Introduction
From a small farming village in Ireland, they started doing reaction videos in their bedroom to discover new musicians and connect with different cultures. Growing up with anime, J-POP, and CPOP, I was open to any kind of music, regardless of language or origin. Growing up with a cerebral palsy sister, I found music a way to communicate and make connections. This inspired her to start a YouTube channel from their bedroom.
When moving to Dubai, she started attending events and press conferences, eventually interviewing artists and even meeting them in the Philippines. Her passion project is to help the P-POP and music industry and its artists, with plans to merge these two worlds. Living away from home can be challenging, but the Filipino community over here has become my family.
The Filipino community over here has become my family. They really have adopted me as their own, and I will forever be grateful for that. – Loly
How did your upbringing and family influence your love for music and your open-mindedness towards different cultures and languages?
I’m very lucky that I grew up around music. My house was the kind where the volume was turned up all the way and we were singing at the top of our lungs. I have a lot of family members that are very heavily involved in the industry with cousins in singing competitions, now on world tours and a father who even writes songs in his spare time. (not being biased but they are so good). Growing up, instead of listening to the radio, we listened to my dad’s music he wrote, getting ready for bed as he played the keyboard and wrote.
This made me open to all kinds of music, regardless of language or artist—if I like it, I like it. My sister, who means the world to me, has cerebral palsy and is non-verbal. Music has been our way to communicate, and like me, she loves what she loves, no matter where it’s from. One her darkest days I know if I put on some music she will smile and the world will turn bright again Music has been a cornerstone in my life, helping me connect with others and shaping who I am. It inspired me to start a YouTube channel from my bedroom, though I was nervous and kept it hidden, especially growing up in a small town.
Can you share some memorable experiences from attending events and press conferences like SB19 expo 2020, WYAT tour PADTATAG TOUR, and meeting artists like Dimash Qudaibergen, VXON, KZ, and TJ?
Like I mentioned starting in my bedroom in a small village town in the mountains In Ireland , never, NEVER in a million years did I ever think I would get the opportunity to see them perform live never mind meet and get to interiew these artists that I loved. My first exposure to it was seeing SB19 in Dubai expo 2020 for the first time. Seeing the energy in the room of the Filipinos as they all sang and screamed their heart out, I had never seen anything like that before. It was electrifying, and made me tear up at some parts. The first time I got invited to attend a press conference was once again SB19 for their WYAT tour and I remember being so nervous. The whole experience was so new to me and I was actually very shy being surrounded by so many people and cameras in one room. I had a little bit of imposter syndrome and just tried to hide in the corner, looking back on it now having gotten the oppotunity to now sit down one on one with so many other artists I admire I laugh thinking about it. I must have seemed so rude back then but I felt like a fish out of water.
My confidence has definitely grown. Getting to say to the people who’s music you listen to on a daily basis how much you love them never gets old and I’m always so honored to get those opportunities. One of my favourite people I have ever met was KZ and her husband TJ and another artist Sam, they performed in Dubai and I remember them even hugging me and being so happy to see a foreigner at their show I was so taken back by their genuine kindness (and RAW talent).
I recently travelled to the Philippines where I got to interview people I had reacted to which is such a pinch me moment, meeting G22, VXON, SYNC, AJAA, YES MY LOVE, CALISTA and PRESS HIT PLAY who I love so so much. They were all so grateful and fun even after a long day of work and some members told me they watched my videos! One group even mentioned they had cried watching one of my videos as well, that hit me hard. It made me realize the little community I had built in my small corner of the internet actually made a difference no matter how small it may be.
I have also gained family in other international PPOP fans like Ari, Jessica, Rora and Tokz from places like Italy and Cyprus who have their own international fan bases. We met through P-Pop but I know we will always be in each other’s lives. I owe a lot to this genre, these artists, fans and music and that is why I hold it so close to my heart”
I was walking into those rooms as a genuine fan and to receive the amount of kindness and love I got was almost overwhelming and unexpected. I’m not sure what I did to deserve it but I am forever grateful. I already have some other interviews lined up for when I go back, I want to be there right now if I could. (aiming for soon)
How has the Filipino community in Dubai embraced you and become like family? In what ways have they supported and influenced your journey?
When I moved to Dubai I left everything at home, all my friends and my family. Although I don’t regret it at all, I struggled for a while. I had always been close with my family so even though I was always very independent I did feel that void. One day I received a message on twitter (I’ll always call it Twitter sorry X) from the UAE ATIN fandom who had found out I was in Dubai.
They asked if I wanted to meet up, I had never met a subscriber in real life at this stage and I was actually very scared. It’s not every day you meet up with a faceless person who knows you but you don’t know them. Straight away they invited me to attend a GLOC- 9 concert that day in EXPO and since then we have been insperable. I have introduced myself to all sorts of different fandoms from the UAE PEARLS, UAE VIXIES, MIGWILIS etc. They basically adopted me and became my family here in Dubai, we spend birthdays together, I have met their families and they have been there for me through some tough times. They have always been so supportive of me and never treat me any different than their own and they also never treat me like a “vogger” which I love. I’m just me, and I can just be me, on my good days and on my bad days, they have seen it all. I’m very protective of them. They are my number one supporters and never expect or ask anything of me. I love being around them, they feel like home. The Irish and Filipino culture is actually almost identical so I think it made it very easy for me to fit in.
What advice would you give to aspiring content creators or music enthusiasts who aim to make meaningful connections and contributions to the industry like you have?
The number one advice I can give is, do it for you and for what you like. If you go into it with expectations or to look and care about the numbers on screen believe me it’s not for you.
I don’t make any money off of YouTube and I work a full time job and I am dedicated to my full time career, which I have worked very hard to succeed in . I love YouTube and it is an amazing creative outlet for me, one day yes I do hope to marry my two worlds and create a better space for me to do both full time in a more serious way but it was never my intention. To reach this level was never my intention, It just happened. I started this because I had grown up watching anime, and listening to their intro and outro music, which led me to J-POP and C-POP which again led me to watch foreign dramas from Korea, Japan, etc. The concept of watching and listening to sources not in my language has never really phased me so when the K-POP phenomenon happened I had already been a fan since 2014. This made the jump to P-POP very easy and natural for me and is very much my taste in music, so I never had to force anything. I was just looking to find people online who had the same interests as me and what I ended up getting was a whole community and family I could not be more proud to be a part of.
We’re thrilled to have had the opportunity to chat with the incredible Loly for our recent segment. Her insights, energy, and passion were truly inspiring, and we’re so grateful for her time and willingness to share her story with our audience.
Loly’s journey is one that we’re all excited to follow, and we encourage you to do the same!
Want to learn more about Loly and her amazing work?
- Subscribe to her YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/@loly?si=MQXROPbqz0T2_7-G
- Follow her journey at Hey Roomie:
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