A lot has changed since Charice Pempengco started making waves in the music industry. The 25-year old music prodigy recently announced to the world that she has changed her name to Jake Zyrus, and will continue her career using that name. Her decision to change her name is obviously connected to her coming out of the closet as a lesbian. Coming from a country that still hasn't completely accepted the LGBT community, many admired Charice Pempengco's decision to come out and admit her true self on national television. Pempengco also made history when she became the first solo singer in Asia to land a top ten spot in Billboard 200 albums chart in 2010.
After landing a spot in Billboard, Charice Pempengco's career began to flourish in the international music scene. She was handled by Oprah Winfrey and david foster and she was even offered to be a guest star in the hit musical TV show, "Glee."
Coming out of the closet
After traveling around the world and performing with different artists like Andrea Bocelli, Celine Dion and David Foster, Charice Pempengco shocked her fans when she came out as a lesbian on national TV in 2013. During the interview, the internationally-acclaimed singer expressed that she wanted everyone to know that she now feels very light knowing that she can leave the house without hiding anything. She also added that her love for herself is what pushed her to reveal her true identity to the world.
In 2014, Charice Pempengco bravely guested on Oprah Winfrey's "Where Are They Now" episode, re-confirming all the rumors and speculations surrounding her new identity. During that episode, Charice Pempengco revealed that she will not change everything about her, she simply might cut her hair and wear boy's clothing, but won't resort to doing anything drastic.
Mixed reactions from fans, friends, and family
Fast forward three years later and it looks like Charice Pempengco is backtracking on her previous statement. The "Pyramid" singer recently deleted all her posts on Twitter and Instagram and posted a new message announcing that she will now go by the name of Jake Zyrus.
According to People, Charice Pempengco, or rather, Jake Zyrus, plans to focus on working behind the scenes in the music industry writing original songs while being an LGBT activist in the Philippines. It's still unclear whether Jake Zyrus will continue to sing songs or produce solo albums, but the fans are hoping to hear new songs from the former "Glee" star.
