Angeline Quinto
Angeline Quinto is a Filipino singer, actress, and television personality. Known for her vocal range and soulful singing style, Quinto's music has garnered critical praise for its lyrical content and themes of love, heartbreak, and empowerment. It has been featured in the soundtracks of films and television series in the Philippines.
Born in Sampaloc, Manila, Quinto first achieved recognition after winning the television talent show Star Power in 2011. She signed with Star Music and collaborated with songwriter and producer Jonathan Manalo to start recording material for her first effort, a self-titled studio album, which was supported by the single "Patuloy Ang Pangarap". The album was certified double platinum by the Philippine Association of the Record Industry, and earned Quinto an Aliw Award for Best New Artist. Her next album, Fall In Love Again, featured theme songs from films and television series. With Sana Bukas pa ang Kahapon, Quinto became the first Filipino artist to record all the songs for a television show soundtrack. She reinvented her image and style with succeeding releases, Higher Love and @LoveAngelineQuinto, gaining praise for her artistic growth and maturity.
Quinto made her feature film debut with a starring role in the romantic comedy Born to Love You. She then played the lead in the drama series Kahit Konting Pagtingin, winning a Golden Screen TV Award for Breakthrough Performance by an Actress. She received further acclaim for collaborations with filmmaker Joel Lamangan, the ensemble comedy That Thing Called Tanga Na and the comedy drama Foolish Love. Quinto expanded her career into reality television as a panelist in the music game show I Can See Your Voice and as a mentor in the talent competition show Dream Maker. Her accolades include four Awit Awards, two Aliw Awards, two Box Office Entertainment Awards, and seven Star Awards for Music.
Life and career
1989–2009: Early life and ''Star for a Night''
Angeline Quinto was born on November 26, 1989, to Pop Quiros and Rosemarie Susan Mabao. She was adopted by her paternal grandaunt, Sylvia "Bob" Quinto, in Sampaloc, Manila, In an interview, Quinto said that Bob prevented Susan from aborting her during her pregnancy when it interfered with her plans to work in Japan and later adopted Angeline in exchange for ₱10,000 amid a marital dispute. Initially resentful during her early childhood, Quinto later shared a close bond with her adoptive mother and credited her as instrumental to her achievements. Quinto began singing at age six. She listened to songs on the radio and would imitate the singing styles of female artists. At age nine, she participated in her first amateur singing competition.The next few years, Quinto continued to compete in talent shows on television. At age twelve, she auditioned for the first season of the reality singing contest Star for a Night. She advanced as one of the eleven grand finalists, and performed a cover of Wency Cornejo's "Habang May Buhay" during the season finals. Quinto later recalled that her participation in the show was motivated by a desire to meet the program's host, Regine Velasquez, whom she considers as a musical influence. In 2005, she appeared in Magandang Tanghali Bayans Teen Pop Star search and became that season's winner. During this period, Quinto suffered from depression and thought of self-harm. She struggled academically in high school and was negatively influenced by her peers, eventually dropping out of school. Her family was beset by personal disagreements, which led her to take a break from singing to focus on her mental health.
2010–2012: ''Star Power'' and acting debut
After a five-year break from music, Quinto pursued singing and was part of a talent show in the variety program Diz Iz It! in 2010. A renewed interest led her to audition for the reality television series Star Power: Sharon's Search for the Next Female Pop Superstar that same year. During her appearances on the series, she was a senior in high school. Quinto won the competition on February 20, 2011, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo. Looking back on Star Power in a 2019 interview, Quinto remarked that she considered the show her last effort towards working on her music career. Worried that she would remain obscure at the time, she contemplated pursuing a career in the culinary arts.After winning Star Power, Quinto was signed to a record deal with Star Music. She began working on her eponymous debut album with songwriter and producer Jonathan Manalo, to whom she felt deeply indebted. Manalo wrote two of the album's songs, including the debut single "Patuloy Ang Pangarap", which Quinto performed during the season finale of Star Power. He took inspiration from the singer's life story and described the song as a "quest ultimate dreams". Angeline Quinto was released on March 16, 2011. The album received a double platinum certification from the Philippine Association of the Record Industry. Quinto won multiple accolades for the album; she received the Aliw Award for Best New Artist in 2011, and won New Female Recording Artist of the Year and Song of the Year for "Patuloy Ang Pangarap" at the 2011 Star Awards for Music. That same year, she released a repackaged edition of the album, titled Angeline Quinto: Patuloy Ang Pangarap.
