Carla Guevara Laforteza on daughter Sophia being part of KATSEYE: ‘Ginulat talaga niya kami’

Carla Guevara Laforteza is the proudest mom to her daughter, Sophia, who is now making waves globally with her girl group, KATSEYE.

On the sidelines of KATSEYE’s first-ever media conference in the Philippines, Carla almost became emotional as she talked about Sophia, who is the lone Filipina member and also the leader of the group.

“Oh my God! Never ko inasam ‘to! Sabi ko, ako, gusto ko lang mag-perform. Gusto ko lang kumanta. But for Sophia to be a superstar is more than—naiiyak ako! Nakakaiyak tsaka nakakaproud talaga kasi she did it all on her own. Hindi nga nagpaalam,” the singer and actress said.

According to Carla, she never expected her daughter to become a performing artist like her, saying the straight-A student Sophia had always expressed interest in becoming a doctor or a businesswoman.

“Ginulat talaga niya kami na, ‘Mom, I’m moving to LA. I’m gonna be part of a global girl group, and I’m gonna be a star.’ I said, ‘Go for it,’” she said.

Coming from a conservative family herself, Carla gave her all-out support for her daughter.

“Kasi buhay ko ‘yan eh. I come from a conservative family. They’re all businesswomen and businessmen. My sisters, they’re all businesswomen, and I’m the only artist in the family and my mom. My mom’s an artist also," she continued. 

"So, I was always pressured to go to school, to finish college, and to get a degree. Kailangan may fallback. So, sabi ko, ‘Ba’t ko kailangan ng fallback if I want to be a performing artist and I want to be successful in it?’"

Carla played the roles of Kim and Gigi in “Miss Saigon" in the West End and also starred in “Saturday Night Fever" and "Ang Huling El Bimbo," among other international and local productions.

She is currently touring across Asia as an official vocalist for "Disney in Concert" and also stars in the musical "One More Chance," which features the songs of Ben&Ben.

So, when Sophia joined HYBE and Geffen Records’ talent search “The Debut: Dream Academy,” all Carla said was, “Babe, just work for it. Then once you have it, just hold on to it.”

Sophia from the Philippines, Daniela, Lara, and Megan from the United States, Manon from Switzerland, and Yoonchae from South Korea debuted as KATSEYE in late June.

KATSEYE released their debut EP, “SIS (Soft Is Strong),” on August 16. It includes the viral hits “Touch” and “Debut.”

The girls arrived in the Philippines on Tuesday and had their first fan showcase in the country on Wednesday.

WATCH: Carla Guevara Laforteza on daughter Sophia being part of KATSEYE. pic.twitter.com/vKfHRigjMg

— Carby Basina (@CarbyGMANews) September 19, 2024

— CDC, GMA Integrated News