Four days after announcing a social media break, “B.A.D.” singer Denise Julia returned to Instagram to address allegations made by celebrity photographer BJ Pascual about their canceled project together.
In a recent episode of content creator Killa Kush’s podcast, BJ named Denise as the “worst celebrity” he worked with, claiming that she canceled a scheduled photo shoot and music video production just eight hours before the planned shoot.
Following, BJ’s claims, the singer paused her social media hiatus, pledging to clarify the issue alleging her difficulty to work with on Christmas day.
In the early hours of Wednesday, December 25, Denise Julia revealed screenshots of her and BJ’s managers along with videos of herself on Instagram to explain her side of the story, detailing the timeline of events leading to the canceled shoot.
The singer revealed that her team initiated talks with the photographer and his team as early as May 2024, expressing their desire to collaborate with him on a music video and album visuals. By July 18, her manager proposed a budget of P600,000 for the music video and P50,000 for final edited press photos.
“Despite us following up many times and not getting replies for weeks at a time… We were patient and pushed back our deadlines to accommodate BJ’s schedule [because] we knew he was booked and busy,” Denise Julia explained in her video. “I actually had to move my release date because I wanted to respect the fact that he was working and he had a lot of things to do.”
She disclosed that after two Zoom meetings and multiple follow-ups, BJ’s manager only provided an updated cost sheet on August 11—just three days before the scheduled shoot.
The revised estimate, totaling P1.2 million, exceeded her team’s budget. However, they stretched their funds to offer P800,000 in hopes of pushing through with the project.
“We reached out to BJ back in May because we really wanted to work with him for my upcoming project, […] and despite us following up many times and not getting replies for weeks at a time, […] we were patient and pushed back our deadlines to accommodate BJ’s schedule ’cause he knew that he was booked and busy,” Denise explained.
She also shared that she adjusted her album release date to work with Pascual, showing her commitment to the collaboration.
“I actually had to move my release date because I wanted to respect the fact that he was working and he had a lot of things to do, and as someone who really was a fan and really wanted to work with him, I wanted to adjust my time and my release date so that we can really work together for the album arts and the shoot,” said Denise.
Despite efforts to negotiate, Denise said BJ’s team provided another revised cost sheet just two days before the shoot, with an updated estimate of P1 million.
“BJ’s team did not get back to us about this budget despite my manager checking in and following up to make sure that the budget is doable to begin with ’cause we can’t really have a shoot date without us being sure if the budget is even feasible for them,” she explained.
Denise went on to emphasize that the lack of clear communication about the budget was the main issue.
“On our end, we understand if this is not something that they can work with. We would’ve pulled back immediately already from the start if they had only told us that this was not doable for them [and] that’s not the price range that they can work with; we will respect that and just move on and move past it and maybe work in the future with a different type of thing where both of us can align,” Denise said.
She further clarified that her team did not cancel the shoot, contrary to what BJ claimed in the podcast.
Denise explained that her manager was actively trying to find solutions, even suggesting postponing the shoot to avoid wasted efforts and cancellation fees. Ultimately, she stated it was BJ Pascual’s team that decided to cancel due to production differences.
“I know in the podcast they said I was the one who cancelled on the shoot, but in reality, my manager was still trying to make it work. He suggested to push the shoot to a later date so that none of the team’s efforts go to waste and also so that cancellation fees don’t incur, but ultimately at the end, BJ’s team, not us, cancelled the shoot, citing the differences in our production processes,” she recalled.
Denise acknowledged her mistake of not reaching out to Pascual sooner and expressed her commitment to learning from the experience.
“It was because I didn’t know the extent of his frustrations until everything aired out on social media and it blew off of proportion. It is something that I will take with me as I move forward with work,” she said.
In her Instagram post, Denise shared a message exchange with BJ on December 24, where they agreed to settle the matter in person after the holidays.
Replying to Denise’s message, BJ wrote, “Thank you for taking responsibility in this situation. I appreciate your willingness to address this, and I’m open to discussing it further to work towards a solution that respects both sides…
“Let’s schedule a time to meet in person after the holidays, as I believe this is a conversation best had face-to-face and given the attention it deserves,” BJ’s response read.
As of now, netizens await updates from the two artists on their planned meeting and any potential resolution to the dispute.
