Wikipedia

Aicelle Santos

In this Philippine name for married women, the birth middle name or maternal family name is Coronel, the birth surname or paternal family name is Santos, and the marital name is Zambrano.

Aicelle Anne Coronel Santos-Zambrano (born February 24, 1985) is a Filipino singer, songwriter, pianist and actress who first emerged in the Philippine music scene as a contestant in Star in a Million. She has been known as the "First Undefeated Pinoy Pop Superstar", when she achieved eight straight wins in GMA Network's Pinoy Pop Superstar.

Aicelle Santos
Born
Aicelle Anne Coronel Santos

(1985-02-24) February 24, 1985 (age 39)
Manila, Philippines
NationalityFilipino
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • pianist
  • actress
Years active2003–present
Agent
Spouse
Mark Zambrano
​
(m. 2019)​
[1]
Children2
Musical career
Genres
LabelsGMA Music

Biography

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Early life and career

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At the age of six, Aicelle Santos or "AA" received abecedarian musical training at the St. Theresa's College Quezon City, and the University of the Philippines College of Music for piano. The early training allowed Santos to indulge in her original dream to become a famous pianist. However, a shift in focus took place as she realized she would rather be a famous singer than be a known pianist. Aicelle's inspiration on the field came from Walt Disney's character Ariel from the movie The Little Mermaid. The movie's theme song "Part of Your World" was the first song Santos memorized, which she also performed during her elementary school programs.

While still at her first year of college at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, Santos joined ABS-CBN's Season 1 of Star in a Million (2003), her first take on a nationwide televised singing competition. The competition opened many doors for Aicelle. Although she sometimes struggled, she eventually struck a balance between attending university and focusing on her blossoming singing career.

Santos took advantage of the minor fame that her Star in a Million appearance gave her and showcased her talents on top performers' settings with a new acoustic group Dream Sequence. Dream Sequence proved to be a success on its own right, and brought its three members to many cities around the Philippines. The Metro's prime stages Bagaberde, Chef and Brewer, Phi Bar, Fiesta San Miguel in Dusit, E's Bar in Edsa Shangri-La, and others became the group's main performing stages. The nightly gigs are believed to have been Aicelle's training ground for improving her vocal and stage performance.

On January 4, 2016, Santos interpreted "Dinggin Mo Oh Dios" which was composed by Cris Bautista in A Song of Praise Music Festival year 4, a gospel songwriting competition, in UNTV with Reymond Sajor, Leah Patricio, Rachelle Ann Go, Frencheska Farr, Jonalyn Viray, Rita De Guzman, RJ Buena & Kyla.

In 2018, Santos bid farewell to fans as she will be leaving for United Kingdom to star as Gigi Van Tranh in the hit musical Miss Saigon.

Auditions

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Pinoy Pop Superstar

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In 2005, Santos once again decided to aim for a solo singing career by joining the second season of Pinoy Pop Superstar. An eight-straight win during preliminaries put Santos on top and on the show's history, as the first 'Undefeated Superstar.' She showcased her wide vocal range on her performances of:

  • "All The Man That I Need" – Week 1
  • "I Need You" – Week 2
  • "Natural Woman" – Week 3
  • "A House Is Not a Home" – Week 4
  • "Respect" – Week 5
  • "Summertime" – Week 6
  • "A Song for You" – Week 7
  • "Man in the Mirror" – Week 8

Santos got into the finals favored to win. On PPS's season finale, Aicelle Santos claimed first runner-up and signed a record deal and an exclusive management contract under GMA Artist Center. Her story in Pinoy Pop Superstar is somehow related to Sheryn Regis.[2]

Music career

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Santos possesses the vocal range of a lyric contralto, spanning three full octaves (from the lowest note of Bb2 to the highest note of Bb5).

