Filipino-Argentinian actress turns to K-pop: Lapillus member Chanty – aka Maria Chantal Videla – shares the story of her fresh start
- Already well known in the Philippines for her acting, in 2021 Maria Chantal Videla chose to leave family and friends and head to Korea to try her hand at K-pop
- After a year of vocal, dance and Korean lessons, she debuted under a new name, Chanty, with Lapillus, whose singles have racked up 5 million YouTube views
By Dong Sun-hwa
Starting again from scratch may not be the most desirable thing, especially when one has had a pretty smooth career. Nevertheless, high-profile Filipino-Argentinian actress Maria Chantal Videla ventured into the world of K-pop and debuted as a member of rookie girl group Lapillus in June 2022, with her new name, Chanty.
When a friend of her father first made her an offer to go to Korea and join a new K-pop girl group, the 20-year-old was hesitant.
She loved working in the Philippines, where she had been successfully expanding her repertoire, appearing in popular TV shows like Spirits: Reawaken (2018) and Starla (2019-20) and films like Familia Blondina (2019).
She had her family and friends there, too.
For her, it was a big risk to go back to zero and start all over again in a foreign country, which has a different culture and lifestyle. In the end, however, she opted to take on a new challenge and headed for Seoul in 2021.