Dual Citizen

Armed with an acoustic guitar, JR De Guzman treats cultural identity less like a lecture and more like a convenient hustle. His title routine turns dual citizenship into a tactical choice: he claims the United States when clearing airport border control and quickly identifies as Filipino the moment a tour guide in Ho Chi Minh City brings up American bombers.

A former music teacher who spent his early twenties showing teenagers pop chords, De Guzman uses simple melodies to punctuate punchlines and shift tempo. He pivots easily from stories about teaching third graders railroad songs (noting who enjoyed singing them versus the Chinese laborers who laid the tracks in the 1860s) to short tunes about awkward dating and hypothetical interracial kids.

Released in February 2017 by 800 Pound Gorilla Records, the album arrived shortly after De Guzman won the 2016 StandUp NBC showcase and before he was selected as a New Face at Just for Laughs. It reached the top spot on both the Billboard and iTunes comedy charts.