From left: Kim Pajares, Reyna Yamanouchi, Raine de Guzman and Carin Ramos of Krazy Chikz
Some people might think that to be called “crazy” is a bad thing. But it has been said that the best people are the crazy ones — which is a saying the Krazy Chikz believe in.
The Krazy Chikz is a song-and-dance group of four beauty queens discovered in the 2012 Miss Casino Filipino pageant — finalist Reyna Yamanouchi, third runner-up Carin Ramos, second runner-up Kim Pajares and winner Raine de Guzman. Their group was created to become in-house performers at Casino Filipino branches all over the country. They got their name from the fact that the way they perform is quite unusual, to say the least.
According to Bong Quintana, PAGCOR AVP for Entertainment, they patterned the Krazy Chikz after one of the most successful entertainers in showbiz. “Para silang si Anne Curtis, pero times four,” he says.
The ladies of Krazy Chikz hope that audiences will embrace them in the same way they buy Anne’s album and flock to her concerts. “We hope one day to have our own album with original songs and be able to do a music video,” says Raine.
Raine used to be an aspiring pop singer. Before she was Miss Casino Filipino 2012, she was part of the girlband Eurasia. She also tried her luck in beauty pageants. “I joined Binibining Pilipinas in 2009, same batch with Bianca Manalo. I also joined Miss World Philippines and Mutya ng Pilipinas, and competed in an international pageant in China.”
Raine landed in the Top 10 of the Miss World Philippines in 2012, the year Queenierich Rehman took the crown, but that was the extent of her success, save for a special award she had, in a way, become used to winning. “Ako palagi yung Best in Talent,” she laughs. Which isn’t surprising — she was part of her high school glee club and looks up to Lea Salonga. “Bata pa lang po ako nasa puso ko na talaga yung pagkanta,” Raine says.
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The same can be said of Carin, who inherited her passion for music from her mother. “Kumakanta siya sa ibang bansa so growing up, she was my biggest influence. We always did karaoke before. So ayun, medyo marunong naman akong kumanta at may interest ako in singing noon pa.”
Carin’s mother also set her on the path to becoming a beauty queen because she used to join pageants in her younger years and is living her dreams through her daughter. “Ever since my mama has been supportive of me (joining) beauty pageants. Actually, nag-Binibining Pilipinas siya before pero nag-back out siya,” Carin reveals, “which is why sobrang pinu-push niya na ako na ang magtuloy ng pangarap niya. Unfortunately, I didn’t win, but it’s OK because I’ve been given the opportunity to join Krazy Chikz.”
Kim is a registered nurse. Before joining Miss Casino Filipino, Kim, who hails from Bataan, gave up her job at a government hospital — not to join Miss Casino Filipino, but to review for an exam she needed to take to work abroad. However, Kim’s goals changed when she received a call from her younger sister who joined Miss Casino Filipino as representative of the Olongapo branch, making it to the semifinals. Kim tried her luck and emerged second runner-up. She didn’t grow up interested in music or singing, but she does have a performing background.
“I was more into dancing before. My training has always been more on dancing. Because I grew up in the province, the dances I learned were ethnic and cultural dances like Pandanggo sa Ilaw. I also did theater and you have to be able to dance in theater.”
Reyna also enjoys being part of the group. Her stepfather is Japanese, and she herself was born and raised in Japan. She moved to the Philippines when she was 19 to study, and considers ending up among the Krazy Chikz a happy accident. She’s quite proud of being a beauty queen, and has some choice words for people who make fun of girls who buckle during the Q&A portions of beauty pageants: “I’m not fluent in Tagalog because I grew up in Japan. And when I joined Miss Casino, ako lang yung sumagot in Tagalog. Hindi naman masama yun. Hindi ko naman masisi yung nag-ba-bash, pero iba yung i-re-represent mo yung country mo. Sana maging proud na lang yung mga bashers.”
The Krazy Chikz may be goofy, but they are definitely not just pretty faces. The members have big dreams and are prepared to do whatever it takes to make them come true — and have lots of fun and laughter along the way.
