Biography
Who is Jake Zyrus?
Early life and real name
Jake was born as Charmaine Clarice Relucio Pempengco in Cabuyao, Laguna, Philippines. His mother Racquel raised him as a single parent. He started entering singing contests at age seven to support his family. He competed in nearly one hundred of these events across various provinces and on television. In 2005, he joined the talent show Little Big Star. He was initially eliminated but returned as a wildcard and finished in third place.
Rise to international fame
Videos of his singing were posted on YouTube by a supporter named FalseVoice. These clips earned over 15 million views. In June 2007, a Swedish company called Ten Songs/Productions invited him to record demos. He later appeared on the South Korean show Star King in October 2007. He performed a duet of A Whole New World with Kyuhyun from Super Junior. In December 2007, he performed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in the United States. He appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2008. During this appearance, Celine Dion invited him to perform at Madison Square Garden. They sang the song Because You Loved Me together in September 2008. This performance was dedicated to his mother. He also sang the team anthem You'll Never Walk Alone for 50,000 fans at the Feyenoord Centennial Anniversary in the Netherlands.
Music and acting career
Jake worked with music producer David Foster and singer Andrea Bocelli. He performed the song The Prayer with Bocelli in Italy. In 2009, he released the album My Inspiration. His 2010 studio album, Charice, reached number eight on the Billboard 200. This was the first time an Asian solo singer hit the top 10 of that chart. The track Pyramid featuring Iyaz became his most successful single. He acted as Sunshine Corazon in the TV series Glee starting in 2010. In 2011, he released the song Before It Explodes, which Bruno Mars wrote. He released albums called Infinity in 2011, Chapter 10 in 2013, and Catharsis in 2016. He also served as a judge for the Philippine version of The X Factor in 2012. He sang the Star-Spangled Banner at a Los Angeles Dodgers home opener.
Personal identity and transition
Between 2013 and 2017, he identified as a lesbian. He later came out as a transgender male. He underwent male chest reconstruction and started testosterone treatment. At this time, he stopped using the name Charice and adopted the name Jake Zyrus. He has also performed at the Andre Agassi Grand Slam for Children Benefit Concert in Las Vegas. He appeared on Good Morning America with David Foster to promote the Hitman album. He performed at pre-inauguration events for Barack Obama in Washington, D.C. In 2009.
Birthday and age
Jake Zyrus was born on May 10, 1992, which makes Jake 34 years old today. That birthday falls under the Taurus sign. Jake shares the date with 79 other famous people.
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