Jolina Magdangal

Maria Jolina Perez Magdangal-Escueta (born November 6, 1978 ) is a Filipino singer, actress, television presenter, commercial model, philanthropist and entrepreneur.

Referred to as the Queen of Philippine Pop Culture, she is known for her pop music and camp style.

A cultural figure in the modern era, she is cited as one of the most successful multimedia artists in Philippine entertainment, having achieved immense success across multiple mediums and art forms.

She was appointed as the Official Spokesperson for the Youth and National Youth Advocate by the Office of the President of the Philippines for being an outstanding role model to the youth.

At age 11, Magdangal started out as a member of the singing group 14-K under the supervision of Ryan Cayabyab.

Maria Jolina Perez Magdangal was born on November 6, 1978 in Quezon City to Jun Magdangal and Paulette Perez.

In 1989, Magdangal had her early beginning at the age of eleven as an entertainer through the singing group 14-K under the supervision and training of Master Composer, Ryan Cayabyab.

During those years, she took lessons in singing from Cayabyab, dance from Douglas Nieras, and acting from Gina Alajar and Beverly Vergel.

She made her screen debut in children's sketch comedy Ang TV (1992) and transitioned to teen romance program Gimik (1996).

In 1992, Magdangal had her breakthrough when she was discovered by talent manager and film and television director Johnny Manahan while performing with 14K in the weekly late night musical show Ryan Ryan Musikahan.

She was then invited by Manahan to guest in the ABS-CBN sitcom Mana, which turned out to be her screen test.

After her brief stint in Mana (1992), she made her professional television debut in the youth-oriented program Ang TV where she was featured in musical, sitcom and newscasting segments before she was given her own segment "Payong Kaibigan".

Her inclusion as part of the Ang TV was also her launching as one of the pioneer contract artists of ABS-CBN's Talent Center (now Star Magic).

Magdangal's casting in Ang TV led to more television opportunities.

Her father worked in the marketing and public relations departments of San Miguel Corporation for 21 years before resigning in 1993 to manage Magdangal's career.

Her mother worked at the credit section of the Land Bank of the Philippines before handling the finance department of Magdangal's enterprises.

Magdangal has two siblings, elder sister Melanie and younger brother Jonathan.

After high school at Colegio de San Lorenzo in Quezon City, Magdangal attended a theater-arts course at the University of the Philippines which was cut short when AMA Computer University offered her a scholarship in Computer Science.

In 1994, Magdangal was chosen by Walt Disney Records to be its first Filipino recording artist to sing the theme songs of Disney classics Pocahontas (1995) and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (1996) for Philippine promotion.

Before that, she appeared in the accompanying soundtrack album for the show Ang TV, where she recorded "Magkaibigang Tunay", the theme song of her segment "Payong Kaibigan".

Her early shows included the political satire-sitcom Abangan Ang Susunod Na Kabanata, daily noon-time program ‘Sang Linggo nAPO Sila (1995), and as one of the pioneer host-performer of Asia's longest-running musical variety show ASAP (1995).

In ASAP, her most notable segments were "Tricykat" and "LSS (Love Songs & Stories)".

In 1995, Magdangal appeared in a small role in the film Hataw Na, with Gary Valenciano and Dayanara Torres.

The following year, she had her first big role in the Ang TV-spin-off movie Ang TV: The Adarna Adventures, where she played the role of Princess Adarna, the human form of the Filipino mythical singing bird Ibong Adarna.

After recording theme songs that were non-album released and appearing in a couple of compilation albums, Magdangal released her debut album A Wish Comes True in 1996 under Walt Disney Records.

The album was praised by critics for containing adventurous repertoire; with David Gonzales of allmusic.com saying "The music can be classified as middle-of-the-road, but it is still more adventurous than most albums made by Philippine female and male solo artists... A Wish Comes True, however, has commendable diversity... [and] Magdangal, who is also an actress and television personality, has a fine voice that is full of depth and warmth. The arrangements on the album are excellent and imaginative, showing a lot of pep and creativity. Magdangal has a promising future."

In 1997, Magdangal became known to a wider audience through the film adaptation of the television series F.L.A.M.E.S., and its accompanying soundtrack album where she recorded two original songs, "Sana’y Kapiling Ka" and "Tameme".

The album was commercially successful earning her a double platinum from the record label.

In the movie, she played Leslie, a rich high school student who has a cynical perception of love; who takes it badly when she learns of her classmate Butch's (played by Marvin Agustin) feelings for her.

The Marvin-Jolina team later produced successful film and television projects that made them the "most admired, most followed and most loved team ups of their generation".

Magdangal appears the major role as Karen Alonzo-Montejo in Esperanza (1997-1998), alongside with co-stars Judy Ann Santos, Wowie de Guzman, Marvin Agustin, Angelika Dela Cruz and Jericho Rosales.

She took more roles in films and became more notable for her leading roles in several blockbuster films such as Labs Kita... Okey Ka Lang? (1998), Hey Babe! (1999), Tunay na Tunay: Gets Mo? Gets Ko! (2000), Kung Ikaw Ay Isang Panaginip (2002) and Ouija (2007).

Having sold nearly two million records domestically, Magdangal is one of the best-selling Filipino music artists in history and was the best-selling Filipino solo recording artist of 1999 in the Philippines.

She is one of the three Filipino female recording artist with at least two or more albums that sold 200,000 copies.

Her self-titled album Jolina (1999) and all-revival-songs On Memory Lane (2000) are among the best-selling albums of all time in the Philippines and is one of the four Filipino recording artist with multiple entries within the Top 20. Her accolades include two FAMAS Awards, five PMPC Star Awards for Television, seven Box Office Entertainment Awards and a commendation from Asian Television Awards.

She also starred as the main host in several major talent search shows including StarStruck (2003) and Pinoy Idol (2008).

While in Film Development Council of the Philippines's Sine Sandaan, a celebration of the 100th year of Philippine cinema, the tandem was recognized as one of the luminaries under the Love Team Ng Sentenaryo category for their unparalleled contribution and years of hard work for the Philippine cinema.

In November 2011, Magdangal married Rivermaya's drummer Mark Escueta on a double-wedding ceremony, first on November 19 in a church wedding and the second is on November 21 in a garden wedding.

They have two children, Pele Iñigo, born February 18, 2014, and Vika Anaya, born May 28, 2018.

She has been one of the main host of the long-running morning talk show Magandang Buhay since 2016 and appears in Tawag ng Tanghalan as judge and the variety show ASAP as an occasional performer.