DIPDEEP: January 2007

Witness how this multi-awarded Filipina artist captured the heart of the whole Asia as she was presented as the as the main performer during the 2006 ASIAN Games in Khalifa Stadium-Doha, Qatar and sang its theme song "Triumph Of The One."

This is another feather to her international stature as a world-class talent.

To note:

Salonga entered show business as a child star. At the age of seven, she made her professional debut in the Philippines by performing in the musical The King and I by Repertory Philippines. She became the lead star of 'Annie' and joined other productions, such as: Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, Fiddler on the Roof, The Rose Tattoo, The Sound Of Music, The Goodbye Girl, Paper Moon and The Fantasticks.

She began her recording career at the age of ten with her first album, Small Voice, which received a Gold certification. Her younger brother Gerard Salonga performed a duet with her with the song, Happiness. Since then he has collaborated her many other times as creative/production assistant. As a child star, she has also hosted her own musical television show, Love, Lea, and opened for Stevie Wonder during his 1998 concert in Manila. She won three Aliw Awards for Best Child Performer from 1981 to 1983. In 1983, her sophomore album, "Lea" was released. She was also part of German Moreno's teen variety show That's Entertainment. The young Lea also appeared with Herbert Bautista in several popular family-oriented Filipino films in the late 1980s such as Ninja Kids, Captain Barbell and Pik Pak Boom.

Salonga's biggest breakthrough came when she was selected to play the leading role of Kim in the musical Miss Saigon in 1989. The producers of the show scoured many Asian countries looking for a relatively unknown actress for the lead role of this major production. For her audition, Salonga chose to sing Boublil and Schönberg's " On My Own" from "Les Miserables," and was later made to sing "Sun and Moon" to test her voice quality's compatibility with the songs in the musical. The members of the panel were "bowled over" by Salonga's rendition of the songs. After Salonga and another actress (Monique Wilson) were tested with songs from the musical, Salonga was offered the role.

For her performance, Salonga was given the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Musical for the 1989/1990 season. From its original London home, Miss Saigon moved to Broadway in 1991. Salonga subsequently garnered the Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards for the same role.