LEA SALONGA

By: Ilan Eirik Ekong

A critically-acclaimed entertainment career spanning 45 years! This is definitely enough
to put Lea Salonga on the pedestal as one of the great Filipina artists of our time. Now 52, she's
far from stopping with a full schedule for 2023. But prior to this, the Philippines' international
stage superstar gets busy in New York. July marks her epic return to Broadway, where she will
perform "Just Ask the Flowers" in her role as Aurora Aquino in the David Byrne/Fat Boy Slim
musical about Imelda Marcos, "
Note that Lea first conquered Broadway in 1991 as Kim in "Miss Saigon" - a stint which
made her "the first actress of Asian descent to win a Tony award." Prior to this, she was not even
20 when she won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical in London. It can be
said that Lea's accomplishments paved the way for many Asian artists to make their mark in the
industry too, despite the fact that so much still needs to be done.
Lea continues to be relevant because she has used her platform to advocate for important
causes, such as diversity and representation in the arts. Aspiring young artists, particularly those
from under-represented communities, look up to her as a role model. Lea has been vocal about
her experiences with discrimination, particularly in the early stages of her career when she was
refused to be seen for the role of Eliza Doolittle in "My Fair Lady" because of her skin color.

Over on Twitter where she has 5.6 million followers to date, Lea continues to espouse
causes dear to her heart, such as mental health awareness, children's rights, family planning and
support for the LGBTQ community. About the latter, she has said: "I have a half-brother who is
very, very, very gay, many cousins, best friends who are all members of the LGBT community,
and for me to not say anything would be hypocritical. There is a lot of prejudice."
Lea's views on most issues are liberal and humanitarian. On the personal front, her married life
with her husband of almost 20 years, Robert Chien, is happy and stable. The diva also dotes on
her only daughter, Nicole who is 16 and is also a budding singer.

The life of Lea Salonga is such an inspiration to everyone. She is a symbol of

perseverance, determination, and love to what she is doing to herself, her career, and to her
family.