By Lance Joseph Martinez
BINI member Aiah Arceta recently revealed that she initially auditioned for Pinoy Big Brother (PBB) and “Darna” before getting the call to join Star Hunt, which led her to BINI.
In an interview on Melai Cantiveros’ new Bisaya show, Kuan-on-one, Aiah, the oldest member of BINI, opened up about her earlier rejections sharing that she auditioned for PBB Otso, the reality show’s eighth season in 2018, but didn’t make the cut.
“Noong bata ako, wala akong confidence,” Aiah admitted. However, when PBB held auditions in her hometown of Cebu, she told her family she wanted to join because she admired Kim Chiu and Melai Cantiveros, both Bisaya stars.
Fortunately, her family was very supportive of her dreams. “Andun si Mama at si Papa, pati mga Tito at Tita ko sumama,” she said.
Despite reaching level 3 of the PBB auditions, Aiah didn’t get a callback. Notably, two other BINI members, Sheena and Gwen, passed that edition.
“Parang sa lahat ng sinalihan ko na casting, sa PBB ang naka-kuan ako na… ‘Shocks, ang sakit,'” Aiah recalled.
Aiah, who serves as BINI’s visual and lead rapper, also shared a dream where she saw the Star Hunt logo, feeling that she would soon go to Manila. “Feel ko anytime soon, pupunta akong Manila.”
Another opportunity arose when Star Hunt opened auditions for Darna. At the time, Aiah was under a modeling agency that encouraged her to audition for the private casting in Cebu.
“Iniisip ko, ako 17 palang, eh ‘yung iba mga nasa 20,” she confessed. “Medyo mature na talaga sila [other auditionees], pero ako mukhang sisiw pa.”
Screenshot from ABS-CBN Entertainment/YouTube
Aiah’s manager eventually revealed to her that their goal wasn’t to get the Darna role but to be noticed by Star Hunt.
A few months after the audition, she received a call asking if she could come to Manila to train for a girl group. Star Hunt had discovered her through her Darna audition.
Despite being home alone, Aiah accepted the offer immediately. Reflecting on her journey, she admitted it was challenging to become the last member to join the Star Hunt trainees and BINI. She felt pressured as the other girls had been training together for three months. “Buti nalang at months pa, at hindi years ang hahabulin ko,” she said optimistically.
When she joined the camp, she initially felt left out since the girls had already bonded. She was grateful for Colet, another BINI member who is also Bisaya.
Aiah concluded by expressing her gratitude for the rejections, which ultimately led her to where she is now. She also reminded her fans that rejection isn’t “the end of the world.”
Meanwhile, BINI is set to release their latest single, “Cherry on Top,” on July 11. This follows their hit songs “Pantropiko” and “Salamin, Salamin” and their successful three-day sold-out shows at New Frontier Theater last month.
