If foreign-looking kids who speak Tagalog will impress and delight you, what more if he or she can also talk in other Philippine languages and dialects. Meet the cute and talented child wonder Lyra Taylor:
“She’s four, born and raised in the UK. She really has a great memory. So, I teach her all types of things. She can identify 133 countries’ flags and they can tell their capital cities,” Lyra’s mother Effe Barker shares.
As someone who’s living in the UK, why is it important for Ms. Barker that Lyra knows Filipino?
“Mahalaga talaga siya. Because half of dugong nananalaytay sa kanya,” Ms. Effe shares.
“I want her to identify as a Filipino. Although, she’s also British and an American citizen pero gusto ko ‘yung ‘I’m Filipino,’ hindi lang ‘yung memorize niya, gusto ko ramdam din niya. Memorize niya din ‘yung kanta ni Yoyoy Villame na ‘Philippine Geography,’ kinakanta niya ‘yan,” she continues.
What we noticed during the interview is how sophisticated but still approachable Ms. Effe Barker is. She also shares that one of her major milestones in her career is interviewing The King of Talk, Boy Abunda, for her radio show in UK..
“It’s a profile. It’s about Boy Abunda for my YouTube and radio show in the UK called Effe Barker Human Interest. I asked him about his beginnings and I was interested in why and how he ended up who is now. I also was interested of what he thinks of certain issues. One of the things that stood out in our conversation is when I asked him about, does he thinks he is a celebrity, kasi most of the celebrities na nakikita ko they feel like to be interviewed by the Boy Abunda is the peak of their careers, but he said that he doesn’t put it on his head and everything is just temporary. But he also said that it’s nice na ganun ‘yung prestige of being Boy Abunda. It’s like a political leader in a country that the peak of their career is to meet the Queen of England even Donald Trump. That’s how it felt like.”
But among the local celebrities or personalities, who does she wants to interview?
“Si Karen Davila. Matalino siya. Nasundan ko ‘yung mga interviews niya like sa ANC. Not just with the profiles na ginagawa niya, ‘yung news talaga at saka ‘yung analysis ng balita. Ang galing. Nanonood ako ng inteview niya with Chiz Escudero and Gatchalian about POGO, alam mo ‘yung tao na alam niya talaga ‘yung pinag-uusapan. I like her, very light lang siya mag-interview, hindi siya mabigat na interviewer, very comfortable ‘yung mga guests niya sa interviews niya and nakikita ko na meron siyang connection sa mga guests niya.”
What about celebrities?
“Favorite ko kasi si KC (Concepcion). Maganda ang mukha, perfect and mukha walang mali.”
Going back to Lyra, what are the plans for her daughter?
”She’s studying. We’ll go back to the State April next year. We’re going to the province in Surigao with her lola (grandmother) and we’ll go back 1st of September kasi school na niya.”
But what if there’s an opportunity for Lyra in the Philippines?
“We would accommodate if it’s a good project. For now, print and ad modelings like what she did before, madugo kapag mga TV and teleserye.”
For more information about Lyra, you can message her social media accounts.
Watch our interview with Lyra and her mother Effe below:
HYPE MANIA 