Charice

The Filipino singer Charice was born Charmaine Pempengo in Cabuyao, Laguna in 1992. Having enjoyed a stellar career which included numerous appearances on international TV shows and a string of hit albums the singer stunned fans in 2017 by announcing she wished to identify as a male and would now go by the name Jake Zyrus. The singer's first break in the music business came after the US chat show host Ellen DeGeneres saw some videos online and invited Zyrus on to her show. Despite never having released a record, the young Filipino was invited onto numerous other TV shows both in the US and the UK and Oprah Winfrey began to champion the singer's cause eventually contacting the well-known Canadian music producer David Foster and asking for his help. Under Foster's guidance the singer's career flourished and a series of hit albums followed. Zyrus cites artists such as Celine Dion, Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey and Justin Timberlake as being important influences. Prior to the gender transition, Zyrus was recognised within the industry as having an extraordinary soprano voice and the artist also made an appearance in the hit TV series 'Glee'.