Santos won "Best Performance of Own Country Song" representing the Philippines in Astana Music Festival in Kazakhstan. Santos bested delegates from 13 countries around the world, including Mexico, Peru, Finland, Romania, Latvia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Tajikistan, Lithuania, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malta, and China. Her winning piece was entitled "Bakit Di Subukan", a Vehnee Saturno composition which is a Tagalog-English song ("If We Just Hold On" in English). Following this triumph was Aicelle's recognition for "People's Choice Best New Female Artist" in the 2007 Awit Awards.

In 2007, Santos is visible in the Philippines recording scene with her debut album Make Me Believe, a 14-cut album under GMA Records. "Ikaw Pa Rin" is her hit single in the charts.

In 2008, she joined fellow Pinoy Pop Superstar contestants Jona and Maricris Garcia to form the musical group La Diva.

On February 25, 2015, Santos held her first solo concert, Class A, at the PETA Theatre.[3] On the same year, she released the music video of her latest single Kapangyarihan ng Pag-ibig.

Theatrical work

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In 2012, Santos auditioned and was part of the shortlist for the 2014 West End revival of Miss Saigon.[4]

In 2013, she debuted in the theatrical scene by portraying the role of Katy in Katy! the Musical. She also stars in Rak of Aegis where she plays the lead character, Aileen (alternating with Kim Molina). The musical had several runs but Aicelle continues to play the role till present.[5] Aicelle won Best Actress in a Musical in the 2014 Aliw Awards for her performance in Rak of Aegis.[6]

In 2015, Santos had a special participation in the musical entitled Sabel: Love and Passion.

In 2017, she played Perla in the musical adaptation of Manila in the Claws of Light and won the 2017 Aliw Award for Best Actress in a Featured Role.[7][8]

In 2018, Santos played Elsa in the second revival of Himala: Isang Musikal, based on the 1982 film starring Nora Aunor. She is set to play the role of Gigi in the UK/Ireland tour of Miss Saigon.[9]

On May 6, 2023, Santos was part of the one-night staging of Larawan as Contra Mundum, a grand tribute concert to kick off National Heritage Month and to mark 50 years of the establishment of the Philippine's Order of National Artists. She played Candida in Act 2.[10]

Personal life

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Santos married her boyfriend of three years, former broadcast journalist Mark Zambrano, on November 16, 2019 in San Juan, Batangas.[11] In June 2020, Santos announced on an Instagram post that she and Zambrano were expecting their first child, due in December.[12]

Discography

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See also: La Diva (group) § Discography

Studio albums

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Singles

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  • "Ikaw Pa Rin" (2007)
  • "Make Me Believe" (2007)
  • "Kapangyarihan ng Pag-Ibig" (2015)
  • "Liwanag" (2016)
  • "Palaging Ikaw" (2017)

Soundtracks

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Compilation albums

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  • The Pinoy Pop Superstar Year 2 Contenders' Album (2006)
    • Track 3: All the Man That I Need
  • Mga Awit mula sa Puso, Vol. 2 (2006)
    • Track 3: "Tayong Dalawa"
  • Mga Awit Kapuso, Vol. 4 (2008)
    • Track 3: "Marimar"
    • The Best of Mga Awit Kapuso (2009)
    • Track 10: "Tayong Dalawa"
  • GMA Records No.1 Hits (2013)
  • Take1: the Best of Awit Kapuso Originals (2013)
    • Track 9: "Marimar"
  • Versions 7.1 (2014)
    • Track 2: "All the Man That I Need"

Theatre

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Year Title Role Venue
2013 Katy! the Musical Katy CCP Theater
2014 Rak of Aegis Aileen PETA Theater
2015 Sabel: Love and Passion (special participation) Music Museum
2017 Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag Perla Kia Theater
2018 Himala: Isang Musikal Elsa PowerMac Center Spotlight

