Oscar nominee Hailee Steinfeld likes adobo and is a singer at heart

She’s perhaps best-known as a Hollywood actress, but Hailee Steinfeld is also making a name for herself as a singer. Only 19 years old, Steinfeld first caught people’s attention for her unforgettable role as Mattie Ross in the Coen brothers 2011 film True Grit, but she earned newer fans when she was cast as newcomer Emily Junk in the sequel to fan-favorite Pitch Perfect. 

Steinfeld, who has Filipina blood (her mother’s grandfather hails from Bohol), is in the country this week not for anything related to her film work, but to promote her music. Thanks to her role on Pitch Perfect 2, she got the opportunity to meet record industry reps, who gave her a record deal soon after. The result is the four-song EP Haiz, released last year. 

“I’ve always wanted to sing and make music,” Steinfeld said during a sit-down with members of the local press on Wednesday. “I hoped I could do it through a movie, so Pitch Perfect was really a surreal experience. I mean, I was such a huge fan of the first film so I told myself that if they ever did anything like that – I wasn’t even thinking of a sequel – I wanted to be part of it.” 

Growing up, Steinfeld said her dad had a taste for classic rock (Eagles, AC/DC, and Led Zeppelin), while her mom liked Luther Vandross, Boyz II Men and Mariah Carey. “These are all timeless artists, and somehow I can say that I get to reference them now in the music that I do.”

Haiz, which played nonstop at the function room while the press waited for Steinfeld, is an unabashed pop record with a dance-heavy beat that recalls current solo female artists like Ariana Grande and Meghan Trainor, both of whom the California-native counts as friends. Lead single “Love Myself,” which garnered some amount of controversy for its not-so-subtle references to “self-love,” is easy to like even without digging through its empowering lyrics. It’s second single “Rock Bottom,” though, that’s causing waves across the pop music landscape, especially since the new version features vocals from Joe Jonas and his band DNCE. 

Although still busy with film projects (a third Pitch Perfect film is in the works and she is expected to return for that), Steinfeld seems currently attached to her music. Manila is just one of the stops in a small promotional tour across the region. Asked about her Filipino roots, she wasn’t shy about proclaiming how proud she is of her heritage.

“I haven’t been here long but already it feels like home,” she said. “The people are so nice and warm, and while I was looking out over the city last night, it was dark, but I could really feel that this is a place I’d like to come back to on vacation or something. One of the first things I discovered when I got here is the passion and pride that everyone has about being Filipino and I definitely feel that. It’s strange to be so far from home and yet feel like I’m home.”

And of course, somebody asked what her favorite Filipino food is, and without hesitating, she immediately said, “Adobo. Chicken adobo, and rice.” —KG, GMA News

Hailee Steinfeld will perform at Megaworld Lifestyle Malls this week: April 8 at Eastwood Mall, April 9 at Uptown Mall in BGC, and April 10 at the Venice Grand Canal, McKinley Hills.

Paul John Caña is a magazine writer and live music geek. He is also co-founder of <libreto.org>, an online collective of writers and artists. Email him at or follow him on Twitter and Instagram @pauljohncana.@gmail.com>