Filipina voice talent makes mark in international esports scene

MANILA, Philippines – The 2023 Valorant Gamechangers Championship in Brazil saw Filipino players make headlines as they made their international stage debut with Team SMG. 

The team, composed of Kelly "shirazi" Jaudian, Alexandria "Alexy" Francisco and Camille "Kamiyu" Enriquez, was the talk of the tournament after a miscommunication that led them to play a four-duelist roster in their opening match — which they won to everyone’s surprise. Team SMG would eventually exit the tournament in fourth place, but they had made an impact on the Valorant scene.

They, however weren’t the only Filipinos in Brazil who made headlines.

Another Filipino made history during that time — the first Filipino talent to be part of the main broadcast of an international VALORANT tournament — Mika "Mikafabs" Fabella.

Fabella is no stranger to the world stage, having been part of the talent pool for the Wild Rift Icons Global Championship in 2022. She was also included in the international broadcast of VCT Pacific Kickoff last February, and will be part of the international broadcast once again in Valorant Masters Madrid this month.

But whether it was an international broadcast or her previous gigs of hosting corporate events or even a child’s birthday party, the nerves would always hit just before she took the stage.

“I freak out all the time. It doesn’t matter if it was Brazil for Gamechangers or South Korea for Kickoff or if it was for a birthday party or if doing a voiceover. I always get nervous,” Fabella said in an exclusive interview with Philstar.com.

She has many quirks whenever she has to go onstage, and many of her fellow talents have seen her freak out on a few occasions. But audiences did not notice as on stage, in front of the camera, they saw a different Fabella — one that is free of all nerves and sharing the stories that captivate audiences here and abroad.

She added, “Coming from a dance and theatre background, once you step on that stage, it’s show time. So when you’re off sige [labas mo yang kaba] but once you’re on stage — whatever you felt before, you left all of that backstage because now it’s show time.”

Fabella’s venture into esports and gaming was all by