For TikTok stars Euleen and Queenay, rejection is not a bad thing

Before Euleen Castro and Queenay Mercado became social media stars and Cornerstone Entertainment artists that they are today, both went through several rejections.

Euleen was easily turned down in a reality singing search after queueing for hours waiting for her turn to show her vocal talent. What’s worse, those on the screening committee didn’t even care to let her finish the first line of her contest piece.

“I took up voice lessons in preparation for the contest but what happened was, isang word pa lang ‘yung nakanta ko, sinabi na agad, ‘Okay, next!’ Ako naman, (nagtaka) next agad? Nakaisang word pa lang ako, ‘kahit,’ pa lang,” recalled Euleen without revealing which TV network held the talent search.

Queenay equally had her share of distressing moments during a tryout for a role in a drama series. Unlike Euleen, Queenay was able to display her acting skills yet nothing came out of it.

“I went to so many auditions before and there’s this one that I could never forget because I thought I passed. It was an audition for a teleserye and those who were there were mostly mestizas and my skin color was different from theirs but I came well-prepared.”

“I gave my best in acting and singing. At meron pang pinagawa na tingin sa kanan, tingin sa kaliwa tapos sabi, ‘Queenay, tatawagan ka na lang.’ Tuwang-tuwa ako pero namuti na ang mata namin kakahintay ay walang tumawag,” recounted Queenay, who didn’t give up despite all the rejection she had previously faced.

Euleen and Queenay later realized that experiencing rejection is not a bad thing at all. Both were only redirected to something much better. Netizens catapulted them to instant stardom for their viral videos on their respective TikTok accounts.

Popularly known as the Pambansang Yobab, Euleen currently has 3.4 million followers on TikTok, while 1.4 million netizens follow her on Facebook aside from the 236,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel.

Euleen’s amusing food reviews complemented by her cheerful disposition never fail to make online viewers laugh. Sadly, not everyone is pleased with her content. Bashers would often question her credibility as a food critic clueless that she finished Culinary Arts at Enderun Colleges.

It’s saddening that there are people who do not feel good when someone else succeeds. It only proves true what American poet and author Anthony Liccione once said, “There will always be haters. And the more you grow the more they hate; the more they hate the more you grow.”

“I’m just literally big,” said Euleen, trying to downplay being called a big star after her first video showing her fondness for a big serving of rice went viral.

Her basis of being famous does not solely depend on the number of followers but also on the unwavering support she gets for her content. “Kung gusto ka nilang pinapanood at patuloy ka pa rin nilang hinahanap, I can say that I am successful as a TikTokerist,” offered Euleen.

Queenay or Queenee Pearl Mercado in real life, couldn’t agree more by adding that videos without viewers are useless. “Regardless of how many followers you have as long as there are many ‘likes,’ that’s fine. Pero meron rin na walang nakakapansin. So, it really depends on your content.”

Netizens so love Queenay’s thick Batangueña accent that she has already gained over 14 million followers on TikTok with videos that have obtained 310 million likes.

Queenay recently got her Silver Play Button for having 300,000 subscribers on her YouTube Channel Queenee Mercado. Her Instagram account, on the other hand, has over 500,000 followers.

With their popularity on a continuous trajectory, it’s not surprising to see Queenay and Euleen being mobbed in public places.

“Sa mall po, Tito Boy, pinagpipisil ang pisngi ko pero hinayaan ko kasi natural lang dahil first time nila ako nakita at pagpapakita ko na rin ng appreciation (for the support),” narrated Queenay, who also dabbles in acting.

For Euleen, her unforgettable encounter with her fans was when they jumped on her and gave her a tight hug. “Perhaps, they thought I was their Mama,” she quipped. “Natuwa naman ako at ayun wala na sila sa mundo nakain ko na,” she added with an infectious laughter.

Asked if they can find true love on TikTok, Euleen and Queenay responded in the negative. “Kasi kung meron (true love), meron sana ako ngayon,” laughed Euleen.