Lea Salonga
About
Multiple award-winning actress and singer Lea Salonga is renowned across the world for her powerful voice and perfect pitch. Salonga most recently starred in the new musical Here Lies Love at the Broadway Theatre and headlined Old Friends alongside Bernadette Peters on London’s West End.
Salonga is best known for her Tony Award-winning role in Miss Saigon. In addition to the Tony, she has won Olivier, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Theatre World awards. She was also the first Asian to play Éponine in the musical Les Misérables on Broadway and returned to the beloved show as Fantine in the 2006 revival. On Broadway, Salonga starred in the 2018 revival of Once on This Island as the Goddess of Love, Erzulie. The show earned a Tony Award for best revival of a musical and also garnered Salonga and the cast a Grammy nomination for best musical theater album. She has also been seen on Broadway in Allegiance and Flower Drum Song.
Many fans of all ages recognize Salonga as the singing voice of Princess Jasmine in Aladdin and Fa Mulan in Mulan and Mulan II. For her portrayal of these beloved princesses, the Walt Disney Co. bestowed her with the honor of Disney Legend.
Salonga stars in the first season of "Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin" (a reboot of the popular series) available on Max, after starring in the critically acclaimed Sony musical drama Yellow Rose. Salonga can also be heard in the Netflix animated series "Centaurworld" and FX’s animated series "Little Demon." In August 2021, Salonga released her single “Dream Again,” and in November, "Lea Salonga: Live with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra" from the Sydney Opera House aired as part of "Great Performances" on PBS. A live album of the performance was subsequently released by Broadway Records.
Salonga’s 2022 Dream Again Tour and her 2019 Human Heart Tour saw sold-out audiences and record-breaking sales across North America and the United Kingdom. She has toured all over the world, performing sold-out concerts in such locations as the Sydney Opera House, London's O2 Arena, Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, Singapore’s Esplanade, Kuala Lumpur Convention Center, Hong Kong Cultural Center, Queen Sirikit Convention Center in Bangkok, and Carnegie Hall in New York.
In addition to her stage and screen credits, Salonga served as a judge on the Philippines’ hit version of "The Voice," and the ratings juggernaut "The Voice Kids." She has released multiple solo albums, toured the world with legendary pop-opera quartet Il Divo, and received rave reviews for her many cabaret engagements, including a record-setting run at New York’s 54 Below.
In her 45-year career, Salonga has performed for six Philippine presidents from Ferdinand Marcos to Benigno S. Aquino III, four American presidents (Joe Biden, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush), and for Diana, Princess of Wales, and Queen Elizabeth II. She was honored by Time magazine as a Time100 Impact Award recipient and received the Gold House 2023 Gold Legend Award.