Where Is She Now? The Beautiful Filipina Trainee Who Had Netizens Questioning Her Race

It’s hard for some people to guess that a certain K-Pop idol is not Korean, but full Filipino.

When looking at Kriesha Chu for the first time, most would assume that she hails from a country in East Asia and not The Philippines.

You are Korean, right?

— Yoo Hee Yeol

Especially when she wears traditional Korean clothing, it’s difficult to discern her race at first glance.

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A post shared by Kriesha Chu Official Instagram (@krieshachu_official)

Her own countrymen were not immune to this confusion. Many Filipinos took to X (Twitter) in 2016 to express their amazement that someone like them was pursuing a singing career in South Korea.

chrisha choo is a filipino? how can she look like a korean girl? omg pic.twitter.com/ZyRpOZzOcZ

— summer (@cutebariki) December 1, 2016

They said that she “doesn’t look Filipino at first glance” and that she “looks Korean.”

NVM. Her name is actually spelled Kriesha Tiu supposedly. She cute…. (but she doesn't look Filipino at first glance) pic.twitter.com/uEVY55cN4t

— kayjay (@bljkxxi) December 2, 2016

cheering for Kriesha Tiu (크리샤 추) in KPOP Star. btw, she's filipino-american who looks korean, one reason why i love her. 😍😍😍

— Queen (@qnqltn) December 24, 2016

Mind blowing si Kriesha Tiu. LIKE OMG, I AM SO SHOCKED SHE'S NOT KOREAN BUT A FELLOW PINAY.

— kei (@alwaysafterwoo) December 3, 2016

Kriesha, after all, has features that are typically attributed to East Asians, such as her monolid eyes. Several users correctly guessed that she has Chinese blood which is not uncommon among Filipinos.

Ah so it's actually Kriesha Tiu… half-chinese probably~~ #kpopstar6

— ★RiX (@_StaRiX) December 4, 2016

Wtf!!!? Kriesha tiu is a filipina, born in the philippines to a filipina mother and a chinoy father

— jun (@exogordoo) December 2, 2016

Kriesha Chu was born in Makati, the business district of the Philippines, in December 1998. The reason for her East Asian features is because of her Chinese ancestry. Filipinos call her “Chinoy” which is a portmanteau of “Chinese” and “Pinoy.”

She and her family originally lived in Cebu, a province in Visayas, for the first two years of her life. They eventually moved to San Francisco, California, where she grew up living a normal Filipino-American life.

Eventually, she was casted by Urban Works Entertainment and moved to South Korea to pursue her dream to be a singer. She was a trainee for a year before she auditioned for K-Pop Star 6.

Though she was eliminated early in the show, she was brought back to join the YG Entertainment-led trio KWINS. They eventually ranked second place in the entire competition.

Her debut single, “Trouble,” was released in May 2017.

Unfortunately, Kriesha Chu has not updated her social media pages since 2020. Her last update on Instagram and YouTube was her cover of “Wild Flower” by Park Hyu Shin.