Aicelle Santos facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Aicelle Santos
Santos in 2024
Born	Aicelle Anne Coronel Santos (1985-02-24) February 24, 1985 (age 40) Manila, Philippines
Nationality	Filipino
Occupation	Singer songwriter pianist actress
Years active	2003–present
Agent	Sparkle GMA Artist Center (2007–present)
Spouse(s)	Mark Zambrano ​ (m. 2019)​
Children	2
Musical career
Genres	Pop soul R&B
Labels	GMA Music

Aicelle Anne Coronel Santos-Zambrano, born on February 24, 1985, is a talented Filipino singer, songwriter, pianist, actress, and TV host. She first became known in the Philippine music scene as a contestant on the show Star in a Million. Aicelle is also famous for being the "First Undefeated Pinoy Pop Superstar." She earned this title by winning eight times in a row on GMA Network's Pinoy Pop Superstar.

Aicelle Santos's Journey

Early Life and Music Dreams

Aicelle Santos, also known as "AA," started learning music at a young age. When she was six, she took piano lessons at St. Theresa's College Quezon City and the University of the Philippines College of Music. Her first dream was to become a famous pianist.

However, her focus changed when she realized she wanted to be a singer instead. Aicelle was inspired by Walt Disney's character Ariel from the movie The Little Mermaid. The song "Part of Your World" from the movie was the first song she memorized. She even performed it during her elementary school programs.

Starting Her Singing Career

While in her first year of college at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, Aicelle joined ABS-CBN's Star in a Million in 2003. This was her first time competing in a singing contest shown on national TV. Even though it was challenging, she managed to balance her studies and her growing singing career.

After Star in a Million, Aicelle joined a new acoustic group called Dream Sequence. They performed in many cities across the Philippines. They also played at popular venues in Metro Manila. These nightly performances helped Aicelle improve her singing and stage presence.

In 2016, Aicelle sang "Sa Iyo Lamang," a song by Cris Bautista, at the A Song of Praise Music Festival on UNTV. This was a gospel songwriting competition.

In 2018, Aicelle left the Philippines to star as Gigi Van Tranh in the famous musical Miss Saigon in the United Kingdom.

Becoming a Superstar

Pinoy Pop Superstar Audition

In 2005, Aicelle decided to try for a solo singing career again. She joined the second season of Pinoy Pop Superstar. She won eight times in a row during the preliminary rounds, making her the first "Undefeated Superstar" in the show's history. She showed off her amazing vocal range with songs like:

• "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

Aicelle was a favorite to win the finals. In the end, she became the first runner-up. She then signed a record deal and a management contract with GMA Artist Center.

Music Achievements

Aicelle Santos has a powerful voice. She won "Best Performance of Own Country Song" while representing the Philippines at the Astana Music Festival in Kazakhstan. She competed against singers from 13 other countries. Her winning song was "Bakit Di Subukan," a Tagalog-English song. After this, she was recognized as "People's Choice Best New Female Artist" at the 2007 Awit Awards.

In 2007, Aicelle released her first album, Make Me Believe, with GMA Records. Her song "Ikaw Pa Rin" became a hit. In 2008, she formed the musical group La Diva with fellow Pinoy Pop Superstar contestants Jona and Maricris Garcia.

On February 25, 2015, Aicelle held her first solo concert, "Class A," at the PETA Theatre. That same year, she released the music video for her song "Kapangyarihan ng Pag-ibig."

Aicelle's Theatrical Roles

In 2012, Aicelle auditioned for the 2014 West End revival of Miss Saigon. In 2013, she started her theater career by playing Katy in Katy! the Musical. She also starred as Aileen in Rak of Aegis, sharing the role with Kim Molina. Aicelle won Best Actress in a Musical at the 2014 Aliw Awards for her performance in Rak of Aegis.

In 2015, Aicelle had a special part in the musical Sabel: Love and Passion. In 2017, she played Perla in the musical version of Manila in the Claws of Light. She won the 2017 Aliw Award for Best Actress in a Featured Role for this role. In 2018, Aicelle played Elsa in the second revival of Himala: Isang Musikal. This musical was based on a 1982 film. She also played Gigi in the UK/Ireland tour of Miss Saigon.

On May 6, 2023, Aicelle was part of a special concert called Larawan as Contra Mundum. This concert celebrated National Heritage Month and 50 years of the Philippine's Order of National Artists. She played Candida in Act 2.

Personal Life

Aicelle Santos married Mark Zambrano, a former broadcast journalist, on November 16, 2019, in San Juan, Batangas. They had been together for three years. In June 2020, Aicelle announced on Instagram that they were expecting their first child, who was due in December.

Music Albums and Songs

Studio Albums

• Make Me Believe (2007)
• Liwanag (2015)

Singles

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

Soundtracks

Aicelle has also sung many songs for TV shows and movies:

• "Tayong Dalawa" (2006) (from Bakekang)
• "Maghihintay" (2007) (from Impostora)
• "I'll Never Go" (with Gian Magdangal) (2013) (from My Lady Boss)
• "Paliparin ang Pangarap" (with Maricris Garcia) (2013) (from Adarna)
• "Liyab" (2014) (from Niño)
• "Be With You" (2015) (from The Rich Man's Daughter)
• "Nasaan" (with Maricris Garcia) (2015) (from Beautiful Strangers)
• "Hanggang Makita Kang Muli" (2016) (from the theme song of same teleserye)
• "Sa Lahat ng Iba" (with Hannah Precillas) (2016) (from Ika-6 na Utos)
• "Kumapit Ka Lang" (2017) (from Tadhana)
• "Haplos" (2017) (from Haplos)
• "Nasa Iyong Tabi" (2017) (from Super Ma'am)
• "Bahagi Ko ng Langit (2018) (from The Stepdaughters)
• "Panata sa Bayan" (2019) (from Eleksyon 2019 and Eleksyon 2022 Coverages of GMA News)
• "Bakit Siya?" (with Maricris Garcia) (2019) (from The Better Woman)
• "Ikaw ang Aking Daigdig" (2022) (from Unica Hija)

Performances and Appearances

Theatre Roles

Television Shows

As herself

As actress

Films

Awards and Recognitions

Friends in Music

• Jona
• Carla Humphries
• Maricris Garcia
• Bryan Termulo
• Jan Nieto
• Gian Magdangal

See also

In Spanish: Aicelle Santos para niños