How going live online helped Ryssi Avila level up as a mom, performer

Singer and content creator Ryssi Avila has picked up another international recognition since making the jump to doing live performances online. And this move, she said, not only helped her rise as an artist, but as a mother as well.

Ahead of her participation as one of the competing interpreters for the Eurovision Philippine Selection, the diminutive vocal powerhouse snagged another trophy in Bangkok, Thailand.

Avila received the Legend Award for being the Top 1 in the Philippines at the TikTok Live Community Fest 2025 Gala held at the ICONSIAM Hall in Bangkok, Thailand, on Aug. 25.

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“It means a lot to me, the trophy I received is really special because it means my ‘Team Ryssi’ united for us to be the strongest community here,” Avila told a group of Filipino journalists in Bangkok after receiving her award.

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This was not her first recognition from the content-sharing online platform. In 2024, she bested 80 other participants in TikTok’s “Gimme the Mic” campaign with her intnerpretation of her original song “My Angel,” dedicated to her son.

And during TikTok’s “Your Pride” campaign last year, Avila scored another recognition with her song “For Real,” an anthem for the LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, others) community.

“Tiktok really has opened a lot of opportunities for me, not just by releasing music, but for me to reach international audiences as well, and also to perform internationally,” she shared.

Avila first gained national prominence as a runner-up in the second season of “Idol Philippines” in 2022. Her trajectory took her to international consciousness since taking the leap to performing live online.

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“As a single mother, TikTok Live made it easier for me to raise my son because I work in my studio at home. Opportunities also became more acccessible since winning in their campaigns,” she told Inquirer Entertainment in a separate interview before the awarding ceremonies.

“I did not only level up as a mother, but also as an artist because of TikTok Live because it gave me a platform to reach international audience and so many have supported my music,” Avila continued.

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For the Eurovision Philippine Selection, she will interpret “Good for You” composed by Hazel Faith. If she tops the field of 10 acts, Avila will represent the country at the first-ever Eurovision Asia competition.

The Eurovision Philippine Selection Night will be staged at the New Frontier Theater at the Araneta City in Quezon City on Sunday evening, Aug. 30. /ra