She initially charmed us as the simple barrio lass with an amusing personality and adorable sunny disposition, which truly endeared many during her stint in Pinoy Big Brother Lucky Season 7, wherein she was known as the “Miss Wacky-Go-Lucky of Cagayan de Oro” and the eventual grand winner.

And as her showbiz career continues to prosper in the past years, Maymay Entrata has gone to become one of the brightest stars of her generation, being dubbed as the “Amakabogera” – derived from the title of her hit single released in 2021.

But despite being in the industry for around six years now, there are still things that we probably still do not know about the young highflyer. And recently, up-and-coming singer-songwriter Moira Lacambra had the opportunity to get to know her better, as well as catch up with her, as the host of latest episode of Tatak Star Magic Celebrity Conversations.

The insightful interview commenced with Maymay recounting how her dream of becoming an artista and her PBB journey started. According to her, it all began with her admiration for the dashing members of F4 – comprised by Jerry Yan, Vic Zhou, Ken Chou, and Vaness Wu – of the phenomenal Taiwanese romance drama Meteor Garden, which was broadcast by ABS-CBN in the Philippines in the early 2000s.

It was them who enkindled her aspiration to become part of the industry, which motivated her to audition for PBB and other shows of ABS-CBN when she was a teenager. Since she still failed on her second attempt when she was 16, she actually almost gave up believing that it might not be for her.

However, seeing the situation of her family, not to mention of her then-ailing beloved grandfather, made her so desperate to find a way to help them. Thus, from being an ambition solely for herself, she eventually did it for family, too. And apparently, third times a charm for her as she finally made it to the reality show on her third try in 2016.

When asked how much her family means to her, Maymay told Moira, “Sobrang importante. ‘Yong pamilya ko, kayamanan ko sila kahit galing man ako sa broken family. Hindi man nagkatuluyan ang nanay at tatay ko, pero hindi nagkulang ‘yong pagmamahal at pag-aaruga nila sa akin.”

Imparting that she was raised by her grandparents, along with her cousins who she treated as her own siblings since they also came from broken families like her, she added, “Hindi nagkulang kasi punong-puno ng saya. Everytime na may pagsubok kami sa pang-araw-araw, sabay-sabay naming hinaharap. Kasi mas masarap sa feeling kapag marami kayo, alam mong kakayanin n’yong lampasan ‘yong pagsubok kasi kapag ang isa nadapa, okay lang kasi may sasalo.”

Thus, she feels overjoyed that her family is already in a better situation now. At the same time, she’s proud of herself that she is able to help them not just in improving their lives, but also in teaching them to stand on their own – a trait that she learned from her mother and older brother who are both overseas Filipino workers.

And speaking of her Mama and kuya, Maymay divulged that if ever God didn’t bring her to the path she’s currently treading on, she’s likely to be an OFW like them, too. However, she wouldn’t follow them in Japan as she prefers to work in either the United States or Australia.

With regards to the values she has gained throughout her years in the business, she said that it would be the importance of being honest about what you really feel. She recalled that there was a time when she chose to suppress the sadness she was feeling in pursuit of making other people.

“Doon ako nawala, kasi hindi lang ako nagsisinungaling sa kanila, pati rin sa sarili ko. Kaya na-realize ko na napaka-importanteng maging totoo sa sarli mo, nang sa gayon ay payapa rito sa loob at genuine ang pagpapasaya ko sa mga tao, hindi siya pilit. Kaya kapag may problema ako, inaayos ko muna, hindi ko dadalhin sa [labas] bago ako magtrabaho,” she expounded.

Aside from honesty, she has also further inculcated to herself the values of respect and kindness to others, which are also the same things that she wants to receive from other people. As what the oft-quoted aphorism says, “Do unto others what you want them to do unto you.”

In her 26 years of existence, she shared that one of the greatest challenges that she went through was the death of her grandfather, who she fondly regarded as “Papa Joe” while she was still inside the PBB house in 2016. But instead of being a setback, his sudden passing served as a motivation for her to rise up and keep going because she knows in her heart that he wouldn’t be happy to see her moping.

Besides, just like anyone in the industry, she also had a hard time in the early days of her career. She related how the difficulties she had experienced have taught her how important it is to be passionate about her craft, as she confessed how she used to not exert her 100% in everything she did, which led to unsatisfying results. That compelled her to act on it, in order for her to dispel her doubts and negative criticisms towards herself, since she admitted being her own number one critic.

“’Yon pala, kailangan lang i-improve ‘yong talent. Kasi ‘yong talent, nandiyan lang naman ‘yan e. Pero kung gusto mong tumagal ka dito sa industriya, kailangan ng hardwork ‘yon kasama na ang pag-aaral. The more you learn, the more na mas magiging confident ka sa talentong binigay sa’yo,” she stated.

Maymay may be living the life that many of us have been probably dreaming of, but, that doesn’t exempt her from obstacles along the way. And whenever she goes through those depressing, exhausting and challenging moments, she only reminds herself of her past experiences that brought her to where she is now.

She related, “Sabi ko, parang buhay lang, tuloy-tuloy lang siya manalo man o matalo. So, gano’n din ang pangarap, tuloy-tuloy lang din. Kailangan talaga everyday may goal ka para may purpose ka, para di masyadong mahirap kapag nadapa ako.”

When asked for her ultimate goals, those would be to see all of her family successful, happy, and in good condition, as well as her relationship to God be stronger. With regard to her career, she actually has a lot, which she didn’t enumerate anymore, jesting that the interview might not end if she does so.

The conversation then veered to Maymay’s love life, which she discussed with utmost kilig. According to her, having boyfriend Aaron Haskell has made her more inspired to get up and hustle because her heart is happy, as well as to choose happiness and positivity most of the time as being with him seemingly has made her realize how life could be short.

“Dati kasi napagdaanan ko na na laging hinahayaan ‘yong mga negatibo sa buhay ko na kainin ‘yong bawat desisyon ko sa pang-araw-araw, hanggang sa na-realize ko na hindi pala siya okay. Hanggang sa umabot sa point na nawala ako, pero natuto ako,” she stated.

Then she added, “Noong natuto ako, ‘yon naman ang pinaka-worth it na feeling at pinaka matagumpay na feeling na hinayaan kong madapa, hinayaan kong iyakan ang lahat ng trauma, lahat ng pinagdaanan ko kasi dahil doon, mas naging strong ako ngayon, mas naging masaya ako, at mas nakikita ko ang mga taong alam ko na totoo sa akin at alam kong mahal ako at alam kong susuportahan ako, at good for my soul po.”

The interview capped off with Maymay imparting how she takes pride on being “Tatak Star Magic,” because she knows in her heart how much the premier talent agency truly values her, which makes her star to continue shining. She’s also eternally grateful to them not only for helping her fulfill her dreams, but in treating her both as a colleague and a kapamilya.