Unlike other children born from celebrity parents, Rikki Mae Davao admitted that even though she showed interest in performing at an early age, she ended up changing her mind after graduating from college with a degree in Psychology which led her to a career in early education.
“Nakakatawa kasi I grew up, most of my family is in the industry or somewhere around it. Pero nung nag-graduate na ako, hindi, sabi ko iba ‘yung gagawin ko kasi gusto ko maiba. So medyo gumanun muna ako. Dati I was actually a preschool teacher. I think mga five years din. Matagal din. And then after being a preschool teacher, I entered corporate. Nag-human resources ako. And then it’s funny kasi sa family ko, hindi nila maintindihan. ‘Ha, may office ka? Anong ginagawa sa office?’ Hindi kami tugma kasi ang alam niya siyempre ‘yung showbiz industry. I’ve just always been drawn to kids. Mahilig ako sa bata talaga. I took an internship at a preschool and nag-dire-diretso na dun,” she told PUSH BETS host Gary Ann Lastrilla during their exclusive interview this month.
It was during the start of the pandemic when Rikki entertained the idea of following in her parents’ footsteps.
“Nung 2020, siyempre pandemic, hindi ko na matigil ‘yung gumaganun sa utak ko na I’ve always wanted to try it, I’ve always been interested, but I think wala lang akong confidence to try. So dun lang ako nag-decide na I think I really want to try showbiz. So dun na ako nag-start,” she said.
When she told her parents about her decision, Rikki said they were no longer surprised. They have also always been supportive of her.
“Go lang, go lang sila. I think they weren’t surprised anymore kasi nakikita nila na may pasundot-sundot na gusto kong ganito. I actually started to try by auditioning for commercials. Nung pandemic kasi lahat self-tape eh. And then nag-la-live ako sa mga platforms, kumakanta, random ano,” she recalled.
WATCH RIKI MAE’S FULL INTERVIEW ON PUSH BETS HERE
During the interview, Rikki also talked about the pressure she feels having come from a showbiz clan from both sides of her family.
“Oo talaga, promise. I swear I do (feel the pressure) (laughs). Siyempre kasi, in my family, parang both sides kasi, even my lolo — the late Charlie Davao— and then parang lahat sila pumasok sa showbiz. And then on the other side, my mom’s side, her mom naman is Ms. Pilita Corrales na singer. So ano, na, anong akala ng mga tao ‘pag pumasok ako ‘di ba? So may pressure talaga. Hindi talaga siya nawawala. The Gutierrezes (our cousins), the side of sila Janine, sila Tito Monching (Ramon Christopher), Tita Lot (Lotlot de Leon), another clan na in showbiz din,” she explained.