2008–2012: Career beginnings, ''Goin' Bulilit'', and TOP At the age of two, she performed in various TV commercials for brands such as
Vaseline,
Johnson's Baby,
Smart,
Cheez Whiz,
McDonald's, and
Jollibee. She become more prominent when she joined the children's comedy show ''
Goin' Bulilit'' in 2008. Aside from that, she also played minor roles for various
series such as
May Bukas Pa,
Nasaan Ka, Elisa?,
A Beautiful Affair, and several episodes of
Maalaala Mo Kaya. She has also played roles in films such as
For The First Time,
The Reunion, and
Amorosa: The Revenge. During her stay in ''Goin' Bulilit
, she was first paired with fellow actor Nash Aguas for the episode Goin' Bulilit Presents: In My Dreams.'' In 2012, she was included in the group
Tweens Of Pop together with fellow
Bulilit stars Angel Sy,
Mika dela Cruz, and
Noemi Oineza. The group released a self-titled extended play under
Star Music, its lead single
Crush becoming the OST for the sitcom
Luv U starring
Miles Ocampo,
Marco Gumabao,
Angeli Gonzales,
CJ Navato,
Kiray Celis, and
Igi Boy Flores.
2013–2016: Luv U, The NLex Loveteam and her debut in the music scene In 2013, she exited ''
Goin' Bulilit alongside fellow Bulilits'' Kobi Vidanes, Joseph Andre Garcia, Aaron Juntas, and Angel Sy. Her first lead role was when she played as Lexie Domingo in the second season of the youth-oriented comedy TV sitcom
Luv U, the official starting point of her loveteam partnership with
Gimme 5 member
Nash Aguas, famously known as "NLex". From there, they have been paired again multiple times, their other projects include various
MMK and
Wansapanataym episodes. She also played the young
Maria Mercedes in the eponymous series. In 2014, she and Aguas were paired again to do Camille and Drew in the television series
Bagito which was based on the
Wattpad series of the same name by Noreen Capili. After
Luv U concluded in 2016, Ilacad created a YouTube channel and started uploading Beauty, Lifestyle, and Travel vlogs as well as Song Music Covers. In the same year, she and Aguas landed a role on the fourth season of the hit series
Doble Kara as Patricia Hernandez and Paolo Acosta. She also played the role
Jewel,
Angel Locsin's sister in the award-winning film
Everything About Her with
Vilma Santos. In addition, she joined the reality music competition
We Love OPM: The Celebrity Sing-Offs as part of
Team Yeng: Oh My Girls. She, together with
GirlTrends member Krissha Viaje, and
88rising artist
Ylona Garcia were coached and trained by their mentor
Pop Rock Royalty Yeng Constantino. The girls finished the competition as runners-up just behind the winner, Team
Erik's
Tres Kantos. Soon after finishing
We Love OPM, she was launched as
Star Music’s newest
Teen Pop Rock Artist. She released her debut album
To The Moon & Back with the spunky carrier single
Pakipot, Suplado with music video directed by
Kean Cipriano, featuring Nash Aguas. Her album had six songs:
Not Too Young, Kung Pwede Lang, Pakipot, Suplado, Kahit Saan, Kahit Kailan, Dream Boat, Puso, and an acoustic version of
Kahit Saan, Kahit Kailan, also featuring Aguas. The songs from this album were originals were written by her best friend, Eunice Jorge, the vocalist of rock band
Gracenote. Her debut album became a hit after consistently charting in
MOR 101.9's
Biga10 for several weeks.
2017–2020: Loveteam breakup and her solo career In 2017, she received her Silver Play Creator Award from YouTube for surpassing over 100k subscribers in
ASAP Chillout. Currently, her channel has more than 670,000 subscribers. In the same year, Ilacad and Aguas were paired again in the crime drama television series
The Good Son as Justine and Calvin. The series lasted until April 13, 2018, and the ending also marked the conclusion of Ilacad and Aguas' loveteam. The pair, with support from the management decided to split-up as a means for them to focus on each other's solo careers. Apart from
The Good Son, Ilacad also appeared in
Star Cinema's action-comedy film
Extra Service starring
Arci Muñoz,
Coleen Garcia, and
Jessy Mendiola, and romantic-comedy film
Finally Found Someone starring
Sarah Geronimo and
John Lloyd Cruz. Aside from these, she also played roles in
Maalaala Mo Kaya as young
Karla Estrada in the episode
Autograph with
Angelica Panganiban and Karla Estrada and as
Joy in the episode
Kulungan with
Lorna Tolentino. Ilacad also took part in
ABS-CBN's 2017 Summer Station ID,
Ikaw Ang Sunshine Ko along with
BoybandPH,
Maymay Entrata,
Kisses Delavin,
Yong Muhajil, and
Edward Barber,
Noven Belleza,
Sam Mangubat and Froilan Canlas, and
Sue Ramirez,
Kristel Fulgar,
Sharlene San Pedro,
Kira Balinger, and
Ylona Garcia. In 2019, Ilacad played the role of
Luna Dela Cuesta, in the drama series
The Killer Bride as well as
Rose in the
iWantTFC original series
Call Me Tita. In October of the same year, she scored her first lead film role through the horror film
Santigwar under Horseshoe Studios and
Reality Entertainment. She played the role of
Hasmin. She also played the role of Bobbie Salazar (originally played by
Bea Alonzo) in the 2020 film
Four Sisters Before the Wedding, the prequel of the 2013 hit
Four Sisters and a Wedding. After four years, in 2020, she came back to the music scene with new single
Love at First Sight under a new music label,
OFF THE RECORD (under Exclusive License to
MCA Music Inc.).
