Sarah Geronimo

Sarah Asher Tua Geronimo, the third of four siblings, was born on July 25, 1988, in Santa Cruz, Manila. Her father, Delfin, was a lineman for telecommunications company PLDT, while her mother, Divina (née Tua), was educated at University of Santo Tomas, where she majored in economics. Her family struggled financially and frequently moved houses; At age two, she began singing and had performed in front of a crowd; her singing interest led her to join several amateur singing competitions. During her first competition, she performed Shirley Bassey's "The Greatest Performance of My Life". == Music career ==

2002–2003: Star for a Night and rise to prominence in 2005 Geronimo was a junior at the University of Santo Tomas Education High School when she joined the reality television singing contest Star for a Night, based on the British talent show of the same name. Looking back, she recalled that she had auditioned for the contest three times, and was resentful after her second attempt. After her win, she was signed to a record deal with Viva Records. where she received her high-school diploma in 2007. After Star for a Night, Geronimo released her debut studio album Popstar: A Dream Come True. "Forever's Not Enough", written by Vehnee Saturno, and her rendition of Dion's "To Love You More". The album has sold over 300,000 units in the Philippines, and was certified 5× platinum. In support of the album, she headlined a concert in October at the Music Museum in Greenhills, San Juan. At the second inauguration of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on June 30, 2004, in Manila, Geronimo sang the Philippine National Anthem. The following month, she, Erik Santos, and Rachelle Ann Go co-headlined the concert titled Night of the Champions at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City; the production won the Best Major Concert Collaboration at the 2005 Aliw Awards. Her second studio album, Sweet Sixteen, was released that year; it contained the lead single, "How Could You Say You Love Me". De Walden noted Geronimo's distinctive vocal ability, and recalled that she studied the demos during the album's production. In 2007, Geronimo headlined In Motion, which was first staged at the Araneta Coliseum on July 14, followed by a US leg in August. It received favorable reviews, with praise towards Geronimo's reinvention of her artistry. "Ikaw" was named the Song of the Year at the 2008 Myx Music Awards. In 2008, Geronimo worked again with De Walden for her 16-track studio album, Just Me, which included a duet titled "I'll Be There" with Howie Dorough of the Backstreet Boys. At the Araneta Coliseum in November 2008, she headlined The Next One at the Araneta Coliseum, which was later followed by a US leg and a re-staging the following year. In November 2009, she headlined a concert titled Record Breaker at the Araneta Coliseum. Geronimo won the Star Award for Female Pop Artist in 2009 for her compilation album OPM. She later announced that she began production on her next studio album Music and Me, She also collaborated with Christian Bautista for a cover of Jose Mari Chan and Regine Velasquez's "Please Be Careful with My Heart", which is also released in Bautista's album Romance Revisited: The Love Songs of Jose Mari Chan. For the album, Geronimo won the Star Award for Best Female Recording Artist. 2011–2013: One Heart and Expressions In February 2011, she collaborated with Martin Nievera in a Valentine's Day concert titled What Love Is at the Araneta Coliseum. In May, she released her eighth studio album, One Heart, which features a mix of original compositions and covers of OPM songs, such as "Sino Nga Ba Siya" and "Kung Siya ang Mahal", both written by Saturno. Asilo praised her musical style, while also highlighting Geronimo's "growing maturity", Geronimo began 2012 by appearing in Sarah G. Live, a weekly musical show that featured performances by musical guests. She said of the show: "Every time I do shows onstage to perform, I am not that confident. I still get nervous." Critic Mark Angelo Ching of the Philippine Entertainment Portal (PEP) praised Geronimo's vocal abilities, but criticized her talk show abilities. That July, she headlined a concert titled 24/SG at the Araneta Coliseum, which won the category for the Best Major Concert by a Female Artist at the 25th Aliw Awards; A review from