PHILIPPINE FIESTA
October 2003

The Beat Heard 'Round the World
Teen Wins Austrian Championship

By Alex G. Paman

Local high school senior Leoncio "Leejay" Abucayan only took up the hip-hop art of beatboxing two short years agoŅand it's already taken him half-way around the world. Competing against other beatboxers from eastern Europe, he swept through the qualifying rounds and emerged champion at the First Annual Austrian Beatbox Championship held in Vienna.

"I tried to keep an open mind with everything," he recollected at having to fly overseas to compete. "I didn't know what to expect. I didn't even know how it was set-up."

Held in Club Salsarena before a crowd of 600 music fans, the one-day event had twenty-four contestants go through three qualifying rounds, until only two were left standing in the finals. In the initial rounds, each beatboxer was given one minute to show off his skills. Abucayan competed against artists from Slovakia, Hungary and Austria, with the youngest competitor being twelve years old.

He successfully won all of his rounds and reached the finals, where he went up against a talented beatboxer from Slovakia. Both finalists were given two two-minute rounds to wow the fans and impress the judges. When the microphones fell silent and the dust had cleared, Leejay Abucayan emerged victorious.

"The Austrians were very loving, very accepting," he said. "There was no hating or booing. They were always giving hugs and handshakes. The beatbox scene in Austria is pretty big, because I feel they're more open to music. Here in America, it's not very trendy."

He prepared for the contest by watching the competitors before him, as well as feeling out the audience. "I try to compromise between what the people want and what I like," he said in selecting his music. "I look for songs that other beatboxers won't do."

Travelling with his mother Bernadette, Abucayan stayed in Austria for a total of nine days. Besides competing in the one-day championship event, he and his fellow contestants also held beatboxing workshops at local schools, teaching the basics to children and encouraging them to freestyle in front of their classmates.

Abucayan was more than pleased with the experience. "I was able to learn from other fellow beatboxers and get insight from them. I also wasn't used to people recognizing me on the streets," he said with a smile. "A part of me didn't want to leave, because I made a lot of good friends."

And what advice would he give other aspiring beatboxers? "Don't give up," he said with smiling conviction. "Don't be intimated or discouraged. Always try to be innovative and creative with new ideas, beats and sounds."

Since returning to the United States, he has received numerous television and radio coverage from the local Sacramento media. He has even set up his own website at LeejayBeats.Com. But through it all, he has managed to remain humble and keep everything in perspective.

"I'm just going to keep performing," he said. "I'd like to collaborate with other artists, and with my sister Lori. I'm always going to try to outdo myself."

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