Filmography

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Television

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As herself

Year Program Notes
2005 Star in a Million As contestant
2005–2006 Pinoy Pop Superstar: Year 2
2006–2010 SOP As performer
2010–2013 Party Pilipinas
2013–2015 Sunday All Stars
2015–2017 Eat Bulaga! As Aegis Pa More contestant (2015)
as judge on various segments (2015–2016)
as co-host for Traffic Diva segment (2016) and Music Hero segment (2016–2017)
as model on Kalyeserye segment (2016)
as Cord Sponsor on Kalyeserye: The Wedding (2016)
2016 Superstar Duets As Judge
2018–2019 Studio 7 As co-host / performer
2020–present All-Out Sundays
2020–2021 Centerstage Judge

As actress

Year Program Role
2012–2013 Temptation of Wife Katrina P. Sebastian
2013 Love and Lies Ligaya Salvador
2014 Ang Dalawang Mrs. Real May
Strawberry Lane Lani Delgado
2015–2016 Buena Familia Olga Vergara
2017 Impostora Deedee Castro

Film

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Year Title Role Note(s) Ref(s).
2017 Ang Larawan Violet
2024 Isang Himala Elsa

Awards and recognitions

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See also: La Diva (group) § Awards
Year Award Giving Body Category Nominated Work Results
2006 Astana Music Festival (Kazakhstan) Best Performance of Own Country Song "Bakit Di Subukan" Won
Interpreter (gold medal) "Aking Ama" Won
2008 21st Awit Awards Best Performance by a Female Recording Artist (People's Choice) "Ikaw Pa Rin" Won
Best Performance by a Female Recording Artist (Performance Award) "Ikaw Pa Rin" Nominated
Best R&B Recording (Creativity Awards) "Ikaw Pa Rin" Nominated
Guillermo Mendoza Awards Most Promising Female Singer — Won
2014 Aliw Awards Best Actress in a Musical Rak of Aegis Won
2015 7th PMPC Star Awards for Music Female Concert Performer of the Year Class A Nominated
2017 Aliw Awards Best Actress for a Featured Role Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag Won
2018 Gawad Buhay Awards Female Featured Performance in a Musical Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag Won
2024 50th Metro Manila Film Festival Best Actress Isang Himala Nominated

Contemporaries

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References

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  1. ^ "LOOK: Aicelle Santos, Mark Zambrano get married". ABS-CBN News. Archived from the original on November 17, 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  2. ^ "A Closer Look at Pinoy Pop Superstar's Final Seven". The Philippine Star. May 6, 2006. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  3. ^ "A 'Class A' birthday for Aicelle Santos | GMANetwork.com – Artist Center – Photo Galleries". GMANetwork.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  4. ^ "Confirmed: 'Miss Saigon' in 2014". Archived from the original on February 4, 2015. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
  5. ^ "Rak of Aegis: Pinoy musical wows viewers with world-class production" Archived June 26, 2014, at the Wayback Machine at "ASTIG.PH" Archived June 25, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ "Jonalyn Viray and Aicelle Santos, big winners in 2014 Aliw Awards | GMANetwork.com – Artist Center – Articles". GMANetwork.com. Archived from the original on March 13, 2018. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  7. ^ Losorata, Yugel (October 6, 2017). "REVIEW: Maynila Sa Mga Kuko Ng Liwanag, The Musical". PEP.ph. Archived from the original on March 13, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  8. ^ Santos, Jamil (December 20, 2017). "Aicelle Santos, wagi bilang best actress para sa 'Maynila Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag'". GMA News Online. Archived from the original on February 21, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  9. ^ "Aicelle Santos honored to represent PH in 'Miss Saigon' UK tour". ABS-CBN News. March 5, 2018. Archived from the original on March 12, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  10. ^ Cadiz, Gibbs (April 21, 2023). "And now, 'Larawan' the concert". Daily Tribune. Archived from the original on May 8, 2023. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  11. ^ "Aicelle Santos and Mark Zambrano tie the knot in garden ceremony | GMA News Online". Gmanetwork.com. November 16, 2019. Archived from the original on November 16, 2019. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  12. ^ Iglesias, Iza (June 23, 2020). "It's Baby No. 1 for Aicelle Santos and Mark Zambrano". Manila Bulletin. Archived from the original on August 2, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
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