Woah, Patrick Garcia's Daughter Michelle Is Training Under SM Entertainment's K-Pop Academy

At just 13 years old, Patrick Garcia's daughter, Michelle Garcia, is already taking serious steps toward her dream of becoming a K-pop star.

Fans recently got a glimpse of her training journey after Michelle appeared in a short video posted on SM Universe Singapore's social media page on September 3. In the video, she shared what her weekly routine looks like, which involves traveling all the way from the Philippines to Singapore for her training sessions. "Every Friday, I hop on a plane for four hours from the Philippines to Singapore," she said.

While the weekly trips may be a lot to commit to at such a young age, Michelle sees the experience as worth it as she works toward her dreams.

"I think it's pretty worth it to join this program because you learn a lot. You meet new people. You meet new coaches, and that teaches you a lot. Especially coaches from Korea [which] helps you learn their techniques, what they have learned throughout the years, and it's good to apply it in your singing and your dancing," she said.

ICYDK, Michelle is enrolled in the Professional Training Programme of SM Universe Singapore, a K-pop academy founded by SM Entertainment. And according to their website, the program costs $6,500, or around P400,000.

Her mom, Nikka Garcia, has also been documenting Michelle's journey on Instagram, revealing that the training lasted for 10 weeks. She shared glimpses of Michelle's airport departures and trips to Singapore, and even counted down each week in her captions. And after Michelle completed her final session, Nikka took to Instagram to celebrate the milestone and share how proud she was of her daughter.

She wrote, "Singapore 10/10 ….check! 🥹 Getting emo as i write this…. what a journey it has been!!❤️ 10 consecutive weekends in such a beautiful, clean, safe country! i have only the best things to say!🥰 Singapore, thank you…. precious memories have been made…but there will be more to come! the next time we go, we will be complete 🫶 In the meantime…. extremely excited for what's next!😉"

ICYDK, this is not Michelle's first time getting a taste of what it’s like to perform alongside a professional artist.

Before starting her K-pop training, Michelle had already shared the stage with none other than Lee Ji-eun, better known as IU. In 2024, she joined the backup dancers for IU's H.E.R.E.H concert at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan.

Going back to Michelle's recent featured video in the academy, she encouraged everyone to take chances when it comes to their dreams. "Just take a risk," she said. She added, "You never know what you might find out about yourself, about your attitude, about your skills. You never know what might come out, and this is all for your growth. This is all for you. So I guess I would say, just do it for you."

It looks like Michelle has been working toward this dream for quite some time. And with her parents cheering her on every step of the way, we're definitely excited to see where she goes next!