Three years after confessing to Oprah Winfrey that “my soul is male”, Glee sensation Charice Pempengco has revealed a new name.
The 25-year-old, whose rose to fame came after appearing in a handful of episodes in the popular teen musical series, now goes by the name Jake Zyrus.
It appears to be a brand-new start for the Filipino star, who deleted every previous social media post before revealing the name on Twitter.
At 16, Zyrus performed the Celine Dion hit Because You Loved Me alongside the songstress herself.
“My first tweet as Jake. Overwhelmed. Saw all your love comments and I’m so happy. Finally. I love you, everyone and see you soon.”
Fans were quick to respond with messages of love and support for the star, none of which went unnoticed.
“From the bottom of my heart, thank you for the love and respect,” Zyrus shared on Instagram. “I love you back and I’m sending peace to everyone.”
Zyrus, who became the first Asian solo singer in history to land in the Top 10 of Billboard’s Top 200 Albums chart with the release of Charice in 2010, came out as a lesbian in 2013.
The following year, on an episode of Oprah’s Where Are They Now, the star spoke out about gender transition.
“I’m not going to go through that stage where I change everything. I’ll cut my hair and wear boy clothes and everything, but that’s all.”
Congratulations, Jake!
