Gerald Santos

Gerald Padua Santos (born May 15, 1991) is a Filipino singer and actor who has appeared in several reality shows, musicals, and films, and has released several songs. He first starred in the reality singing contest Pinoy Pop Superstar in 2006 and later went on to earn several awards.

Early life

He was born Gerald Padua Santos on May 15, 1991, in Navotas, the second of five children. His parents both worked at the Navotas Fish Port and earned just enough to support their family, and supported his interest in music from an early age. He started singing at seven years old while attending Daanghari Elementary School. He later joined around fifty amateur singing contests in Metro Manila and nearby provinces and won in many of them. He was studying at Tangos National High School in Navotas when he decided to audition for Pinoy Pop Superstar at the age of fifteen.

In 2024, Santos disclosed that he had been raped in 2005 by a musical director of GMA Network when he was 15 years old.

Career

In 2006, Santos became the grand champion of the second season of GMA Network's show Pinoy Pop Superstar. He was the youngest champion of the reality singing contest then hosted by Regine Velasquez. He sang "Kahit Isang Saglit", "Hanggang" and "Close to Where You Are" as his winning songs on the final night of Season 2. He has been praised on the show for his heartfelt singing.

After winning Pinoy Pop Superstar, Santos signed a five-year contract with GMA Records and became a regular on the TV series SOP Rules. His first single, "A Day on the Rainbow", was released in 2006. In 2008 he released his second studio album, Pinakahihintay.

He transferred to TV 5 in 2010, a year before his contract with GMA expired. He then released the repackaged edition of Pinakahihintay, and did a national mall tour promoting it. In 2011, he won Male Pop Artist of the Year in the 3rd Star Awards for Music for Pinakahihintay: The Repackaged Edition. In 2012, he released his third album, Gerald Santos: The Prince of Ballad. The album won Revival Album of the Year in the 5th Star Awards for Music in 2013.

His fourth album, Gerald Santos Kahit Anong Mangyari, was released in July 2015. It was an all-original album.

Santos signed a two-year contract with Star Music Philippines in May 2017 and released the single "I am Yours" in June 2017. The follow-up single "Hindi Pa Huli ang Lahat" was set to be released in August 2017.

Santos has done five major solo concerts. Santos has been nominated for four consecutive years, 2011 to 2014, as Best Male Concert Performer in the Aliw Awards, winning the award in 2011 for his Major Move concert at the Music Museum. In 2012, Santos held the Isang Pasasalmat concert at the PETA-PHINMA Theater.

The concert Gerald Santos It's Time! was held at the SM North EDSA Skydome on 2014.

On June 13, 2015, his biggest concert, Gerald Santos: Metamorphosis, was held at PICC Plenary Hall.

Santos held a concert at the SM North EDSA Skydome on April 9, 2017 titled Gerald Santos: Something New in My Life. The UP Concert Chorus and Regine Velasquez were special guests.

He headlined concerts held in Nottinghill, London, in 2017 and 2019.

Santos held Gerald Santos: The Homecoming Concert in 2019 at the Theater at Solaire, with Jake Zyrus and Santos's Miss Saigon costars Aicelle Santos, Joreen Bautista, and Leo Valdez.

In December 2019, Santos staged a major concert at NPAT Resorts World Manila. His guests included Jett Pangarap, Nyoy Volante, Garrett Bolden, Rachel Chan, and Kyline Alcantara.

In 2022, he staged a concert in Vienna, Austria, with guests Kathy Aquino, Mark Agpas, and Isabel Garcia.

Santos has composed and written twelve songs, four of which were included in his sophomore album, Pinakahintay: The Repackaged Edition. These four were "Kailan Masasabi", "I Cannot Imagine", "This Feeling Inside", and "Gotta Be Strong". For San Pedro Calungsod: The Musical, he composed eight songs. For his fourth album, Gerald Santos Kahit Anong Mangyari, he did two compositions, "#MMK" and "Sorry".

Santos has played lead roles in musicals. The first was in 2011 in the Gantimpala Theater Foundation's Sino Ka Ba Jose Rizal. His second musical was Matpil's San Pedro Calungsod: Teen Saint at Seventeen. The third was Redlife Entertainment Productions Inc.'s San Pedro Calungsod: The Musical. Santos was also the musical's composer.

In 2016, he auditioned for Miss Saigon and got the role of Thuy. He was part of the Miss Saigon UK/International Tour, which ran from July 2017 to March 2019 and covered five countries in the United Kingdom and Europe. Santos has performed 553 times as Thuy.

In October 2019, Santos played Anthony Hope in Atlantis Theatrical's staging of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. The musical was directed by Bobby Garcia and staged in the Theater at Solaire in Manila. Additionally, it was staged in Singapore Marina Bay Sands Theatre from November 28 to December 8, 2020.

His television career started with him becoming the grand champion of Pinoy Pop Superstar Season 2 on GMA 7 in 2006.

Santos was also part of SOP and Party Pilipinas on GMA and was cast in GMA's primetime teleseries I Luv New York in 2006 where he played the brother of its lead, played by Jolina Magdangal. Additionally, he cohosted QTV's Popstar Kids.

On TV5, he appeared in the shows P.O.5 (2010), Fantastik (2011), Sunday Funday (2012), and Hey It's Saberday! (2012). He sang the theme song in Sa Ngalan ng Ina, composed by National Artist Ryan Cayabyab.

Santos has been performing on the songwriting competition A Song of Praise on UNTV channel 37, hosted by Richard Reynoso and Toni Rose Gayda.

Santos finished his first feature film in 2015, Memory Channel, directed by Rayn Brizuela and costarring Epy Quizon, Bodjie Pascua, and Michelle Vito. The movie was an official selection for the 2016 World Premieres Film Festival, where it competed against five other Filipino films. Santos received favorable reviews for his acting as an amnesia patient suffering from anxiety and panic attacks.

Santos played the titular character in the documentary film Emilio Jacinto: Utak ng Katipunan, produced by the National Historical Commission and directed by Pat Perez.

His other movie credits include Al Coda (with Marion Aunor, 2022), Mamasapano: Now It Can Be Told (2022), and Oras de Peligro (2023).

Discography

• A Day on the Rainbow (November 2006) – contains his official first hit song "Mahal Kita", which became the theme song of the TV series Marimar on Channel 7.
• Pinakahihintay (November 2008) – contains his revival of the song "Hanggang", the song which won in his very first TV appearance in Pinoy Pop Superstar, scoring a near-perfect 99% from the judges.
• Pinakahihintay: The Repackaged Edition (October 2010) – contains original compositions.
• Gerald Santos: The Prince Of Ballad (September 2012) – was Santos's first revival album.
• Gerald Santos Kahit Anong Mangyari (March 2015)

• "I Am Yours" (June 2017) – composed by Francis "Kiko" Salazar.
• "Hindi Pa Huli ang Lahat"
• "Hanggang sa Muli"
• "Ibulong Mo Na Sa 'Kin"
• "Sorry"
• "Wagas"
• "Di Kaylalangan Pang Mangako"
• "Ibalik"
• "Finally"
• "I Will"
• "Hanggang" (2023) – original studio recording.