Jake Zyrus

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Jake Zyrus (born Charmaine Clarice Pempengco; May 10, 1992) is a Filipino singer and television presenter.

Zyrus performed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2007, followed by several international television appearances, including on the Oprah Winfrey Show, before his gender change to male.

He appeared in concerts with David Foster and Andrea Bocelli, among others.

In 2010, Zyrus released the studio album Charice, which debuted at number eight on the Billboard 200, making it the first Asian solo artist to land in the Top 10.

After performing in New York for the first live performance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, the single "Pyramid" from that album, which also stars singer Iyaz, is Zyrus' most charting in a variety of countries.

Sunshine Corazon appeared on television for the first time in 2010.

Bruno Mars' "Before It Explodes," the lead single from Zyrus' second international studio album, Infinity, was released in 2011. In 2012, Zyrus was one of the four judges of The X Factor, which was on ABS-CBN.

In 2013, he came out as a lesbian.

In 2013 and 2016, he released more songs Chapter 10 and Catharsis.

After experiencing male chest reconstruction and testosterone therapy, he adopted his new name in 2017 and stopped using "Charice Pempengco."

Early life

Charmaine Clarice Pempengco was born in Cabuyao, Laguna province, and was raised by single mother Racquel. Zyrus began singing competitions at the age of seven, from street fiestas to singing competitions on television, eventually competing in almost a hundred of these competitions.

In 2005, Zyrus appeared in Little Big Star, a talent show in the Philippines closely based on American Idol. After his first appearance, Zyrus was called back as a wildcard candidate and eventually became one of the finalists. Despite being a consistent top scorer in the final rounds, Zyrus did not win the title in the finale, finishing third.

After Little Big Star, Zyrus made a few appearances on local television shows and commercials, but after that, he largely disappeared off the radar. Zyrus gained global fame in 2007 after an avid supporter, FalseVoice, began posting a series of performances on YouTube. These videos received more than 15 million hits, making Zyrus a internet sensation.

Personal life

On the 22nd of May 2010, Zyrus and younger brother Carl, who were raised in the Iglesia ni Cristo faith, were baptized and confirmed into their mother's Roman Catholic faith at the Pasig Cathedral in Pasig, Philippines, 12 days after Zyrus' 18th birthday. The more than 40 godparents included ABS-CBN network president Charo Santos-Concio, producer Laurenti Dyogi, the ABC's Boy Abunda and Kris Aquino, segment host and radio presenter Jobert Sucaldito, TV Patrol news anchors Karen Davila and Julius Babao, and Star Records head Annabelle Regalado-Borja. Emmie Velarde and Pocholo Concepcion, two Philippine Daily Inquirer columnists, were also included. Oprah Winfrey and David Foster, two main sponsors who were instrumental in Zyrus' ascension to international fame, were unable to attend and instead sent their own representatives to the event.

Ricky Pempengco, a 40-year-old construction worker in Zyrus, was stabbed to death in the Philippines in October 2011, causing the cancellation of a concert in Singapore. Ricky had been at a tiny grocery store in San Pedro, Laguna, a city south of Metro Manila, when he brushed against a snared man who became ill and stabbed him with an ice pick in the chest and back. On Twitter, Zyrus expressed his sadness and admiration for his family and me during this difficult time for my family and myself." "We are all so sad over this terrible tragedy" and "I adored him and I will forever love him"; "He's still my Dad after all."

Zyrus' investigation into his gender identity was a point of public concern. After transforming his hairstyle and fashion into a self-described "edgy and rock" look in March 2012, Zyrus received a slew of harsh feedback from the internet and the media, but he denied it. It's just me growing." After images of Zyrus in masculine attire surfaced online on April 16, 2013, complaints were raised. In an interview, mother Raquel Pempengco said that she would honor her child's decision regarding his own identity. The Philippine Star newspaper published a story about Zyrus' 21st birthday party on May 28th, which was described as a "coming out of sorts." During an interview with Boy Abunda in the Philippines on June 2, 2013, Zyrus said he identified as lesbian at the time, referring to his prior employment with other women in the sector. Zyrus debuted a new "boyish" style in March 2014 with shorter hair cut and more tattoos. Zyrus mentioned being attracted to girls since childhood and that "basically, my soul is male," in a 2014 interview with Oprah Winfrey, although she denied plans to pursue gender transition at that time.