ABS-CBN News described Geronimo as a "total performer", while also highlighting her stage presence. In 2013, the tour was extended to the United States and re-staged. Also in 2013, she released and produced her album titled Expressions, coinciding with her ten-year career milestone. Its lead single, "Ikot-Ikot", featured drum beats and elements of electronic dance music (EDM). Joseph Atilano of the Philippine Daily Inquirer wrote: "[Geronimo] deliver[ed] her vocals with a sense of urgency that matches the upbeat pace of [the song]." Patricia Esteves of The Philippine Star praised Geronimo for the maturity she displayed during the concert, also highlighting her stage presence. which won the Favorite Music Video at the 2015 Myx Music Awards. That same year, Geronimo was a coach on The Voice franchise series The Voice of the Philippines, and later returned in its spin-offs The Voice Kids and The Voice Teens. 2014–2017: Perfectly Imperfect and The Great Unknown Geronimo released the album Perfectly Imperfect in 2014, which included the single "Kilometro", written by Thyro Alfaro and Yumi Lacsamana. Geronimo released The Great Unknown in late 2015. Its lead single "Tala", was written and composed by Nica del Rosario, Emmanuel Sambayan, and Jumbo "Bojam" de Belen. She also performed a two-date concert titled From the Top at the Araneta Coliseum in December 2015. 2018–present: This 15 Me and Billboard award In 2018, Geronimo announced her new studio album titled This 15 Me. A celebration of her 15-year career, it yielded the singles "Sandata", "Ganito", and "Duyan". An accompanying music video for "Sandata" was released in July; directed by Paul Basinillo, it features Geronimo portraying the role of three different women in different storylines. The album was released in April; that same month, she embarked on its accompanying concert tour which began at the Araneta Coliseum. and a Dubai leg in September. Reviews highlighted and commended Geronimo's musical versatility, vocal abilities, and stage performances. From late 2019 to early 2020, Geronimo's song "Tala" resurged into popularity after its accompanying dance challenge set to the song became a trend on social media; this resulted in the song's music surpassing 140 million views on YouTube in June 2020. In February 2020, Geronimo and Regine Velasquez co-headlined a concert, titled Unified, for which she was nominated for Female Concert Performer of the Year at the 2022 Star Awards for Music. Following her marriage to Matteo Guidicelli, she took a hiatus from her career. Despite the hiatus, her livestream concert, titled Tala: The Film Concert, was broadcast in 2021 via livestream platforms; it featured rearrangements of her previously released songs and was shot at the Araneta Coliseum. After a four-year hiatus from releasing music material, Geronimo released her single Dati-Dati in October 2022. Written by Jin Chan and produced by Su Ganade and Dylan Graham, it is described as an "ear-tweaking dance [track] that is grooving", with lyrics focusing on reliving positive experiences from the past. Later that month, she then released the next single "Cuore", which was co-written by Thyro Alfaro, Yumi Lacsamana, and her husband Matteo Guidicelli. Geronimo said that she at first rejected the song because the lyrics were too reminiscent of her personal life. To mark her 20-year career milestone, Geronimo released her single "Habang Buhay" in March 2023. Two months later, also in commemoration of the milestone, Geronimo directed and headlined a concert in the Araneta Coliseum. During the concert, she debuted the single "My Mind" in collaboration with Billy Crawford, who served as the song's co-writer and co-producer; its accompanying music video was released the following year. Also at the Araneta Coliseum, Geronimo and Bamboo Mañalac co-headlined a concert that July. She then released two collaboration singles: "Treading Water" with Bamboo and "Alam" with John Roa of the hip-hop group Ex Battalion. In March 2024, Geronimo was honored with a Global Force Award at the Billboard Women in Music event at the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles, California, becoming the first Filipino to receive an award in the event show's history. At the Philippine edition of the event in the same month, Billboard Philippines named her as the Woman of the Year. == Acting career ==

