Rachelle Ann Go

She has also portrayed Fantine in various productions and tours of Les Misérables, including the show's 30th anniversary at the Sondheim Theater.

Rachelle Ann Villalobos Go (born August 31, 1986) is a Filipino singer and actress.

Known primarily for her work in theater, she has starred in musicals on Broadway and West End.

She began her career as a pop artist in her native country and has received numerous accolades, including an Aliw Award, an MTV Pilipinas Music Award, two Awit Awards, and five Myx Music Awards.

Tatler magazine named her one of the most influential people in Asia in 2021.

Rachelle Ann Villalobos Go was born on August 31, 1986, in Pasig, Metro Manila.

She is the eldest of four children to Oscar Go and Russell Villalobos.

Her mother was a member of an all-girl group that performed as a touring band in Japan.

Go's younger brother, Oz Go, is a fashion designer who has since established his eponymous brand of bridal and ready-to-wear line.

Her father raised her to pursue musical interests, and would encourage her to perform in front of a crowd.

He was passionate about different types of musical instruments and wanted his children to learn how to play one.

According to her mother, Go's singing was discovered when she was six months old and began humming a song.

She learned to sing at age three, and would perform Manilyn Reynes's "Sayang na Sayang" all on her own.

When Go was nine, she began taking voice lessons.

Her interest in music and performing eventually led her to join several amateur singing contests.

At eleven, she participated in Eat Bulaga!'s Birit Baby and finished as a runner-up, singing Celine Dion's "All by Myself".

Go started performing in singing competitions as a child, and first gained recognition after winning the television talent show Search for a Star (2003).

In 2003, Go began attending San Beda University to pursue her bachelor's degree in business management.

Around this time, her parents nudged her to audition for the reality talent show Search for a Star, where she later advanced as one of the ten grand finalists.

As she prepared to compete for the finale, Go dropped out of San Beda during her freshman year in order to focus on her music career.

She signed with Viva Records in 2004 and released her self-titled debut studio album, supported by the cover single "Don't Cry Out Loud".

Go then competed at the 2004 Shanghai Music Festival and the 2005 Astana Song Festival, each winning the Silver Prize and Best Song.

On March 13, 2004, she won the competition, at the PhilSports Arena, performing a cover of Mariah Carey's "Through the Rain".

The Philippine Star critic Matthew Estabillo praised her vocals and stage presence, highlighting Go's win as one that did not rely on sob stories frequent on reality shows.

After winning Search for a Star, Go was signed to Viva Records and began working on her self-titled debut album.

She collaborated with producer Eugene Villaluz and a bevy of songwriters such as Jimmy Antiporda, Jay Durias, and Vehnee Saturno.

Rachelle Ann Go was released on July 27, 2004, and contained the cover single "Don't Cry Out Loud".

Saturno wrote two of the album's original songs, while Durias produced and provided featured vocals on a cover "Love of My Life", a song originally recorded by his band South Border.

Reviewers from The Philippine Star lauded Go's vocal range and were impressed of the overall production; Baby Gil complimented her "natural R&B groove", and a writer deemed it a well-crafted album.

It received double platinum certification from the Philippine Association of the Record Industry.

Two more singles were released from the album: "You and Me (We Wanted It All)" and "From The Start".

The first was a duet with Christian Bautista and the latter was performed by Go at the Shanghai Music Festival, where it won Best Song and earned her the Silver Prize.

She was also featured on Salbakuta's single "Yo Gloria".

In July 2004, Go was a co-headliner, along with Sarah Geronimo and Erik Santos, for Night of the Champions at the Araneta Coliseum; the production won Best Major Concert Collaboration at the 2005 Aliw Awards.

She also won several accolades for Rachelle Ann Go, including the MTV Pilipinas for Favorite Female Video for "Love of My" Life, and the Box Office Entertainment Award for Most Promising Female Singer.

Under the record label, she released four more studio albums—I Care (2006), Obsession (2007), Falling in Love (2009), and Unbreakable (2011)—and performed rock-influenced covers in the live album Rachelle Ann Rocks Live! (2008).

Apart from music, she took on roles in the television series Diva (2010), Nita Negrita (2011), Biritera (2012), and Indio (2013).

On stage, Go made her theater debut in 2011 playing the lead role of Ariel in the local production of The Little Mermaid, and then starred as Jane Porter in the Meralco Theater's staging of Tarzan in 2013.

She was cast as Gigi Van Tranh in the West End revival of Miss Saigon in 2014, and later reprised the part on Broadway in 2017.

Go originated the role of Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton in the 2017 West End production of Hamilton, for which she won the BroadwayWorld UK Award for Best Actress in a New Production of a Musical.