Not all people know who Lea Salonga is, but once they hear her voice, they’ll find it extra familiar. That’s because Lea is the wonderful voice behind two of the most popular Disney princesses, Mulan and Jasmine from Aladdin.
Lea has been used to doing impromptu duets for several years.
She would call out someone from the audience and ask that person to sing with her. Sometimes, the duet goes great. Other times, not so awesome.
However, during her performance in Brigham Young University’s College of Fine Arts and Communications, she asked for an audience volunteer. Little did she know that the performance would be so much better than what she hoped for.
Jared Young started screaming when Lea asked for a volunteer. He really wanted the chance to finally meet her, so he did everything to get noticed.
When she chose her, he ran quickly to the stage. He was so excited and nervous at the same time.
Lea, however, was very reassuring. She gave Jared a lyric sheet to make sure he can keep track of the song. When you’re feeling excited, you tend to forget things quite easily.
Good thing Jared was able to pull himself together.
Lea and the audience were pleasantly surprised to hear Jared’s voice. He was perfect for Aladdin’s role.
Jared isn’t new to singing. In fact, he started singing and dancing at a very young age. He would perform with his seven older siblings. By 16 years old, he was already touring all over Europe as a pop band’s lead singer.
Since then, he’s been impressing people on stage and screen with his talent. He has performed with Green Day and he has already made his off-broadway debut in a musical entitled Solitary Light.
Lea has an interesting story as well.
Just like Jared, she started out young in the music industry. At age seven, she has already made her professional stage debut. After that, she started appearing in several musicals, like Annie and The Sound of Music.
At the age of ten, she has recorded her first solo album, Small Voice. She went on to take roles in more musical theater roles before releasing a second album which became an instant platinum hit in the Asian region.
Lea became even more popular after securing the role of the Vietnamese peasant in Miss Saigon named Kim. Her performance earned her a Tony Award and an Olivier Award. After that, people heard her in the famous Disney movies.
She released an album containing traditional songs of the Philippines and songs performed in different languages spoken in her country. She continues to be active in theater, movies, and TV. In fact, she is in the Broadway revival of Once on This Island. It’s where she received praises for her vocal skills and awesome talent in singing and performing. She’s also one of the coaches in the Philippine version of The Voice.
As for this performance, it is sure to bring a smile to your face.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
