For her own virtual meet and greet, Yasmin Marie Asistido ran out of space in her own Zoom room that was limited to 100 participants. In true "kween" style, she humored her way out of the faux pas and earned even more fans.
"Dapat pala una akong pumasok sa Zoom," Kween Yasmin posted on Facebook, which got 9,600 shares. "Kween thingz!", her Gen Z fans said, expressing how such incident only reaffirmed their love for the 20-year-old who they regard as queen of their generation.
"Kween Yasmin daw po dahil 'all-purpose kween'. Lahat nagagawa ko -- yung mga sing, dance, acting, karate, kaya naging kween Yasmin," Asistido told reportr, explaining how she earned her moniker. "Ang sarap po ng feeling na tinatawag kang kween kasi binansagan ka po nila, at nakaka overwhelm din po," she added.
It's that authentic "kween" behavior that got her minted as a social media star and she believes Gen Zs can do it to, as long as they stay true to themselves.
Asistido first rose to internet stardom in 2018. Fresh from her senior high school field trip, she filmed herself, singing her own rendition of a popular song by hiphop group Ex Batallion. On YouTube, the video titled, "HAYAAN MO SILA BY EX BATTALION (VERSION LALAKING MANLOLOKO BY YASMIN ASISTIDO)", has over 460,000 views. On Facebook, that number more than doubled.
Asistido's popularity would only grow since then, as she posted more song and dance covers and parodied scenes from local box-office movies like "The Hows of Us", "Barcelona: A Love Untold", and Starting Over Again. During the pandemic, she started doing Facebook live sessions wherein she would interact directly with her followers. She has a combined social media following of 500,000, as of writing.
Asistido said she has written over a hundred songs on her own. Her single, "Dala-Dalawa" recently made it to Spotify.
Who is Yasmin Marie Asistido?
Asistido describes herself as a "simple person". Having quit school after her first year in college, she said she likes to help out at their home in Bacoor Town, Cavite doing household chores whenever she's not filming videos.
Currently living with her aunt and older sister, Asistido said her upcoming song "Alaala" is dedicated to her family, especially her mother who passed away in 2018 and her grandfather, who recently died on Sept. 4 of an illness.
“Sila po yung inspirasyon ko para ipagpatuloy ko yung ginagawa ko sa samut-saring pagvi-video. Sila po yung naiinspire sakin sa kabila ng pagsubok na minsan gusto ko nang i-give up yung lahat," she said.
According to Asistido, she is "not the type" to change her face or her appearance, despite the pressure of social media. Her authenticity, which shows her comedic personality, is what draws fans to her especially in the context of a pandemic, she said.
"Sa tingin ko po yung pagiging komedyante, nakakatulong para siguro mawala yung bangungot ng mga tao sa kani-kanilang mga kwarto. Kasi yung iba sa atin, nakakulong sa kwarto, so kadalasan, pinapanood nila yung mga videos ko para sila ay maging masaya sa kalagitnaan ng pagkakaroon nila ng anxiety," she said.
Asistido said her content is usually based on what's relevant to both her and her followers. Recently, she made a vlog on solving algebra problems upon hearing from fans struggling with the subject in school. "Kapag may napagisipan na content, kahit ano, kahit mathematics, sabi ko 'push' basta patok sa mga kabataan".
However she enjoys the time she spends online, Asistido said she sometimes feel burned out by social media. As much as people said they love her, from time to time, she would come across mean comments.
"Dati nawalan ng gana to make a content dahil sa mga negative comments. Minsan, sabi ng iba sakin, mamatay na raw ako, na wala akong talent. Pero nag still continue pa din dahil sa mga tunay kong kaibigan," she said.
In 2020, news of Viva Artist Agency's signing of Asistido as an official talent went viral. When asked how she's doing in the company, she said she's no longer with them.
"Nagpaterminate po ako ng kontrata kasi hindi po ako nila tinutukan nang maiigi. 'Yung mga concerns ko po, di po nila ako nirereplyan, tapos kapag may mga pinapagawa sila sakin, ginagawa ko naman po. Tapos po mga sahod po laging delayed. Hinihintay ko pa po yung last sahod ko sa kanila," she said.
While she feels grateful to Viva for giving her opportunities, Asistido said she would rather manage her own career, adding how what transpired caused her to have "trust issues."
"'Yung tipong pingakuan ka ngunit wala pong nangyari 'dun sa sinabi nung una," she said. Reportr reached out to Viva for a comment on this story but has yet to receive a response.
'Just be you'
Despite hardships, Asistido said she's grateful for her platform. Gone are the days when celebrities were solely "manufactured" by institutions, as the internet democratized the process of becoming a star, not just for those who curate themselves very well, but also for those who'd rather just be their authentic selves.
"Sa panahon ngayon, lahat pwede nang sumikat sa social media. You can post everything sa Tiktok. Kapag pinakita mo na 'yung acting mo 'dun, pwede kang i-contact ng mga manager basta maging totoong tao ka. Ipakita mo lang kung sino ka talaga," she said. In line with this is her other advocacy—LGBT rights.
"Naniniwala po ako sa mga LGBT kasi sa pagmamahal naman kasi sa mga gender, wala nga namang pinipiling kasarian kasi kapag tunay talaga kayong nagmamahal, kayo po talaga sa ending," she said.
Other than authenticity, Asistido, who has yet to receive her jab due to rollout problems in her area, wants to encourage her followers to get vaccinated against COVID-19, as well as follow public health protocols.
This Oct. 2, Asistido is inviting her followers to attend her birthday concert. This time, up to 1,000 participants can join.
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