(MB) MANILA, Philippines – YouTube sensation Marie Digby is making it her mission to alleviate the sufferings of those affected by the recent tragedy that struck her homeland, Japan.
In an interview with “The Buzz” on Sunday, March 20, Digby admits she is very much hurt with and saddened by the disaster and how it had affected a great number of her countrymen, as well as overseas Filipino workers and their families. As such, she hopes to somehow help raise funds for the victims by holding charitable events.
“People are in dire need help the need food, they need shelter, they need water, they need gasoline and other things,” said she. “[And] I’m gonna do whatever I can to give back, to help [them] through my music. Maybe record an album and do concerts [to raise funds].”
Digby, who is of Japanese-Irish-American descent, said she was in Japan when the 8.9 magnitude quake hit.
“I was actually with my mom and we were in an elevator going up to our apartment,” she said. “[The building] was shaking so violently and we couldn’t stand up.”
“We were luckily unharmed and that is unfortunately not the case for many thousands of people in Japan.”
Among those who made an effort to reach out to her and make sure she and her family were okay was actor Sam Milby, a close friend.
“It was really very nice of him,” she said. “It was really heartwarming.”
In the same interview, Digby relayed a message to her countrymen and to Filipinos still in Japan.
“Stay strong. The world is gonna be there to aid you and I’m gonna do whatever I can to give back as well.”
Digby carved a niche in popular consciousness via her video covers, most famous of which featured Rihanna's "Umbrella," which she uploaded via YouTube. The song became a breakout hit, allowing for Digby to reach #10 on Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100 singles chart—a listing of 25 singles below 100 that have not yet charted on Billboard's Hot 100.
In 2007, The Wall Street Journal revealed that prior to her internet success, Digby was already signed to Hollywood Records, going on to allege that Digby faked her amateur status as a publicity strategy.
Digby responded to the article via her blog, explaining that she never claimed to be an amateur and that she never hid her being signed to Hollywood Records. She explained that her YouTube videos were her own "desperate" response to a lack of promotion.
To date, Digby has already released three albums under the label.