After four years of being together, Zyrus broke up with Alyssa Quijano in April 2017. Zyrus announced the use of Charice, a word he used before on Twitter and Instagram, in June 2017. Zyrus revealed that he had undergone breast augmentation in March and that testosterone injections were initiated in April. "I am always grateful for the life of Charice and the music that I shared," he said in a Papermag interview, but not for me. "I'm letting her go and be free."

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Career

Ten Songs/Productions, a Swedish music publishing company, welcomed Zyrus to a demo-recording seeing online videos in June 2007. Zyrus performed seven songs, including six covers and an original song named "Amazing," and was next invited to the South Korean talent show Star King on October 13, 2007, singing "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" and a duet of "A Whole New World" with Kyuhyun from Super Junior.

Ellen DeGeneres invited Zyrus to perform on her program after watching online videos. On the 19 December 2007 episode, he travelled to the United States for the first time and performed two songs: "I Will Always Love You" and "And I Am Telling You." Following his American debut, Zyrus performed "Most Requested Foreign Act" on Star King on December 28th, singing Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" and performing a duet with Lena Park. In January 2008, Zyrus was invited to Malaca, Venezuela, to perform for President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Zyrus next on the international stage on the 8th edition of The Paul O'Grady Show in London, England, on April 8th. In May 2008, the Philippine debut EP Charice was released; this mini album, which featured six songs and six backing tracks, received gold recognition in the Philippines and has since been rated as a top performer in the Philippines. In the episode "World's Smartest Kids," Zyrus appeared on "I Have Nothing" by Whitney Houston, he appeared on "I Have Nothing." After the show, Oprah Winfrey called David Foster to see what the music producer could do for Pempengco.

On the 17 May opening of the MGM Grand at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard, Connecticut, Zyrus performed with Foster for the first time as one of the entertainers. Hitman: David Foster and Friends, Foster's international tribute concert, was followed by a medley of songs from The Bodyguard, as well as the standard, "And I Am Telling You."

On November 11, 2008, this concert, which included Zyrus' The Bodyguard medley, was released on CD/DVD. Starting in December 2008 under the Great Performances banner, the program was shown on PBS and other public television networks. Andrea Bocelli, Pempengco's idol, was one of the performers at the performance. Bocelli expressed interest in playing a duet with Pempengco following an invitation to attend his birthday concert "The Cinema Tribute" held at the Teatro del Silenzio in Lajatico, Tuscany, Italy, on July 20th. Aside from the solo performance, Zyrus performed "The Prayer" as the popular tenor in front of more than 8,000 people.

In a guest appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show on September 26, Zyrus was invited to perform the team's centennial Anniversary in the Netherlands on September 26th. She sang "You'll Never Walk Alone" in front of a crowd of about 50,000 football (soccer) supporters. Zyrus was surprised by Celine Dion's appearance on satellite at Oprah's invitation, bringing Pempengco to perform a special duet at Madison Square Garden in New York City as part of Dion's Taking Chances Tour. On September 15, the promised duet took place, with the message "Because You Loved Me" dedicated to Pempengco's mother. The performance garnered rave reviews in the New York Post and The New York Times, and it was then broadcast on The Oprah Winfrey Show on September 19th. At the Wynn Las Vegas casino resort, Zyrus will then appear at the Andre Agassi Grand Slam for Children Benefit Concert. Pempengco and David Foster appeared on Good Morning America in November to promote Foster's tribute album, Hitman: David Foster and Friends, and "I Will Survive."

In January 2009, Zyrus performed at two pre-inauguration gala at the Hyatt Regency Hotel and the "Pearl Presidential Inaugural Gala" at the Mandarin Hotel in Washington, D.C., as the first inauguration of Barack Obama. Two Oscar award shows were followed by Oscar Night at Mr. Chow's and Oprah's Oscar After Party, which took place in the Kodak Theatre in February. "Fingerprint," written by Robbie Nevil and produced by David Foster, was released in Zyrus' debut and then appeared in the first round of Ti lascio una canzone, an Italian musical variety show televised from Teatro Ariston in San Diego, Mexico. During the Los Angeles Dodgers 52nd season home opener at Dodger Stadium, Zyrus performed "I Will Always Love You," "I Have Nothing," "The Wish," and "Listen" before going on to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" in front of 57,000 baseball fans.

