Supreme exclusive: The family that sings together...

There is always chaos expected when you put four different women, each a star in her own right (an understatement), in four different states of life altogether in one room. You would think piles and piles of stuff scattered all around, people rushing to and fro to meet demands and more people fussing around to satisfy each artist’s whims. Well, we had none of that. This shoot was different. There they were in the dressing room, each in her own corner — sitting quietly, almost Zen-like, even, and  without any fanfare. 

Zsa Zsa Padilla, Karylle Tatlonghari, Nicole and Zia Quizon have each carved their own niche in their respective industries. They are born into entertainment royalty, with a gene pool of luminaries from music, acting and even sports industries. Zsa Zsa’s father and Karylle’s grandfather is boxing legend Manny Padilla. Nicole and Zia have the late Comedy King as dad.

The lineage is clear as we all know of Karylle and Zia’s extraordinary vocal gifts. At our Philippine Star Supreme shoot today, I was closely observing Nicole (“Call me Coco”) and sensed such spot on comic timing, something she obviously got from her adpotive father Dolphy. “Do you sing or act, too?” I asked Coco, with the tone of an American Idol judge. “Nope, I’m a brand manager for a chain of retail stores.” She said in such an awkward and humble tone she immediately got my thumbs up. Later on, she would take on different accents and throw punch lines left and right. Charmed, I seriously am.

The singer and actress Karylle will always strike you as shy, but when in front of a camera she is able to transform into a vixen. Equal parts sexy, virginal, animalistic and ready for action. Outside work, Karylle is one of those rare beings whose intelligence quotient — both mental and emotional — are not so easy to find in a world where everybody thinks they’re the sh*t.

Zia is innocent and sweet, a picture of calm and quiet as her other more boisterous siblings take videos and Instagram of each other. I still remember her as the kid with glasses who would be with mom Zsa Zsa in shows and events. And to see her transform into this young lady with a giant but soothing voice is nothing short of magical.

Queen of cool

And of course, there is the source of all this charm and talent, the Divine Diva, otherwise known as Zsa Zsa Padilla, one of those people who have proven to us that there really is a fountain of youth. Her longevity in an industry of short-lived careers is also proof that with the right mix of career breakthroughs plus patience and good ‘ole hard work, you, too, can be immortal. What makes Zsa Zsa Padilla even more endearing is that yes, she knows she’s earned it, yet she is so down-to-earth and approachable. There is no sense of entitlement or a serious need for attention that you feel with other superstars. Zsa Zsa is super chill — Queen of Cool, if you ask me.

While Mau Mauricio snaps away at the ladies, each one of them morphs into different characters. I must say that this is one of the perks of this job — seeing insanely  beautiful (inside and out) and talented human beings show different sides of their person is for me a great bonding experience. Even if we don’t talk much. Watching the Padilla girls is like watching a reality show but without the drama — it was mostly comedy.

I watched as the girls bonded over wigs and played dress-up with their mom, who was more like a sister to them than an actual “mom.” There was Zsa Zsa taking videos of her kids, Karylle teaching Coco how to pose, Coco adjusting Zia’s wig. Stylist Sidney Yap seemed like part of the family as he tried on the wigs as well.

I felt warm and fuzzy inside, like I had been invited to a nice family gathering filled with beaded dresses and colorful wigs. I haven’t directed a shoot for a long time, and it felt good to see a closely-knit family with different circumstances as you and me, yet they make time for each other to ensure that their relationship works. We all know they have been through a lot these past few seasons of their lives, but at least for today, they all looked okay. Happy, in fact, that they have each other.

Outside the shoot, PhilStar Supreme took some time to get to know them better.

(Behind the scenes of music and madness at twitter.com/officialTIMYAP.) 

Zsa Zsa Padilla

Before this shoot, when was the last time you girls were together?

Easter. We all went to lunch, heard Easter Mass then saw The Croods movie. We spent the whole day together as a family.  

How do you differentiate each daughter from the other. 

Karylle is always organizing things for us — even vacations she’s not part of! She has the most energy in our group ‘coz Zia and I are home bodies and she’s always trying to make us leave the house so we could start having a semblance of a social life. In this aspect, Karylle and Coco get along well. Zia and I seem to be always shying away from her invites. This girl is always on the go and we have no idea where she gets all her energy. I think her secret has to do with her naps. I catch her napping even in a corner of the ASAP dressing room. She is the sweetest among my girls.

Coco is very busy at work now and part of her job is socializing so I don’t know when her job ends and her social life begins. She has a knack for remembering names and faces and seems to know everyone! She lived in Melbourne for several years so I think she is adjusting to being back at home. She is creative, smart and a hard worker. We get to have long serious talks whenever we have trips because we’re always roommates. We share the same passion for gadgets and food. 

Zia is my bunso and spent the most time in our home. I am closest to her and we talk about anything and everything. We are both home bodies, but we are travel buddies as well. Together, our lives revolved around Dolphy. That’s why when he passed on, it was difficult for us to go back to our “normal” lives. We share the same passion for music and I’m happy to have played somewhat of a “stage mother” to her. 

I am very proud of my girls. Their individual styles and different personalities make them all unique. 

Karylle

Before this shoot, when was the last time you girls were together?

Easter. We usually work on Sundays so it was nice to have a full Sunday day off together for a change just in the country. Sunday has a wonderful vibe. 

