MANILA -- Filipino-American singer and comedian JR de Guzman shared on Friday how he chooses his materials for his stand-up comedy act.
"I think when I'm touring I try to stay pretty honest to what I like to do. But then I have to think about as I'm going to more international scenes, I have to think about what actually work there. And what really helps is doing shows in town like open mics," De Guzman said on Friday in ANC's Headstart.
In the program, De Guzman also shared how he got into music and stand-up comedy and how he fused them together to make his own brand of comedy.
"I started music in church like my grandma was really religious. ...I started in church choir and eventually I picked up guitar, drums and piano to get a girlfriend. I eventually brought it into my act when I was in college. There was a stand-up comedy class and one of the assignments was to make a musical comedy song. That was the first time I wrote a comedy song. It's the most Asian thing. I learned to do it through homework," De Guzman said.
De Guzman is in Manila for his show “Later That Evening" at The Theater at Solaire on June 3.
He began his stand-up career 12 years ago. He took up a musical comedy class at the University of California, Davis and found success through college shows.
He was part of the select group of up-and-coming comedians who had 15-minute sets in the 2018 Netflix special "The Comedy Lineup."
But it was during the pandemic when many turned to their phones and other devices for entertainment that his comedic talents became even more known globally through his social media posts.
De Guzman lovingly roasts his family in his shows. But despite the lighthearted jokes, he said he considers his parents as heroes.
Born in the Philippines, he was raised in Eagle Rock, California and now lives in Sacramento.