Quinto's second studio album, Fall in Love Again, was released on March 25, 2012. She worked with Manalo for its lead single "Bakit Ba Minamahal Kita". It included a cover of Celine Dion's "If You Asked Me To", a duet with Erik Santos for the soundtrack of the romantic comedy film Unofficially Yours. Other singles from the album were also released as soundtracks for television shows: "Saan Darating ang Umaga" for the drama series Budoy, "Hanggang" for the romantic drama series Walang Hanggan, "Nag-iisang Bituin" for the teen drama series Princess and I, and "Kung Ako'y Iiwan Mo" for the ensemble series of the same name. At the 26th Awit Awards, Quinto won Best Song Written for Movie/TV/Stage Play for "Nag-iisang Bituin", and Best Inspirational Recording for her collaboration with Velasquez on "Lipad ng Pangarap".
Quinto was initially reluctant to venture into acting and cited that she lacked experience. She underwent workshops from Star Cinema executive Malou Santos and trained with actors, including Pen Medina. She made her feature film debut with a lead role in Jerome Pobocan's romantic comedy-drama Born to Love You, co-starring Coco Martin. The film tells the story of two strangers, whose lives are transformed despite their contrasting personalities. Nestor Torre Jr. of the Philippine Daily Inquirer found her to be "expressive", but felt that her performance "fell short of the standards". Media critic Mark Ching from the Philippine Entertainment Portal wrote that the film was well-written and well-acted, and noted that Quinto's "personal charm and naivete" aided in her genuine portrayal. In her television debut, an episode of the anthology series Maalaala Mo Kaya, she was cast as an indigenous woman and the love interest of Jason Abalos's character.
2013–2016: ''Kahit Konting Pagtingin'' and ''Higher Love''
In 2013, Quinto starred in the romantic comedy series Kahit Konting Pagtingin. She played Aurora Natividad, a waitress who pretends to be the fiancée of her patron, played by Ahron Villena, and ends up endeared by his brothers, portrayed by Paulo Avelino and Sam Milby. The series aired from January 21 to April 12, 2013. She won a Golden Screen TV Award for Breakthrough Performance by an Actress for the part. She followed this with supporting roles in Cathy Garcia-Molina's ensemble comedy Four Sisters and a Wedding and Joyce Bernal's romantic comedy Bakit Hindi Ka Crush ng Crush Mo? At the 2013 Himig Handog P-Pop Love Songs, Quinto was one of the finalists in the songwriting competition, performing the Agatha Morallos-penned love ballad "One Day".Quinto reunited with longtime collaborator Jonathan Manalo for her third studio album, Higher Love, released on January 15, 2014. She reinvented her image and style, which she asserted was an improvement "creatively and visually". She wrote the album's lead single "Sana2x" and described Higher Love as a narrative of "love's many stages". The Philippine Daily Inquirer critic Joseph Atilano deemed the album a "proper third outing", concentrating praise on Quinto's maturity. Five months later, Quinto recorded all the songs for the soundtrack of the revenge drama series Sana Bukas Pa ang Kahapon, which was released on June 30, 2014. She returned as a song interpreter at the 2014 Himig Handog P-Pop Love Songs. Her final role of the year was opposite Angelica Panganiban and Assunta de Rossi in the satirical comedy Beauty in a Bottle. Reviewers for The Philippine Star termed the film "deceptively funny" and praised Quinto's comedic delivery. In June 2015, she appeared as a guest performer on the family drama Nathaniel. She then co-headlined a concert with Erik Santos at the Araneta Coliseum on August 15, 2015.
Royals was a co-headlining concert with Velasquez, Santos, and Martin Nievera at the Mall of Asia Arena on February 13, 2016. For the production, Quinto was named Female Concert Performer of the Year at the 48th Box Office Entertainment Awards. She appeared in two film releases in 2016. Quinto was the female lead in Joel Lamangan's That Thing Called Tanga Na, an ensemble comedy centering on friendship among a group of gay men. Mari-An Santos of the Philippine Entertainment Portal took note of Quinto's versatility, and likened her ability and range to that of Maricel Soriano. Rapplers Oggs Cruz felt the film was "dull, plain, and painfully redundant", but praised the cast's performances. Set in Pangasinan, the Jose Abdel Langit-directed independent thriller Malinak Ya Labi starred Quinto and Allen Dizon. A native of the province, she was drawn to the idea of doing an indie film, and agreed to the project for its use of dialogues in the local dialect. The film was screened at the 2016 Cinema One Originals Film Festival.