How would you define your relationship with each other?

It’s not a regular family setup and it’s not the most ideal, but we make it work somehow. Unique families go through different things and in my case I had to be open to family healing with the Bethesda Healing Ministry. They’re a Catholic group that holds healing Masses at Christ the King in Quezon City and Greenhills Shopping Center Chapel. They specialize in healing of the family tree and cancer healing. Family tree healing means you have to cut off all the sins from earlier generations kasi totoo naman na ang lahat ay namamana. It’s best na good positive traits lang ang manahin. 

I am the... manang in this family!

How did you deal with this modern family setup? Was it hard for you to be together in the beginning?

In the beginning it was hard because we didn’t grow up together. But as they say, let love be your guide. But the prayers really helped. 

Who is the boy magnet among all of you?

Zia. I don’t think she knows. A lot of people tell me or Yael that they have a crush on Zia especially when she wears her trademark glasses. 

Who is your shoulder to cry on?

The last time I had a major family issue, I ran to Zia and just marveled at her strength and wisdom. She’s really an old soul this one as you may have guessed by the way she sings. 

Who makes you laugh?

Everyone’s a comedian. Mama is somewhat a stand up comedian onstage. Zia is a great impersonator. She does a spot on Lolo Carlos Padilla and also manga who is our grandmother Lola Kating. I also love when she copies her friends or certain characters from tv shows or cartoons in random conversations. Coco naman always knows the latest pauso coz she’s so connected with the world. I also love her #throwbackthursday like joke references!

Who is the champion in videoke?

Mama coz when no one knows the song, she’s not shy to grab the mic. 

How do you settle differences with each other?

I think we ask the others for help.

What was your most memorable moment together as a family?

I like that normal Sunday. I had so much fun. We had buffet lunch, watched a movie, went to church and walked around and ate again. Those are the best moments, I think. 

The theme song of your group. Or songs that define each one of you girls.

Lean on Me. I love the Glee version. It makes me feel good knowing that if anyone needs me I can drop everything and be there for them completely. 

What’s your mantra in life? 

Let love be your guide. Whether it’s a love for your family, the Lord, music or whatever your passion is, if you love with a pure heart you’ll find your way coz the path is lined up with people you love and a radiant light to guide your way. Hihi baduy!

Zia Quizon

I am the… foil/neutral one in this family.

How did you deal with this modern family setup? Was it hard for you to be together in the beginning?

Not really. I always knew that my family setup was a bit different compared to my peers growing up, but I would always remind myself that it is so much more important to be a happy family, which we are. I always felt loved especially since it was such a large and extensive family. 

Who is the boy magnet among all of you?

Probably Ate K. She has a very positive aura I think people are attracted to in general. 

Who is your shoulder to cry on?

My dog Mr Boo. I don’t really like anyone to see me cry. Especially people I love, because I want to be strong for them. Or maybe it’s my latent Quizon/Padilla macho-ness. Hehe! 

Who makes you laugh?

Everyone has their own sense of humor that I love. Ate Nicole is very dry and witty. Mama is very comical and goofy. Ate Karylle naman always brings the conversation to a fun energy.

Who is the champion in videoke?

Ate K — she even has her own videoke bar!

How do you settle differences with each other?

Usapan. Minsan may refereeing ng konti but family should always be able to talk and be honest with each other. 

What was your most memorable moment together as a family?

I would say the hard times we faced in the ICU taking care of my dad. Everyone really pulled together as a family unit and I felt so much closer to each and every one of my family in one way or another.

The theme song of your group. Or songs that define each one of you girls.

Full Time Believer by Robin Thicke.

Best advice given to each other.

Mama — to believe in myself, Ate K — to not be afraid, and Ate Nicole — to be true to myself

Mantra in life.

Breathe. 

Nicole Quizon

Before this shoot, when was the last time you girls were together?

Easter. It was probably the first time we went malling together in Manila. Movie + 2 meals in a single afternoon.

How would you define your relationship with each other?

I’d say pretty eccentric. Different activities with different people, but everyone still gets along well.

I am the… malabo one in this family.

How did you deal with this modern family setup? Was it hard for you to be together in the beginning?

I guess to me weird family setups were normal. We knew siblings would come in at different points, well at least in me and Zia’s case. Of course, there was a getting-to-know-you period, but we were family and we had a lot to relate to with each other given our backgrounds.

Who is the boy magnet among all of you?

O-O-M-G. I’d say Ate k. 

Who is your shoulder to cry on?

Zia for proximity reasons.

Who makes you laugh?

All of them are much benta. They’re some of the funniest people I know. Especially Mama.

Who is the champion in videoke?

Skillwise, three way tie sila. Passionwise, Ate K, undisputed.

How do you settle differences with each other?

Talk it out, then hug it out usually. Sorry is not the hardest word!

What was your most memorable moment together as a family?

Our first trip to Hong Kong together was pretty memorable. Then there’s always something golden happening on trips together so that’s always fun.

The theme song of your group. Or songs that define each one of you girls.

Mama says she hates it, but I know deep inside Momay by Juan Thugz is our song. Jokes aside, there’s gonna be way too much. There are a lot of songs that remind me of each of them. 

Best advice given to each other.

It’s ok to do you.

Mantra in life.

Don’t ever let anyone feel like you are not worth the extra rice.