Elisia Parmisano carries the Filipino spirit as she journeys with UNIS

May 10 ------ Before Elisia Parmisano was known as one of the vocal pillars of UNIS, she had a simple dream — to make people happy. She didn’t know how to brighten a person’s day, though it eventually dawned on her to use her God-given talents of singing and dancing to do so.

The moment Parmisano auditioned for a spot in “Universe Tickets,” fans knew that she was a shoo-in to debut. Her rendition of YooA’s “Selfish” caught the attention of the judges, co-trainees, and viewers, so it was no surprise that she was the first trainee confirmed to be part of the group.

Elisia currently serves as one of UNIS’ main vocalists and is known for her agility and ad-libs in their songs. The rest of the girl group consists of members from South Korea, Japan, and the Philippines, namely, Hyeonju, Nana, Gehlee, Kotoko, Yunha, Yoona and Seowon. “My biggest dream was to make people happy. Naalala ko na I was talking to my dad about what my future plans were, and I said I wanted to make people happy. Kaso hindi ko alam kung paano,” she recalled in a chat during an intimate media gathering. “Pero now that I’m here and do what I love, siyempre, nakaka-proud [to do this] not just for the people watching me but also for myself too,” she continued.

Elisia’s debut with UNIS came at a time when local artists are making a mark on the global stage. Gehlee is a fellow homegrown Filipina, while Hyeonju is of Filipino descent.

The K-pop idol’s milestone joins a stacked lineup of Filipino artists opening doors for fellow artists, including Sophia Laforteza, leading the global girl group KATSEYE, Cup of Joe earning a Best Song Asia nomination at Music Awards Japan, BINI making their Coachella debut, and are gearing up for Summer Sonic, and SB19 set to perform at Lollapalooza and the Japan-based music festival as well.

The growing presence of Filipino artists on the global stage is a responsibility for Elisia. “Nakakaproud. I feel like the other Pinoys and I who got to stand on the global stage were able to open doors for younger Filipino dreamers. Super nakaka-happy, and in the future, I hope that other Filipinos can have the opportunity to stand on the global stage.” “Instead of pressure, I feel pride as a Pinoy,” she continued. “With all of my achievements comes [my pride] as a Filipino talaga. And now, as a group, as someone who carries that responsibility, I have to do good.”

At the same time, her main vocal role reinforces the “Filipino throat chakra,” a term that claims “all Filipinos are good at singing,” which has evolved into a sort of trope. “Pinoys are known for their vocals, so siyempre, I practice a lot. I would just try to sing a lot more Pinoy songs. With having a main vocal title, it also comes with being a Filipina main vocal, so siyempre, I have to bring the country’s pride wherever I go,” she said.

As UNIS celebrated its second anniversary as a group, Elisia said that one of the things that binds them together is their dream to make a difference. “I think it’s the reason why we’re able to click together as a whole group,” she said of her closeness with the girl group. “Siempre, when you’re in a group, you have to be united with one another.”

Elisia also shared that they’re passionate about their dreams, and they’re willing to improve as they go. “Even if we come from different cultures and have different nationalities, the passion that we have for our dream unites us as a whole. We would make adjustments for the group. We would make improvements to make our fans happy,” she said. And the closeness was evident when Elisia animatedly spoke about what she loves the most about each member. One of them is Gehlee, to whom she grew close not just because they’re both Filipinas in the same K-pop group — they just click.

“Gehlee is just like my ate from the very start. I’m an only child, and parang nagkaroon talaga ako ng ate when I [became closer] to her,” she said. “It’s not in the sense that I get to adjust because of her, I mean, siyempre, we click as people. It’s not just because we share the same experience, but as friends and individuals.”

Source: inquirer.net