WATCH: Olivia Rodrigo puts a fashionable spin on the ‘budots’ beat
Tell us you’re a Filipino without telling us you’re a Filipino – knowing “budots.” But Filipino American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo had a twist into the famous Filipino beat.
The Grammy-award-winning pop superstar recently jumped on a TikTok trend by dancing to the “budots” beat. Adding her own flair, instead of performing the traditional Filipino dance, the “Drivers License” hitmaker highlighted her wardrobe from her “Guts” world tour, synchronizing each outfit change with the beat drops.
“This trend but you’re on the ‘GUTS’ world tour,” she wrote on the video with more than 630,000 likes. One user, probably a Filipino, commented, “Olivia using the budots sound, THAT’S A TRUE FILIPINO RIGHT THERE.”
@livbedumb♬ 911 Emergency – Carl
Other users even requested the traditional way of dancing to Budots, saying, “We need the real Budots moves ASAP.”
For the uninitiated, Budots is a dance music genre that originated in the Philippines, characterized by its fast tempo and quirky beats, often accompanied by improvised dance moves.
Despite its grassroots origin in Mindanao, Budots has transcended Philippine borders, capturing the imagination of international audiences. Its playful beats make it an ideal soundtrack for various TikTok trends, particularly those involving fashion and style transformations.
Recently, highlighting her stance on reproductive rights, the “Vampire” songsmith backed Kamala Harris for the 2024 presidential race. She showed her support on July 23 through an Instagram Story (now expired), sharing a TikTok video from @thenewsmovement that featured Harris’ speech at her initial campaign rally in West Allis, Wisconsin.
In the video, which Olivia Rodrigo emphasized with praise hands emojis, Harris criticized former President Donald Trump’s abortion policies and advocated for reproductive rights.
The reproductive health advocate is currently on her world tour, finishing the North American leg in Inglewood on Aug. 21 before kicking off her Asian leg in Bangkok, Thailand on Sept. 15. The Fil-Am singer posted a teaser, hinting that she’ll be bringing the tour to the Philippines.
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