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The Filipino singer and Glee actor formerly known as Charice Pempengco announced this week that his new name is Jake Zyrus.
Zyrus took to Twitter to share the new name with fans, three years after appearing on the Oprah Winfrey special Where Are They Now and sharing that “my soul is male.”
Zyrus originally came to fame as a teenager by releasing covers of pop hits like Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” and Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” online, which garnered a great deal of industry attention and a guest-star spot as Sunshine Corazon on Glee. Zyrus also became the first Asian solo singer to land a top 10 spot on the Billboard 200 albums chart with 2010’s Charice.
In announcing his transition, Zyrus was humbled by the positive reactions he received from fans.
Read his tweets below:
My first tweet as Jake. Overwhelmed. Saw all your love comments and I’m so happy. Finally. I love you, everyone and see you soon.
— Jake Zyrus (@jakezyrus) June 20, 2017
I won’t let anyone ruin this moment. I won’t let anyone ruin my happiness. Thank you to all the beautiful write ups about me.
— Jake Zyrus (@jakezyrus) June 20, 2017
forever grateful. let’s just love one another. i love you all. I really do. I reaaaaalllyyyy ddddoooo.
— Jake Zyrus (@jakezyrus) June 20, 2017
This story first appeared on Billboard.com.
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