Charice Pempengco, Filipino singer-songwriter and actress
Jake Zyrus (formerly known under the mononym Charice; born May 10, 1992) is a Filipino singer and television personality.In 2007, after some appearances on Philippine television, Zyrus sang on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and the following year, he made several international television appearances, including on The Oprah Winfrey Show. He then began performing in concerts with David Foster and Andrea Bocelli, among others. Zyrus released the studio album Charice in 2010; it entered the Billboard 200 at number eight, making it the first album of an Asian solo singer ever to land in the Top 10. The single "Pyramid" from that album, featuring singer Iyaz, is Zyrus's most successful single to date, charting within the Top 40 in a number of countries after its debut live performance on The Oprah Winfrey Show. He released further albums Chapter 10 in 2013 and Catharsis in 2016.
Crossing over to acting on television, he joined the cast of TV series Glee later in 2010 as Sunshine Corazon. In 2011, "Before It Explodes", written by Bruno Mars, was released as the lead single from Zyrus's second international studio album, Infinity. Zyrus was one of the four judges of the Philippine version of The X Factor, on ABS-CBN, in 2012.Zyrus came out as a gay woman in 2013. In 2017, he came out as a transgender male after having male chest reconstruction and beginning testosterone treatment. He adopted the name Jake Zyrus, and discontinued the use of the name "Charice Pempengco".