The Filipinos’ real life Disney princess: Lea Salonga

I grew up admiring the strength and beauty of Mulan and Jasmine (Aladdin). I was never really someone who loved the Disney movies where princesses just lied around and waited for the prince to come and save the day. Jasmine, Mulan, Pocahontas, Megara (Hercules), Esmeralda (The Hunchback of Notre-Dame), and of course Belle (The Beauty and the Beast) were all different.

However, it took me a lot of time until I realized that two of my fav characters got their beautiful, empowering voice from the same person; Lea Salonga.

So, I decided I write a post about her career and life to show you how awesome she is. She may have lent her voice to some kick-ass princesses but she’s a kick-ass queen in real life.

Here is a couple of breathtaking info about here:
She is an award-winning Filipina singer, actress, & Broadway diva: Lea Salonga

Image credit | Wikia.com

She gave her voice to not one but two Disney characters.

Princess Jasmine from Aladdin

and Fa Mulan from Mulan

It was over 25 years ago now, but her beauty and unforgettable voice still shine like a diamond.
She’s still giving concerts all over the world. So, if you’re lucky and very fast you can catch a once in a lifetime show! She has an unbelievable vocal range from D3 to C6 and as a Disney princess, she proved she has head tones which reach up to F5. Throughout her career, she proved herself as an artist who is able to give you goosebumps all over your body with her wide array of emotions and soundscapes.

But let her voice speak for itself!
First, a song that was sung countless of times all over the world since its release in 1992.
This beautiful and hopeful love song stole our hearts and here you can listen to it live with the also talented Il Divo. I bet you still sing this song over and over:

Aladdin: A whole new world

And one of my absolute favorites!

Mulan: Reflection

Lea started her career in theater. She was only 18 when she starred as Kim in the original West End production of Miss Saigon.

Image credit | Pinterest.com

Over the years she proved to be unstoppable as she conquered not just The Philippines but the whole world’s heart as well. She won her first Tony when she was only 20. She appeared in many other leading roles in the most famous Broadway productions after another.
Just to mention the biggest ones.

Éponine and Fantine – Les Misérables.

Les Misérables – On My Own

Grizabella – Cats.

Cats – Memory

Lea Salonga in rodgers & hammerstein's Cinderella

However, Lea stayed humble and never forgot where she came from.
Over the years she proved that she’s not just a world class artist but a world class philanthropist as well. She wholeheartedly supports education and believes this way many lives can be changed. I guess we don’t even have to mention how much we agree and indeed support this cause as well. She is also on the list of many Most charitable Filipino celebrities list.

I’d like to see how far they can go as far as education is concerned, this is something I really want to watch closely. It’s really great that you can track their progress.

Image credit | yunga-youth.weebly.com

If you’re a fan of talent shows then you may want to check out The Voice where she was a judge and she also coached Mitoy Yonting the winner of the first season.

Vica Ganda (On the left), Mitoy (On the right) and Lea (She joins in later)
– ‘Total eclipse of the heart’ Live at The Voice Philippines Finale