Some things in this world are inexplicable. When a song comes
out with a title like “Love That Nasty Underwear,” it definitely
qualifies as such. But when you realize that the singer is
Fe de los Reyes, it sort of sheds some light on the matter.
But the former ‘Music & Magic’ front liner was always
unique that way.
Years after leaving the band that gave her the break
she got in show biz, Fe is still wowing her audiences
with her own comedy styling.
A San Francisco native for the past years, Fe has
blossomed into the confident and effective performer
she is now. With the opportunities given her by America,
one wonders if Fe has ever thought of turning her back
on her Filipino roots.
She responds in the negative and even adds “In my
heart I will always be a Filipino. Blue passport,
but proud to be brown! (..teka green na yata ang
Philippine passport) Dugong Pinoy forever!”
And as proof for her love for her Motherland, she
laments that she greatly desires to perform in the
Philippines once more on a regular basis.
“I am going back to the Philippines for a career
comeback of some sort,” she says. “Probably sometime
late July. I will be bi-coastal...(jetsetter sounds yabang!)
I’ll be traveling back and forth the Philippines and USA.”
Not that she finds it hard to have the same level of
visibility here in California.
Fe is obviously determined and hard-working.
“Nothing comes easy. We all must work hard to
get to where we (want to be). Well, unless you
are super-duper lucky. Talent is not enough. You
need luck and hard work too,” she says.
This fact is evident in her act. While most Filipino-American
comedians delve into the slapstick side of Filipino comedy,
Fe’s performances demonstrate what she went through
here in the US.
“Fe: (It’s) based on reality talaga - from exFErience.
I have been living in America for ten years now and
mahirap na masarap. Kailangan masipag ka kung gusto
mong umasenso. Life is good here. Nakakapagod lang.
It is a matter of getting used to it, I know. A lot of my
colleagues from Manila want to come here and settle here.
Ako naman, gusto kong bumalik. I like it here (but I also)
like it there. Well kung puwede ko lang hatiin ang
katawan ko...cloning kaya?”
Not surprisingly, Fe is proudest not of her showbiz
achievements but rather her ‘homebiz’ skills.
A bonafide mother and wife, Fe beams as she recounts
her experience as a Filipino-American matriarch.
“Well, I raised my kids (here) without (the benefit of)
day care (or a) babysitter. Full time mother ako.
Sa Manila, we have yayas and maids. Ako, nakatutok
sa mga anak ko. In America, kayod ka talaga and kids
go to daycare (or have a) sitter para makatrabaho ka.
Pag-uwi ng parents, pagod na. Oh well, it really is on
a case to case basis. I believe children raised in America
are independent and self-sufficient. They learn to take
care of themselves at an early age. Hindi dependent sa
maids and yayas to do things for them. There are basic
universal values that we teach our children, regardless of
where we live. Sa America man o sa Pilipinas, what
matters is love in the family."