Aiza Seguerra's introduction
into the entertainment world came in 1987, when she was chosen first runner-up
in the "Little Miss Philippines" contest on Eat Bulaga. Only three years
old at the time, her precocious antics won the hearts of viewers, and she
became a regular on the show.
Continuing her TV career
on shows like "Eh Kasi Bata," Aiza also began to appear in films. She won
the FAMAS Best Child Actress award three times, in
1989 for "Aso't Pusa," and again in 1991 and 1992 for "Okey Ka Fairy Ko"
1 and 2. Also in 1992 she won the Philippine Movie Press Club's Movie Child
Performer of the Year award for "Aswang."
One unusual interest of
Aiza's as she was growing up was sharpshooting! She became quite an expert
at it. At 14 she competed in Bong Revilla's Invitational Shootfest '98, and
has won several awards in the sport.
Although Aiza was still
getting acting parts in her mid-teens (one was in "Komputer Combat" with
Spencer Reyes), it is a fact of life that most child performers, even the
most successful ones, do not, as a rule, continue their stardom into young
adulthood. But Aiza would soon prove in a big way that she was definitely
an exception to that rule!
When her debut album on
Vicor, "Pagdating ng Panahon," was released in 2001, nobody, not even Aiza
herself, could foresee the effect this recording would have on her career.
The album's title song turned out to be a phenomenal hit, spending several
weeks at Number One. Both the album and the carrier single remained on the
charts for the better part of a year. Eventually the album was certified
quintuple platinum.
 With her new-found popularity
as a recording artist, Aiza became very much in demand as a live performer,
both as a guest at major music events and in her own acoustic shows, accompanying
herself on guitar. Her musical success was not limited to the Philippines;
she has made several trips to the US and Canada where audiences have been
treated to her beautiful, soothing voice and unique style. In fact, this
month she is just wrapping up a series of successful appearances around the
US.
Aiza won many awards for
"Pagdating ng Panahon," including the Awit Award for Best Performance by
a Female Recording Artist. Her follow-up album, "Pinakamamahal," received
a gold record award only two weeks after its release. This collection of
originals and revivals spawned another big hit single, "Akala Mo," one of
several songs on the album written by "Pagdating" composers Moy Ortiz and
Edith Gallardo. Her third album featured highlights of her 2002 sellout concert
at the Music Museum. Titled "A First! Live in Concert," it also quickly reached
the gold sales mark. "You can definitely get the feel of the live concert
from the album. The very heart and sweet memories of the SRO concert is very
much captured in 'A First!'" says Vicor Music president Steven Tan.
Although her singing career
is now her priority, Aiza has not given up acting. In 2002
she received the Asian TV Award for Best Dramatic
Performance by an Actress, for her role in a Maalaala Mo Kaya episode entitled
“Songbook.” In 2002 she starred in the movie Singsing ni Lola with
Gloria Romero, Manilyn Reynes and Gina Alajar, and also starred in the sequel,
Bahay ni Lola. Earlier this year she had a dramatic role on the GMA-7 soap
opera "Hanggang Kailan" with Ogie Alcasid, Christopher de Leon and Lorna
Tolentino. Aiza played an aspiring singer for whom Ogie wrote songs. The
show's theme song, "Huwag Ka Lang Mawawala," sung as a duet by Aiza and Ogie,
became so popular that it was released as a single. Aiza also hosts a
sex-education show for teens, "Body Talk," on The Knowledge Channel. Come
this December, she will appear in "Enteng Kabisote," one of the eight entries
in the 2004 Metro Manila Film Festival. The comedy-fantasy will feature Vic
Sotto and Alice Dixson, who starred with Aiza in "Okey Ka, Fairy Ko," which
inspired the new film. Also in the cast are Kristine Hermosa, Michael V,
and Oyo Boyo Sotto.
Aiza's latest album, "Sabi
ng Kanta," has already gone gold. A revival song from the album, "How Did
You Know" (originally sung by Chiqui Pineda) has become a fan favorite, with
many requests on the Internet for the chords and lyrics. "What Matters Most,"
a duet with Vic Sotto, has also become very popular. But Aiza's personal
favorite on the album is "Huwag Kang Lalayo," which tells of feeling impatient
towards a love that she has been waiting for all her life.
As of early 2004 Aiza is
now an entrepreneur, having teamed up with former actor Andrew de Real to
buy the Naughty Strings Acoustic and Comedy Bar, located on Tomas Morato
Avenue, QC. She personally supervised the installation of the state-of-the-art
audio system.
 As for Aiza's future plans,
one thing she is sure of is that she will always want to sing. Aside from
that, she has mentioned the possibility of entering politics. It was originally
her mother's idea, but she has also been influenced by others, including
Vilma Santos, who impressed her when the two met in Lipa, Batangas. "She's
doing a great job there and it is so inspiring," Aiza said. Aiza is already
a civic-minded person; when she is on the road she takes notice of different
areas and thinks about what improvements might be made. A special interest
of hers has been the elimination of the worst forms of child labor in the
Philippines, and in January 2004 she received the Child Rights Advocate Award
for her continued support of this cause.
Aiza has also mentioned
that she might want to relocate to Canada. But she can take her time in making
decisions about her future, because as unbelievable as it may seem given
all her accomplishments, she is still only twenty years old.
Much more about Aiza Seguerra
can be found in her candid 2003
interview with
L.A.-based columnist Oliver Carnay.
Previous Caroustars: AUGUST
2004: LANI
MISALUCHA • JULY 2004:
ANDREW
E • JUNE 2004:
LEA
SALONGA • MAY 2004:
JOEY
ALBERT • APRIL 2004:
VINA
MORALES • MARCH 2004:
RICA PERALEJO
• FEBRUARY 2004:
RACHEL
ALEJANDRO • JANUARY 2004:
GENEVA
CRUZ
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