2021–present: New projects, new music, PBB, and KDLex In 2021, she was cast as Hannah Salcedo in the
Kapamilya Channel drama series
Init Sa Magdamag, where she was paired with
Gab Lagman. She also released a Frank Pole remix and Acoustic version of her 2020 single
Love at First Sight and another single entitled
Stay Right Here which she promoted on
''It's Showtime'''s segment
Hide and Sing as
TagoKanta #1, where
AC Bonifacio successfully guessed her as the episode's celebrity singer. She also starred in another
Maalaala Mo Kaya episode
Libro with
Kira Balinger and
Yves Flores. In the same year, she joined
Pinoy Big Brother: Kumunity Season 10, the tenth overall season of
Pinoy Big Brother, as part of the first batch of housemates in the Celebrity Edition, having been evicted on Day 71 alongside fellow housemate
KD Estrada. Her time inside the
Bahay ni Kuya resulted in a discussion on
body dysmorphia, after an altercation between her and fellow housemate and
Init Sa Magdamag co-star
Albie Casiño, a conflict that occurred with fellow housemates livestreamer Eian Rances and comedian Brenda Mage, and her eventual closeness with
KD Estrada that grew as they consoled each other from their individual
episodes inside the house. In 2022, after being evicted, she and Estrada began to appear on a number of shows and interviews together such as
IWant ASAP, Kumunity: G sa Gabi with Robi Domingo,
KAPAMILYA Journeys of Hope with Father Tito Caluag,
PBB Kumu Big Arrival where they performed with musical icon
Rico Blanco and ''
ASAP Natin 'To as singers/performers. Ilacad was also chosen as the host of the online gameshow Quiz Mo Ko'' on the
Kumu platform for the month of February—and eventually extended until March.
ABS-CBN launched a project for the victims of typhoon
Odette—100 days of various fundraising activities starting from the
10-day By Request benefit concert.
KDLex, Estrada and Ilacad's love team partnership were part of the first lineup of artists to perform. During their session, they reached over 100,000 live viewers. Shortly after the announcement, Ilacad and Estrada held the online fan concert event through KTX.ph entitled
Closer: The KDLex Fan Con on February 26, in time with her 22nd birthday. SVIP and VIP tickets for their concert reportedly became sold-out in just an hour, and several times more instantly after being restocked due to popular demand. Ilacad also released her first single of the year,
Paano (How) which peaked No. 1 on
iTunes Philippines.
Paano was her first self-written song to be officially released to the public. Prior to the
KDLex concert, the pair delivered their first single
Misteryo (Mystery) under
Star Music, as well as the
Pinoy Big Brother: Kumunity Season 10 – Adult Edition eviction song,
When I See You Again which the pair wrote and composed together during their time in the Big Brother House. In less than 12 hours, the two singles placed #1 and #2 respectively on the
iTunes Philippines Top 100. Ahead of the
2022 Philippine presidential election, Ilacad along with Estrada,
Angela Ken, Antenorcruz, FANA, iDolls,
Janine Berdin, JM Yosures, JMKO,
Jona, Anji Salvacion,
Lara Maigue, Reiven Umali, and the
TNT Boys took part in the release of the reimagined version of
Pag-Isipan Mo Ang Boto Mo (Think Over Your Vote) which was originally composed and recorded by
Jamie Rivera. In April 2022, Ilacad was the first cover girl in the inaugural edition of Star Magic's digital video magazine
SLAY, which marked the agency's 30th anniversary. In May the same year, Ilacad and Estrada starred in the miniseries
Run To Me directed by
Dwein Baltazar. Along with the series, the pair also dropped their soundtrack album which reached no.1 on the local
iTunes chart. Their official soundtrack album ranked atop the local album list, while five of its tracks placed in the top 10 songs chart,
Hiwaga (Magic) at 1st spot, followed by
Palagi (Alwaya) at 2nd,
Kasi, Kung, Kahit (Because, If, Despite) at 3rd,
Misteryo at 4th, and
When I See You Again at 5th. The single versions of
When I See You Again, and
Misteryo also placed 6th and 8th respectively. In total, seven out of the top 10 songs on
iTunes Philippines at the time were from the pair. In August,
Star Magic toured in the United States as part of their 30th anniversary celebration, with Ilacad among its performers. The artists first performed in the
Newport Performing Arts Theater,
Resorts World Manila, followed by the US shows in
Kings Theater, Brooklyn,
The Warfield, San Francisco, and in the
Saban Theatre,
Beverly Hills. Through their fan's support, Ilacad and Estrada landed a billboard in
South Korea as the pair won the
Best International Artist at IdolPick's
82nd Electronic Signboard Event, and again the following month at its
83rd Electronic Signboard Event. In November, the
Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) included Ilacad and Estrada as its members and selected them as lead actors in PETA's return to producing original Filipino musicals through musical play
Walang Aray (No Pain), a take on
Severino Reyes' 1898 classic zarzuela
Walang Sugat (No Wound). The play opened on February 17 and ran until May 14, 2023. In 2024, Ilacad was announced as a host for
Pinoy Big Brother: Gen 11, where she was given the moniker of "
Ang Gen Z Bestie
ni Kuya" (). She would later reprise the said role for the two
Celebrity Collab seasons. In 2025, Ilacad was revealed to be a contender for the
fourth season of
Your Face Sounds Familiar. Despite finishing the season with the highest amount of points (271), she finished the season as the first runner-up with a final score of 93.5%, trailing behind the duo of JM Dela Cerna and Marielle Montellano, also known as JMielle by a slim margin of 0.5% points. ==Personal life==