2003–2007: Beginnings In 2003, Geronimo made her film debut in the family drama Filipinas. Its soundtrack includes Geronimo's rendition of "Paano Kita Mapasasalamatan?". Also in 2003, she starred in the superhero film Captain Barbell, based on the superhero of the same name. The following year, she appeared in another superhero film Lastikman: Unang Banat, based on Mars Ravelo's comics superhero Lastikman, playing the love interest of the title character (played by Mark Bautista). In 2005, Geronimo starred in a leading role on the television series Sarah the Teen Princess. In 2006, Geronimo starred in the primetime soap opera Bituing Walang Ningning, a remake of the 1985 film of the same name. The following year, she starred in the television series Pangarap na Bituin, which is loosely based on the 1986 film ''Sana'y Wala Nang Wakas''. She co-starred alongside Maja Salvador and Rica Peralejo as three sisters who were orphaned and separated after their parents died in the Mayon Volcano eruption. Initially resentful after her separation, Geronimo's character was raised by a musician, who inspired her to pursue a music career. It was also submitted for consideration for Best Telenovela at the 36th International Emmy Awards. 2008–2013: Box office successes The Cathy Garcia-Molina-directed film A Very Special Love (2008) featured Geronimo in a lead role opposite John Lloyd Cruz. She played Laida Magtalas, a college graduate who became assistant to a magazine editor (John Lloyd Cruz). When asked about her role, Geronimo said she was at first reluctant to work with him. The film was a commercial success, grossing million (million) at the box office, She reprised her role in its sequel, You Changed My Life, saw Geronimo reprise her role of Laida Magtalas, who was promoted to the executive of a magazine she previously worked on in the previous film. It was also a commercial success, grossing million (million) at the box office, In 2010, she starred in the musical drama series 1DOL. Next, she co-starred alongside Judy Ann Santos in the comedy Hating Kapatid. In 2011, she co-starred alongside Gerald Anderson in ''Catch Me, I'm in Love. Writing for the Philippine Entertainment Portal, Nica Tomines remarked, "Sarah effortlessly conveys the emotions of a girl who falls in love for the first time, and she falls real hard." Next, she played a radio DJ in Won't Last A Day Without You. Abigail Mendoza of the Philippine Entertainment Portal'' described Geronimo's performance as an improvement to her previous film, adding that she "establish[ed] her knack for drama and comedy, [and] romantic comedies prove to be her forte". The film became Geronimo's biggest commercial success to date, grossing million (million) in the box office, making it the highest-grossing Philippine film at the time. Geronimo was also named Box Office Queen for the third time in her career, and won the Golden Screen Award for Best Actress. 2014–present: Romance films and dramas In 2014, Geronimo starred alongside Martin in the romantic drama Maybe This Time. Julia Allende wrote that Geronimo's performance is "just about as delightful" compared to her previous performances. For its soundtrack, Geronimo also covered the song "Maybe This Time", originally performed by Michael Martin Murphey in 1983; the cover became a sleeper hit in 2024. She next co-starred alongside Piolo Pascual in The Breakup Playlist (2015), for which she earned a nomination for the Star Awards for Best Actress. Geronimo reunited with John Lloyd Cruz in Finally Found Someone (2017). Geronimo stated that the story and characters were different from those of the A Very Special Love film trilogy, and that she wanted to play more mature roles in films. Asilo described Geronimo's performance as being "lovelier than ever" compared to her previous performances, The film was commercially successful, grossing million at the box office. Geronimo played the lead role in Joyce Bernal's Miss Granny, an adaptation of the 2014 South Korean film of the same name. In the film, Fely (Nova Villa), a 70-year-old woman, gets transformed into her 20-year-old self after a visit to a photo studio. To prepare for this, Geronimo visited retirement homes and studied Villa's mannerisms so that she could emulate them in her performance. She said of her character: "This is my first time to be a mom [and] to be a grandmother ... But it's very challenging for me to imagine that I'm already old." Critics reviewed the film positively, and likened and compared Geronimo's voice to that of Villa. Film critic Oggs Cruz wrote: "[Miss Granny] is more a spotlight as to what kind of artist Geronimo has become." She also recorded the songs "Kiss Me, Kiss Me" and "Isa Pang Araw" for the film's soundtrack, which won the Best Performance by a Female Recording Artist and Best Song Written for Movie, TV, or Stage Play at the 2019 Awit Awards. Gil likened and compared the soundtrack to Filipino pop music from the 1960s and the 1970s. Directed by Perci Intalan and Jun Robles Lana, Unforgettable (2019) featured Geronimo as an autistic woman who finds a stray dog and takes care of it, and brings it while traveling to Baguio to see her sick grandmother in a hospital. In preparation for her role, she met with people on the autism spectrum. Unforgettable received mixed reviews; The Philippine Star Ferdinand Topacio criticized the film's plot but praised Geronimo's performance, She earned a nomination for Movie Actress of the Year at the 36th Star Awards for Movies. Geronimo will star in a Philippine adaptation of the South Korean film Wonderful Nightmare (2015), and is set to co-star with John Lloyd Cruz in an untitled upcoming film. == Artistry ==

