Denise Julia addresses critics following performance video in Tondo

Denise Julia addressed critics following the release of her performance video for her latest song, "Speechless," which is part of her latest EP, "Love Again.”

The video was posted on the 4 Shooters Only YouTube channel as part of its “From the Block” performance series.

It showed Denise performing the song in a Tondo street with a group of friends dressed in Y2K-themed outfits, drinking and dancing behind her. Some netizens called her video “inauthentic," while others said that people on the streets do not look like her or her group.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the Filipina singer responded to a netizen and told them to go to Sto. Niño Street in Barangay 16 and “ask about me.”

“I was born and raised in Tondo and ran away at 20 because of abuse. What makes you say I never lived this life? Because of the schools I went to? The music I make?” Denise said.

She added that people assume her story and history without facts.

“What exactly are people from Tondo only supposed to look and sound like for them to be believable? The idea that someone cannot carry themself a certain way, or go to certain schools, or dream beyond where she grew up, I believe is quite classist,” she said.

The “NVMD” hitmaker added that she will always represent where she came from, “because I know what it took for a girl from Tondo to accomplish the things she once thought were impossible.”

In another post, Denise wrote that she wanted to show that diverse people exist in the streets.

“The streets doesn’t always have to be the dirty or ragged parts of it,” she said. “I'm tired of it being the main aesthetic we ‘should always’ present kasi paano yung mga tita na lumipad at this age papuntang Japan na naka-y2k designer na may blue eyeshadow… mga newly hired na pupunta ng dv para bumili ng Class A… all the kikay girls like me!!!!”

“Both exist. Filipinos are one of the most diverse people. And yes baddies exist in Tondo!” she added.

Denise released her EP, "Love Again," this month.

In May, she signed with Empire, a record label based in the United States.

Aside from "NVMD," Denise is known for the songs "B.A.D," "Lackin," and "Butterflies."

—Nika Roque/CDC, GMA News