Jake Zyrus reveals transgender story
Filipino singer always knew his ‘soul is male’
Jake Zyrus, the Filipino singer and Glee star formerly known as Charice Pempengco, says life since coming out as transgender has been “surreal.”
What started out as simply changing his screen name so he wouldn’t “be stuck in (the) past” has turned into a flurry of articles about the star’s identity, a buzz that Zyrus didn’t intend to create.
“I just thought that I was going to change my social networking sites’ user names, and I just didn’t think that everyone would pick it up,” the singer explained. “But when ... everyone was talking about it, I was like, ‘I guess this is the perfect time.’ It was Pride Month and I just saw that everything was happening in the right place, right time and I started talking about it.”
Following his coming out in June, the singer, 25, spoke with USA TODAY about his transgender journey, music career and life.
Zyrus was surprised with how accepting his fans have been of the news.
“When I thought about finally coming out as a transgender man, I didn’t think a lot of people would actually agree to it and accept me, but I was surprised with the love and support,” he said. “So I’ve been doing great, I’ve been feeling good about everything.”
His family members were not as supportive. Describing them as not “open with LGBT people” from a country “still having a hard time trying to ask for equality and freedom,” Zyrus said his relationship with family has been “kind of on-and-off.”
“Right now we’re not OK, but ... I know that someday they will find some peace in their heart and (know that) whatever I’m doing right now is for my happiness and is who I really am.”
The news also garnered some pushback in the Filipino media community. Esquire Philippines published a since-removed story June 20 titled “Jake Zyrus and The Challenges of Personal Reinvention,” which people criticized for insulting transgender people. The publication issued a lengthy apology, which Zyrus accepted. He said that he didn’t take the article too seriously, but was “touched” by others who stood up for him.
Fear of blowback was, in part, what kept Zyrus from fully embracing his identity sooner, though he discussed it with Oprah Winfrey in 2014. Zyrus told the host he was gay, though now says it was out of fear of coming out as trans.
“In the Philippines it was so hard because, at that time, nobody ever talked about transgender people,” he explained.
When Winfrey asked if he struggled with gender identity, however, he responded “my soul is male.”
A feeling, Zyrus said, he’s felt since he was a kid.
“I didn’t know the gender labels yet. I didn’t know the words ‘lesbian’ or ‘transgender,’ but I knew that Charice wasn’t the right name for me,” he explained.
So how did the singer come up with his new name? Zyrus said he “just felt it.”
“I came up with so many names. There was Christian, there was Kyle. But when I kept saying, ‘Jake, Jake’ in front of the mirror, I just thought that it was the name for me,” he explained. He decided on “Zyrus” because he thought it sounded like a performer.
Although the singer’s name is new, Zyrus isn’t new to the spotlight. After landing a spot on the Filipino American Idol- style show
Little Big Star in 2005, the singer gained popularity posting performances on YouTube. A 2007 appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres
Show raised his profile in the U.S. The singer’s album Charice went to No. 8 on Billboard’s album chart in 2010, making Zyrus the first Asian solo singer to land in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 albums chart. Later that year, he landed a recurring role on Glee, playing Sunshine Corazon.
Zyrus’ new single, Hiling, dropped July 5, his first track under his new name, which he describes as a cheesy love song.
“In the Philippines it was so hard because, at that time, nobody ever talked about transgender people.” Jake Zyrus