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Lea Salonga has officially made her mark on Hollywood, quite literally
The Filipina actress and singer was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on 4 September, becoming the first Filipino to receive the prestigious recognition.
Salonga received the 2,855th star in the Live Performance category, with the star unveiled in front of the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles.
You might know her as the singing voice behind two Disney princesses
Salonga provided the singing voice for Princess Jasmine in Aladdin and the title character in Disney's 1998 animated film Mulan.
For Mulan, actress Ming-Na Wen voiced Mulan's speaking parts, while Salonga provided her singing voice.
The two reunited at Salonga's Walk of Fame ceremony, with Wen among the guests who celebrated her achievement.
So if you grew up singing A Whole New World or Reflection, you've probably heard Salonga long before you knew her name.
But Disney was only one part of her already-impressive career
Born and raised in the Philippines, Salonga began performing professionally as a child and landed her breakthrough international role as Kim in Miss Saigon.
Her performance in the musical earned her a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical in 1991, making her the first Filipino and first Asian performer to win the award in that category.
She also became the first Filipino to win the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical.
And Malaysians have actually had plenty of chances to see her perform
She first performed in Kuala Lumpur in 2010, when she held her An Evening With Lea Salonga concerts at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.
She's also returned to the region for various performances over the years, and now she's heading back to Malaysia again later this month.
Salonga will perform with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) at Dewan Filharmonik PETRONAS on 24, 26, and 27 September 2026, in a Broadway and Disney-themed concert led by her brother, MPO resident conductor Gerard Salonga.
She is the first Filipina to receive the honour, making the moment a major milestone for Filipino representation in Hollywood
There have been other Hollywood Walk of Fame recipients of Filipino heritage, including Bruno Mars, apl.de.ap, and Rob Schneider, but Salonga is the first Filipina to receive a star.
During her ceremony speech, she spoke about the growing number of Filipino and Asian performers working in the industry and creating opportunities for those who come after them.
She said she hopes that one day, a Filipino kid visiting Hollywood will see her name and think, "maybe I can get here too."
The moment was also celebrated by fellow performers including Ming-Na Wen, Darren Criss, and Brandy.
Brandy, who performed with Salonga on A Whole New World earlier this year, praised her for helping generations of audiences see themselves represented in the stories they loved.
Watch a clip of her receiving the star:
