet us @CelebMix! You can also share with us your #YTFFManila moments!