Influences Geronimo's father introduced her to music at a young age. Her musical inspiration varies from classic musicians like Frank Sinatra, Tom Jones, The Beatles, Elvis Presley, and the Bee Gees, to pop and R&B singers like Whitney Houston and Celine Dion. adding that the latter made her realize the value of hard work in pursuing a career in music. She also expressed interest in collaborating with him on a concert. whereas her contributions to the Miss Granny soundtrack was influenced by 1960s and 1970s music from Filipino artists, including Nora Aunor and Pilita Corrales. and The Dawn, by co-performing the band's single "Salamat" at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan. Musical style and themes Geronimo's music is generally pop, but she has also incorporated R&B and EDM into her material. Initially, Geronimo primarily recorded sentimental ballads, Producer Christian De Walden said of Geronimo's voice: "The personality of her voice is phenomenally distinct. ... People who really know music can tell [her] voice is her own." == Public image and impact ==

Geronimo has been regarded as one of the most accomplished entertainers of her generation. Media publications have referred her as the country's "Popstar Royalty", and classified her as a triple threat entertainer. A critic from ABS-CBN News wrote that she "prove[d] that every singer, to be considered successful, can hit the high notes in any song." The Philippine Star Patricia Esteves wrote, "That Sarah chose her own songs worked to her advantage because she was able to deliver heartfelt, soulful renditions. Because every song is meaningful and personal to her, Sarah was able to connect with the audience and display the right emotion." Jason Dy has stated Geronimo promoted the value of hardwork and craft while Morisette said that she was likened or compared to Geronimo in terms of her voice. Darren Espanto credited Geronimo for learning about "sing[ing] from the heart". Other entertainers who cited Geronimo as an influence or inspiration include Charice Pempengco and Maymay Entrata. Singer Regine Velasquez, whom she cited as a major influence, declared that Geronimo is the "queen of [the entertainment] industry". In December 2009, Geronimo received a star on the Philippines' Walk of Fame. In 2014, she was named Yes! magazine's Most Beautiful Star. Forbes Asia listed her among the 100 Digital Stars in 2020. In 2013, she was honored as an ambassador for music by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA). In 2021, Tatler named her as one of the most influential people in Asia, and was also recognized as one of Asia's Leaders of Tomorrow in the publication's annual Gen T list. == Other activities ==

Geronimo is a co-founder of G Productions, a production company that produces concerts and shows. The formation of the company was conceived by her husband Matteo Guidicelli during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, where they were filming music videos at home. In 2023, the two opened G Studios in Alabang, Muntinlupa; it is described as a mixed-use building that "[would] cater to all advertising, media, and event needs". Geronimo said of her venture into business: "It started during the pandemic, [because our] materials ... we were doing it on our own." She also donated proceeds for her Perfect 10 concert in 2013 to the victims of Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda), which is one of the deadliest typhoons recorded in the Philippines. Geronimo has also been a spokesperson for various brands, including Jollibee, TNT, Shopee, Banco de Oro (BDO), and Sun Life Financial. == Personal life ==

Geronimo became a born-again Christian in 2007; she regularly attends the Victory Christian Fellowship. Before principal photography for You Changed My Life commenced, Geronimo was romantically involved with Rayver Cruz. In 2014, she stated that she had been in a relationship Matteo Guidicelli since 2013. They met in 2011 during production of ''Catch Me, I'm in Love''. Geronimo announced her engagement on November 7, 2019, and they married on February 20, 2020, in a private ceremony in Taguig. Guidicelli admitted of having a crush on his wife prior to them being a couple and he also revealed that they placed God at the center of their relationship. == Achievements ==

Throughout her career, Geronimo has received many accolades and honors, including 16 Awit Awards, 6 Aliw Awards, 15 Star Awards, and 28 Myx Music Awards. She was also honored as the Best Asian Artist at the Mnet Asian Music Awards in 2012, the MTV Europe Music Award for Best Southeast Asian Act in 2014, Best-Selling Filipino Artist at the World Music Awards, and Best Asian Performer at the 2016 Classic Rock Roll of Honour Awards, in addition to nominations for Favorite Asian Act at the 2013 Kids' Choice Awards, and for the Best Female Artist, Best Live Act, and Entertainer of the Year at the World Music Awards in 2013, Geronimo was also a recipient of the FAMAS Award's Golden Artist in 2009. In 2024, she was honored with the Global Force Award during the Billboard Women in Music event in Los Angeles. == Discography ==

• Popstar: A Dream Come True (2003) • Sweet Sixteen (2004) • Becoming (2006) • Taking Flight (2007) • Just Me (2008) • Music and Me (2009) • One Heart (2011) • Expressions (2013) • Perfectly Imperfect (2014) • The Great Unknown (2015) • This 15 Me (2018) ==Filmography==

• A Very Special Love (2008) • You Changed My Life (2009) • ''Catch Me, I'm in Love'' (2011) • ''Won't Last a Day Without You'' (2011) • It Takes a Man and a Woman (2013) • Maybe This Time (2014) • The Breakup Playlist (2015) • Finally Found Someone (2017) • Miss Granny (2018) • Unforgettable (2019) == Notes ==