'Lumpia Queen' Abi Marquez on making Philippines proud; conquering introversion
MANILA, Philippines — Food content creator Abi Marquez breaks into shy laughter when it was noted how introverted she was as she has always been known as the content creator who comes across as confident on camera and who has a great sense of humor.
Abi was recently in a Knorr event, where she conducted a cooking demonstration and patiently answered questions from the audience.
Minutes into her exclusive interview with Philstar.com after the event, it was noted how she came across as an introvert.
She breaks into smile and replied, "Yes, I'm very introverted."
"Yeah, it's a skill. It takes practice," she added.
Joker Abi
Dubbed the "Lumpia Queen," Abi said that one of the best things that happened to her was taking voice lessons when she was in high school. She took the lessons for five years.
Abi possesses a soothing voice, even on her cooking videos where she sometimes breaks into songs. In fact, there's a channel called Abi Sings on YouTube where Abi does covers and plays the guitar and piano.
"Every summer, I would perform in front of a crowd and, introverted ako, medyo contradictory pero maingay ako," she recalled.
Her contrasting qualities, however, play well into her chosen career at the moment.
"I think 'yung kaingayan is a way to diffuse tension. It's a way to make people happier. And siguro how it works is, I'm introverted.
"I enjoy my own company but I was able to learn how to... para makasalamuha sa mga tao. And events like this, I just need to recharge. You know, but I don't regret anything that's happened to me," Abi said.
As of press time, Abi has 1.49 million YouTube subscribers, 3.9 million TikTok followers, 1.2 million Instagram followers, and 2 million Facebook followers.
A self-confessed nerd, Abi's humor traces back to when she was a child, and she even shared for the first time an interesting anecdote on how she developed a knack for jokes.
In many of Abi's videos on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, she prepares mostly Filipino food, including her favorite snack, and manages to crack jokes in seconds. This endearing quality makes her relatable to her viewers, which also includes non-Filipinos from all over the world.
Abi credits her sense of humor from wanting to make people laugh, tracing a habit that was born out of her connection to her grandfather.
"When I was in like second grade or first grade, I remember just spending the weekend searching jokes on the Internet and delivering it to my grandfather. First time ko na-mention 'yun.
"It comes from wanting to make other people laugh. Yeah, I guess that and that introvertedness mixed together, it makes it relatable to introverts, 'yung pagka-awkward ng mga bagay. It's humorous, but a little bit awkward.
"It diffuses the tension of the video and I think that happens a lot in real life so, 'pag nakikita nila sa video, they actually appreciate it," she said.
Not expecting
Abi was recently included in the list of Forbes 30 under 30 for 2024. She was also named TikTok Food Content Creator for 2023.
The 23-year-old is among the seven Filipinos in this year's list, which also includes Filipino-American rapper Ez Mil, in a list that features 300 names from various fields from across the Asia Pacific region under the age of 30.
Abi said she did not expect to be included in the list.
"I think as a creator, ang focus ko lang talaga is to just put out high quality videos every day. I don't really take things too seriously and I don't make videos saying, 'Gagawin ko ito para magkaroon ako ng award or gagawin ko ito para mapansin ako ni Forbes 30 under 30.'
"That's why it's a surprise to me and I'm just really happy and honored to get those recognitions because I see myself not just as a food creator on social media, but the representation of young Filipina women and Filipino food," Abi told Philstar.com.
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