In showbiz, even the smallest mistakes can spark significant reactions. Recently, Dianne Medina, a Filipino actress and TV correspondent, found herself at the eye of a social media storm again. The reason? Another mispronunciation related to K-pop.
During a segment on Rise and Shine Pilipinas, Medina reported on a recent Manila concert by K-pop legends iKON. However, she mistakenly referred to their song as “taranta” (which means “panic” in her native language) when it should have been “Tantara.”
Yes, iKON is in every corner of Entertainment News in Manila.🔥🔥🔥
Pero Tantara po kase yun hindi Taranta. 🤧 pic.twitter.com/hTZcb5U4kT
— mariajoy (@xxJHOYxx) August 17, 2023
The song was released on April 25, 2023, as a pre-release single for their third full-length album Take Off. Its title comes from the Korean word “딴따라 (ttantara),” an old-fashioned slang word used to criticize or mock celebrities and individuals who are seen as lacking cultural sophistication or having poor taste. The album “Tantara” appears on was iKON’s first release under their new label 143 Entertainment. They went there after their exclusive contract with YG Entertainment ended in December 2022.
Medina’s latest slip of the tongue didn’t go unnoticed. Filipino netizens took to SNS like Twitter to voice their disappointment.
Etong si Dianne Medina, magbabasa nalang ng script mali mali pa. Kaloka na si ateng.
— jooHONEY (@iamsuperyenoh) August 17, 2023
Sana si dianne medina nag ttake time mag research man lang bago mag balita. 2nd strike na bhie
— cooking mawiya🍒 (@potatomii2) August 20, 2023
Dianne Medina vs. K-pop terms
This isn’t the first time Medina has faced this kind of criticism. She once mispronounced the word “subunit” during a segment about the Japanese trio MISAMO, a unit of the JYP Entertainment girl group TWICE. That led to a hailstorm of comments, primarily from ONCE (TWICE’s loyal fanbase). When she realized her error, Medina later corrected her pronunciation in a subsequent report and shared the updated version on her Instagram account.
@inquirerdotnet Dianne Medina shares updated version of her viral news segment #socialnewsph #inquirerdotnet
Responding to a netizen’s query about that particular oversight, Medina said, “At least I learned a lesson not to rely on the prompter and script.” Moreover, she emphasized her perspective on making mistakes. Medina explained, “I never took it as an embarrassment because I know God allowed this to happen so I would learn from it. Unless you’re perfect; I’m not, so it’s OK to make mistakes.”
Medina acknowledged her latest mistake during a recent radio interview. “The social media world is very cruel,” she began. “People will always try to pull you down and hurt you in so many ways. But me, what I always like to think is, ‘How many of them actually know me? Do they know me personally? Do they really matter in my life?”
@djjhaiho Bagong programa at pagbabalik radyo maiinit na chika agad ang hatid sainyo! Bugsh!! @Dianne Medina humingi ng tawad matapos ma call out ng netizens dahil sa pagbabalita! EXCLUSIVE!!!
She went on to explain that a combination of nerves and technical problems contributed to her new blunder. Medina also asked her critics to remember that mistakes are inevitable when you’re doing a live show. She ended the interview with an apology to iKON’s fans and a promise to do better next time she reports on K-pop. – K-Pop News Writer
Featured Image: This was Dianne Medina’s second K-pop related blunder in less than a year. Source: Instagram/@dianne_medina and Twitter/@ytv_musicpower.