Charice Pempengco, popularly known as Jake Zyrus, rose to worldwide fame when her vocal chords astounded many. The Filipina was given the chance to work with the likes of David Forster, Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli - up until she became Jake Zyrus, and laid low. Where she is now?

It's her birthday and we are beyond interested.

 

Charice Pempengco aka Jake Zyrus Age, Net Worth

Pempengco aka Zyrus is a Filipino singer and actor with a net worth of $6 million.

In Laguna, Philippines, Charmaine Clarice Relucio Pempengco was born.

As a child, she began her career in 2007 by entering in singing contests to help support her family. In 2005, she placed third on the popular Filipino singing competition show "Little Big Star." When a fan uploaded footage of her singing to YouTube, she began to garner significant exposure.

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Her performances in Sweden drew the attention of Ten Songs/Productions, and she subsequently recorded her first demo. Since then, her career has soared, and she has performed all over the world and appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres Show and the Oprah Winfrey Show.

 

She has performed with Andrea Bocelli in Italy and Celine Dion at Madison Square Garden. She joined the cast of "Glee" in Season 2 as a foreign exchange student who confronts Rachel Berry, played by Lea Michelle.

Five of her studio albums have been certified Platinum.

Why Coming Out as a Lesbian Was NOT Enough

In 2013, Charice came out as a lesbian. In 2017, she acquired the name Jake Zyrus and announced her full transition to male.

Jake Zyrus disclosed his former identity as Charice Pempengco and the agony he endured while concealing his gender identity prior to coming out as a transgender man.

"When Charice was found, sitting onstage with David Foster & Friends, Oprah (Winfrey), and Ellen (DeGeneres) was one of my [pains], she revealed in an interview with Toni Gonzaga's YouTube vlog, June 30. Why? Because he knew the magnitude of those opportunities and did not want to appear ungrateful

He noted that he continuously grappled with how he defined himself, even before his music industry career took off. "It was always there - the difficulty and sorrow of concealing oneself, he explained, which many members of the LGBTQ can relate with.

Zyrus described how his confusion damaged his mental health and the moment when his troubles drove him to commit suicide. 

When he considered coming out, he learned that he mostly concerned the acceptance of others, namely Foster, Winfrey, and his followers. Following his third try at sucide, he recalled that Foster was one of the first individuals to see him in the hospital. He noted that Foster did not force him to wear a dress for their performance later that day, which he now deems significant. Check the performance below:

 

He ultimately found self-acceptance and is now certainly, much more at peace with things. 

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