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Why Mica Javier Is the Artist Hollywood (and Manila) Shouldn’t Sleep On
Some artists make music. Some land roles. A few build empires. Mica Javier does all three, and makes it look effortless.
- By: Julianne Elise Beffa
Some artists make music. Some land roles. A few build empires. Mica Javier does all three, and makes it look effortless. The Filipina singer, actress, and creative disruptor has already crossed from New York to Manila to LA, moving between stages, screens, and boardrooms with the kind of fearless energy that makes her impossible to ignore. She’s opened for J.Lo, starred on primetime TV, produced her own projects, and carved out a voice that’s bigger than geography. For Mica, it’s not about fitting into one box, it’s about proving she can own them all.
Her story begins in New York City, where she made her first moves in entertainment with roles on the (arguably) best show ever made, Gossip Girl. “It was actually my first time on a huge mainstream set for acting, and it lit up my world,” she tells LOOP in an exclusive interview. “I had a scene with Ed Westwick (Chuck Bass), and it blew my mind when he would flip from his American accent back to his real British one after every cut.” She said, remembering how she caught a glimpse of Blake Lively and Chace Crawford filming a scene as Serena and Nate, a surreal sight for someone who had grown up watching them from her living room. And when it comes to the eternal question, Blair or Serena, she does not hesitate: “I’m definitely more of a Blair than a Serena.”
That Blair-like ambition carried her through the grind of the U.S. entertainment industry, which she admits was not easy. “As much as there is chatter about Asian representation, at the end of the day it still comes down to who you know, the numbers you pull in, and whether you fit the part,” she says. “For Filipinas, that can be complicated because we can read Latina, Asian, Pacific Islander, a whole mix. You cannot be too Filipina, but you also have to be American enough. It is such a catch-22. They will book you if you already have leverage, but you need to get booked first to get that leverage.” It was a lesson she had to learn quickly, that no matter what success you rack up outside of the States, the industry’s only real question is: “But what have you done here?” Still, she insists the grind is worth it. “The industry is the same everywhere, it is bureaucracy and politics in different flavors. But if you love the craft, it is the greatest adventure in self-discovery.”
Music quickly became her way in. Signing with Timbaland Productions gave her an early taste of the professional music world at its most intense. “The bar was sky-high from day one,” she remembers. “I wasn’t as strong a songwriter as the people I was thrown into rooms with, which was intimidating. A lot of my songs were written for me. But it taught me professionalism and how to thrive in the studio.” The hard work paid off when her single “3000 Light Years” ended up on Glee and Dance Moms. “Hearing my voice on those shows was surreal. At the time, I thought it meant I was on a clear path straight to success. But it turned out to just be the beginning of a very wild ride.”
By 2012, she returned to Manila, and her re-entry was nothing short of iconic: opening for Jennifer Lopez’s Dance Again World Tour. “It was a literal dream come true,” she says. “After my mom passed, I used to have recurring dreams about meeting and opening for J.Lo. When it actually happened, I felt like I had manifested it.” Backstage after the show, she met J.Lo in sweats, extensions out, but still exuding full star power. “As soon as I walked in, she perked up, flipped her hair back, and said, ‘Hi! Thank you for opening for me!’ I could not believe it. She was so warm and kind. Her mom even thanked me for sending them Filipino food the night before. It was such a human, unforgettable moment.”
After my mom passed, I used to have recurring dreams about meeting and opening for J.Lo. When it actually happened, I felt like I had manifested it.
That same year, Mica dropped her debut album Dreamer and scored a breakout hit with “Tonight” featuring Jay R. “It was pure fun. No pressure. We just wanted to write a good song. That track also became ground zero for how our relationship blossomed, so the playful energy we captured really translated to listeners.” From there, she won Best New Female Artist at the 2014 Aliw Awards for “Heart Song,” cementing her status as one of OPM’s brightest new voices.
What makes Mica’s music stand out is its roots in nostalgia. Ask her what she wants to hear when she is out at a club, and she does not even blink: “100000000% 90s–2000s R&B and hip hop. It ain’t good if it ain’t that.” That influence runs deep in her own sound, where she pulls from the music she grew up on, then blends it with slick modern production. “For me, the key is storytelling. People connect to what’s real. Every session I walk into, whatever comes out has to come from a true emotional or energetic place.” It is that formula that led her latest single, “Majesty,” a collaboration with Grammy winners Lil Eddie and Mike Mani, to land on Spotify’s New Music Friday Philippines and OPM on the Rise.
But Mica is not content with just music. She has branched out into film, acting in TV dramas like Los Bastardos and Init sa Magdamag, and in films like Siargao and General Commander with Steven Seagal, where she also performed the soundtrack. She made her musical theater debut in Eto Na! Musikal nAPO, and later starred in Empty by Design, which closed the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival. Her latest milestone is Songs for Selina, a Filipino-led feature film on Amazon Prime US where she both starred and co-executive produced. “Filmmaking is massive, it takes so many moving parts. But when the story, intention, and team align, it is magic. I do not think I could jump into another film unless I deeply resonate with it. That is the only way to give it my best.”
It was pure fun. No pressure. We just wanted to write a good song. That track also became ground zero for how our relationship blossomed, so the playful energy we captured really translated to listeners.
Even her entrepreneurial projects carry her artistic fingerprint. During lockdown, she launched Micandle, her artisanal soy candle line. “I poured my perfume-making background into creating candles. Scents are memory triggers, they take you somewhere instantly. That is still art to me.” She is also creative director at Homeworkz Entertainment / Jamica LLC, where she mentors emerging artists on branding and content. “Not everyone gets guidance starting out, so I try to draw out what is already inside them. I never impose. I just help them feel empowered in their own skin.”
Balancing all of this, music, acting, film, lifestyle projects, does not intimidate her. “When you love what you are doing, the balance happens naturally. Inspiration is everywhere, and I only know how to do me. Sometimes I need a nature break to recharge, but my artistic vision is always in flow.” What she hopes the world sees is the resilience behind Filipino artistry. “Filipinos are criminally underrated and deeply resilient. We are endlessly creative because so many of us come from struggle. We adapt, we survive, we smile through hardship. Those roots run deep.”
As for what is next, Mica is entering a new era of consistency. “I am releasing a new original song every 45 days. I have a whole new fire behind the music, and my co-writing team is solid. The catalogue is about to grow.” On the film side, she is gearing up for Songs for Selina to expand its release with AVOD and a special theatrical run back home. And then, of course, there is the rebrand of Micandle waiting in the wings.
At this point, her career feels less like a résumé and more like a soundtrack: late nights in the studio, spotlights on stage, indie film premieres, candle-making at home, maybe a little 2000s R&B playing in the background. As she says with a grin, “At the end of the day, I only know how to do me.”
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