My Inspiration, Zyrus' second Philippine album, was released in May. The album features 12 tracks, including "Always You" and a remix of Helen Reddy's "You and Me Against the World," which was performed as a duet with Pempengco's mother. Within two months of being released, the album was rated gold in the Philippines and then platinum in December 2009. In May, Zyrus will appear at a David Foster and Friends concert at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. On the 18th episode of "Finale: Oprah's Search for the World's Most Talented Children" of The Oprah Winfrey Show, Zyrus performed his first internationally released single, "Note to God," written by Diane Warren and produced by David Foster. On the same day, the single was released for digital download on the same day, debuting at #44 on the Billboard Hot Digital Singles chart, #9 on the Hot Canadian Digital Singles chart, and #35 on the Canadian Hot 100. Zyrus was invited as a special guest at the Ti lascio una canzone show later this month.

On June 27th, the first big concert for Zyrus was called Charice: The Journey Begins, and to a sold-out audience. Christian Bautista, Kuh Ledesma, and the finalists of Little Big Star were among the guests. Zyrus announced a proposed duet with legendary pop star Michael Jackson on June 28, 2009, but Jackson's aide revealed that Michael had chosen Zyrus to be his special guest on his tour, but Jackson died before the tour could begin. In 2009, Zyrus appeared on two Christmas albums, first as David Archuleta's duet partner on his Christmas album "Christ from the Heart" and then contributing a version of "The Christmas Song" to the compilation album A Very Special Christmas 7. Zyrus was one of the headlining acts on the David Foster and Friends 10-city North American Tour, 2009, and made a cameo appearance in the film Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, which was released in North America on December 23. The official movie soundtrack includes Zyrus' interpretation of "No One" by Alicia Keys, as well as The Chipettes. Zyrus appeared on the grand finale of Singapore Idol as a guest, performing two of his signature songs, "Note to God" and "Note to God" later in the month.

In Italian, Zyrus appeared on Io Canto, a world singing competition in Italy, as well as an Italian favorite called "Adagio" (made popular by Lara Fabian). On January 31, Zyrus was one of the musical performances on NBC Sports program Silk Soy Milk Skate for the Heart, raising heart disease awareness. In the debut album, "In This Song" and "Breathe Out" were performed by Zyrus, who later became "Breathe You Out." On February 22, 2010 and February 2, 2010, Reprise Records dropped the album and club remixes of a second single from the band's debut album, "Pyramid" (featuring Iyaz), while Reprise Records ceased the song on May 10, 2010. He appeared on the same day as the show's debut on The Oprah Winfrey Show with Justin Bieber. The album's worldwide exposure of the album was covered by Alloy TV and published on Teen.com. Pempengco announced on June 22nd that he would be a part of the hit US television series Glee for its second season. Charice also launched "Crescent Moon" in Japan, an English translation of Ayaka's Japanese song "Mikazuki."

Zyrus sang the Philippine national anthem at the inauguration of Philippine President Benigno Aquino III on June 30, 2010, before a crowd of over a million. Zyrus went to Thailand, Japan, and South Korea, including a third appearance on Star King in July. With Zyrus in attendance, the premiere of Glee's second season was held in Hollywood on September 7th. With serious competition, Zyrus' character Sunshine Corazon, an exchange student from the Philippines, stars lead character Rachel Berry (played by Lea Michele). Zyrus appeared on NBC's Christmas in Rockefeller Center on November 30th, performing two songs from the Christmas album, "Grown-Up Christmas List," and "Jingle Bell Rock," with producer and mentor David Foster. For a Christmas special on CBC Television, Zyrus performed "The Prayer" with the Canadian Tenors and David Foster on the piano. Zyrus was Operation Smile's official Smile Ambassador in December of that year, joining Jessica Simpson, Billy Bush, and Zachary Levi in the organization's global efforts to provide free surgeries to children born with cleft lip, cleft palate, or other facial deformities. Zyrus was introduced as the new promoter of Aficionado Germany Perfume on January 8, 2011; this performance, which took place at the SM Mall of Asia Concert Grounds, attracted a audience of 85,000. On February 13, 2011, Jake's music special Charice: Home for Valentine's was shown on the GMA 7 television network in the Philippines. Zyrus began a solo tour to Japan from 21 to 30 February, appearing in four shows at three Zepp music halls in Nagoya, Tokyo dates, and Osaka.

