Lea Salonga: Musical theatre star and real-life Disney princess performs in Melbourne
Meet Lea Salonga — the Disney legend who got her big Hollywood break as the singing voice of Princess Jasmine in the hit movie Aladdin.
On Tuesday night, the Tony and Olivier award-winning singer will perform Broadway hits with Orchestra Victoria at Melbourne’s Hamer Hall.
And while you might not immediately recognise her name or face, you would almost certainly recognise Salonga’s voice as she belts out A Whole New World.
From the plug of a lamp to Broadway
Salonga has had a lifelong love for singing, and began performing at just three years of age while growing up in the Philippines.
“My mum remembers me getting up on the living room table with a pretend microphone — the plug of a lamp — and just singing as if it was my own private little concert stage,” Salonga told ABC Radio Melbourne.
She soon began taking centre stage at family parties, one of which was attended by a cousin who was active in a local repertoire company.
They encouraged her to audition for a production of The King And I.
“I guess my mum always knew there was this voice, but then it was my cousin who was like: ‘Get her to this audition’,” she said.
Salonga landed a role in the musical production — and her singing career took off from there.
At 10 years old, Salonga had recorded her first album. By 18 she had left Manila for London, with her mum at her side, to perform in Miss Saigon.
Salonga was soon winning praise for her performance on the stage; then, unexpectedly, she was cast as the singing voice of Princess Jasmine in Aladdin — the role which catapulted her to silver screen fame.
“I happened to be in the right place at the right time,” she said.
At the time of the audition, Salonga said she knew very little about Disney or Aladdin but other actors in the Miss Saigon company were desperate to audition.
“I was just wondering, what is this Disney thing that everyone seems to be talking about very quietly in the hallway,” she recalled.
“But then I got a note from the casting director and he said: ‘We’ve been looking for you, can you please get in with touch with me?'”
It was then — just a few days before her 21st birthday — that she recorded the Princess Jasmine songs for what went on to become one of the most popular Disney movies ever made.
In 1998, Salonga was cast as the singing voice of another Disney princess: this time, Princess Mulan.
The responsibility of being a role model
As a female singer who has broken through to the musical theatre industry’s top tier of roles, Salonga acknowledged she is a role model for other female performers.
“It is definitely is a responsibility because I know that people are watching and people are looking to me as an example,” she said.
“I’m just happy to have gotten the opportunities that I’ve gotten thus far.”
To sing or not to sing
And having previously sung for three American presidents, including Barack Obama and George Bush, Salonga is now contemplating whether she will sing for Donald Trump.
“There are parts of me that are like: ‘You absolutely cannot, must not sing for this man’,” she said.
“But then there’s another part of me that quotes Michelle Obama: ‘When they go low, we go high’.”