Comedienne and TV host Melai Cantiveros never imagined she’d one day share center stage with the original SexBomb dancers, let alone be placed right in the middle of them on a poster.
“Grabe ang hiya ko! Sobra talaga,” she told Manila Standard Entertainment during their official launch and contract signing with telco Converge. “Nag-sorry ako sa kanila. ‘Patawarin n’yo ako ha na nasa gitna ako,’ sabi ko.”
It was part of the launch for Mamamo, a new P-pop girl group that Melai leads alongside Rochelle Pangilinan, Jopay Paguia-Zamora, Sunshine Garcia-Castro, and Cheche Tolentino. Together, they’ve brought back the energy and choreography fans still remember, this time for a new generation and a different kind of crowd.
Melai, more known for her comic timing and hosting chops, admitted to being nervous when flank by the group that dominated noontime TV screens in the early 2000s
“Hindi basta-basta ang SexBomb,” she said. “Sila talaga pinaka-idol natin sa sayawan. Sino ba ako para ipagitna?”
But if she was unsure of her place, her co-members weren’t. The SexBomb girls made it clear that Melai belonged. In fact, during their launch, the members of the girl group had nothing but praise for her.
For Rochelle, the collab was just as exciting. “Napakabait ni Melai. Napaka-generous,” she said. “Ilang araw lang kaming magkasama sa shoot pero parang matagal na naming kilala ang isa’t isa.”
Their chemistry was according to Cheche. “It was unexpected, naging mabilis ang pagbond namin kasi si Melai, she’s not afraid to poke fun at herself.”
Cheche, who also announced that she’s already engaged during the launch, added that their partnership in Mamamo, backed by Surf2Sawa’s campaign, felt like a reunion.
“Before, sa social media na lang kame nakikita ng mga tao, but now we are together in the flesh, and we get to tour around. Nakakamiss yung ganito at the same time nakaktuwa na naihahatid namin ang mensahe ng Converge,” she said.
Surf2Sawa is Converge’s prepaid fiber internet. For 4 pesos a day per user, get unlimited, contract-free internet at 50 Mbps for up to six devices. The ExtraBoost option allows you to surf at speeds of up to 100 Mbps.