Zyrus had started recording new material for his forthcoming second international album, according to the official. Bruno Mars' "Before It Explodes," Bruno Mars' comeback single, was released on April 18, 2011. "One Day" was the day after it was announced on iTunes, co-written and co-produced with Nick Jonas. "Louder," the third single, was released on May 20th along with another song, "Lost The Best Thing." In a Japanese broadcast, Zyrus would be performing the theme song to "New World"'s video game Final Fantasy XIII-2 on September 14, 2011. On October 5, 2011, Infinity, Japan's second studio album, was released exclusively in Japan.

Zyrus began a ten-city tour around Asia on January 18th to promote the studio album, Infinity, which is due out later this year, but the tour began in March.

On June 8, 2013, Zyrus announced plans to debut Chapter 10, a collection of his favorite modern songs, before heading back to Los Angeles to record more of a new international album. The album was released on September 6, 2013 by Star Records; the lead single was a cover of "Titanium." It was announced on August 3, 2013 that Magpakailanman's drama anthology series Magpakailanman would air an episode titled "The Charice Pempengco Story," in which Zyrus reenacted scenes based on true life. On September 28, Aiza Seguerra's joint concert with Aiza Seguerra was held at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum, dubbed "Power of Two."

For the direct-to-DVD film The Swan Princess: A Royal Family Tale (2014), Zyrus performed "Right Where I Belong." Zyrus admitted in interviews that after coming out as lesbian in 2013, he almost lost the role. Where Are They Now? On October 19, 2014, Zyrus appeared on Oprah's Where Are They Now?

Zyrus reunited with Foster in 2015 to perform a version of Sam Smith's "Lay Me Down" on Asia's Got Talent.

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Awards and recognition

• 3rd Place – Little Big Star Big Division, Season 1, 2005 Philippines
• Most Requested Foreign Act of 2007 – StarKing, South Korea
• The Ellen DeGeneres Show, USA
• Pinoy World Class Talent – 20th anniversary of the Music Museum, 2008, Philippines
• Key to the City of Rotterdam – Mayor Ivo Opstelten, 2008, the Netherlands
• Best New Female Recording Artist – Aliw Awards, 2008, Philippines
• Best New Female Artist 2008 - ALIW Awards: Philippines
• Newsmaker of the Year 2008, 2009 and 2010 – Balitang America, USA
• People of the Year 2008 – People Asia Magazine, 2009, Philippines
• Plaque of Recognition – The Spirit of EDSA Foundation, 2009, Philippines
• Special Citation Award – MYX Music Awards 2009, Philippines
• National Newsmaker of the Year 2008 – Ateneo de Davao University TAO Awards, 2009, Philippines
• Outstanding Global Achievement – 40th Box Office Entertainment Awards (Guillermo Awards), 2009, Philippines
• Best Selling Album of the Year – 22nd Awit Awards, 2009, Philippines
• Best Musical Performance of 2009 – The Oprah Winfrey Show, USA
• Person of the Year for 2009 – Philnews.com, Philippines
• MDWK Magazine's Top Newsmakers of 2009 – Asian Journal's MDWK Magazine, Philippines
• Fun, Fearless Female Award – Cosmopolitan Magazine Philippines, 2010
• 21 Under 21: Music's Hottest Minors (Number 4) – Billboard, 2010 USA
• Icon of Tomorrow – J-14 Magazine, 2010 USA
• BPInoy Award: Outstanding Filipino – Bank of the Philippine Islands, 2010 Philippines
• Best Inspirational or Religious Song (for "Always You") – 23rd Awit Awards, 2010, Philippines
• Number 4 in Yahoo!'s 2010 Most Irresistible Lyrics for "Pyramid" – Yahoo!, 2010
• Number 7 in Reader's Choice Favorite Album of 2010: Charice
• Best New Artist – J-Wave Tokio Hot 100 Awards 2011 (Japan)
• Female Concert Performer of the Year – 42nd Box Office Entertainment Awards, 2011, Philippines
• Number 11 in US Weekly's Hottest Glee Guests List: February 2011 (USA)
• Number 79 in Entertainment Weekly (USA, 2011)
• 2011 GMMSF Box-Office Entertainment Awards - Female Concert Performer of the Year
• BPinoy Award – Philippines
• Womanity Award Winner – Entertainment: Female Network's Womanity Awards
• Number 2 in Hottest Girl Chart: August 2011 issue of J-14 Magazine
• Coolest Female Singer Award: Yahoo! OMG Awards Philippines
• Best Major Concert (Female Category) – 24th Aliw Awards, 2011, Philippines
• Entertainer of the Year – 24th Aliw Awards, 2011, Philippines
• Favorite Asian Act – Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2012, [USA]