Denise Julia says she was 'born and raised in Tondo' after her background was questioned
Filipina singer Denise Julia defended her Tondo, Manila roots after social media users questioned her background following a performance. She addressed classist assumptions about how people from her neighborhood should look or behave.
Why it matters
The incident highlights ongoing social discourse regarding classism, regional identity, and the tendency of online audiences to project narratives onto public figures.
Filipina singer Denise Julia defended her Tondo, Manila roots after a social media user claimed she had “clearly never lived this life” following her performance on the From The Block platform.
The criticism came in response to a post by Filipino Pop Crave featuring Denise Julia’s From The Block performance of her song “SPEECHLESS” from the Philippines.
Filipina artist Denise Julia delivers a From The Block performance of “SPEECHLESS” from the Philippines. pic.twitter.com/DuDMbYEXwj
The video showed Denise Julia performing in front of a sari-sari store called “Tindahan ni Aling Nena.” In one scene, she was also seen drinking beer along the street.
“mom i swear i love you but can we be real for a sec… you’ve clearly never lived this life,” an X user wrote in a quote post.
Denise Julia directly responded to the comment, saying the claim about her background was false.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in