Anja Aguilar

Angelie G. Urquico, popularly known as Anja Aguilar (Marikina, July 22, 1994) is a Filipino recording artist and Grand Winner of Little Big Star Season 2 in 2006. She is a half Filipino and half Japanese singing star, and coming pop star Anja Aguilar.

After winning the competition, she immediately released her debut album entitled Anja Aguilar under Viva Records  which generate three number-one singles in the MYX Hit Chart. According to Philippine Association of the Record Industry, as of July 2012, the album has sold more that 50,000 units nationwide. Following the success of her debut album, she had her first solo concert in the Music Museum with the same title. To date, she has recorded and released eleven albums including a live album and a compilation album. At the age of 18, she had her first major-solo concert at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in October 6, 2012. She is the first Filipino artist to receive a platinum award for a DVD copy of her concert Anja Aguilar: Live Concert in 2012 and is currently the only artist who has a platinum record for 4 DVDs of her concert. Her fourth one was awarded with triple platinum status in October 2012.  

Aguilar, in May 15, 2012 made her first starring role in a movie with Onemig Bondoc entiled Fall In Love Again. The movie has a total gross of more than P170 Million, making her the Box-office Queen for the year 2012. Apart from her music and film career, Aguilar also ventured into business. In 2012, her family opened a salon and boutique in Manila which was named after her. They also opened a food chain that is being managed my her mother Tita Joan.

Due to her music and talent, Aguilar's received several awards and accolades. She received from the Aliw Awards the "Best Female Major Concert" award for Anja Aguilar: The Concert and the "Entertainer of the Year" award, making her the youngest artist to receive it in history.

Life and career
Anja Aguilar hails from Marikina, her birth name being Angelie G. Urquico, by which she was known when she bagged the grand prize at ABS-CBN’s singing competition, Little Big Star, hosted by her idol Sarah Geronimo. As early as four years old, she already exemplified her singing talent at birthday parties and family gatherings. At seven, she started joining singing contests, which already served as her recreational activity outside school and home because growing up, she was not much into going out with friends. She has joined over 50 contests which include Batang Vidaylin on IBC-13 and Duet Bulilit on ABS-CBN’s then noontime show MTB. Her performance pieces would usually be “Help” by Tina Turner, and “This Is My Life”.

After her breakthrough triumph in Little Big Star, acting opportunities also opened. Anja starred in an episode of Maalaala Mo Kaya, where she played a 12-year old girl who fell in love with a 26-year old guy, played by Piolo Pascual. She also did a few drama series on ABS-CBN, such as Maria La Del Barrio, May Minamahal, and Palos. On the silver screen, Anja was seen in a minor role in Praybeyt Benjamin, Vice Ganda’s record-breaking film. Anja also appeared in an indie film called Astig, starring Dennis Trillo, and another one called Ugat Sa Lupa, starring Gerard Madrid.

Anja signed up with Viva Artists Agency on May 15, 2010, and became a member of Pop Girls. At age 18, she has blossomed into a beautiful young lady, and with her remarkable voice, Viva saw her ripe for a solo career. The screen name “Anja Aguilar” came to be as a suggestion by VAA President Veronique R. Corpus. In January 2012, she was launched as one of ASAP 2012’s main talents. Her self-titled debut album was released in February.

The 10–track album “Anja Aguilar” has original compositions by the distinguished Vehnee Saturno, including the hit carrier single To Reach You. She also made an outstanding cover of Willie Revillame’s song, I Love You, which was used by TV5’s drama series P.S. I Love You as its theme song. Director Monti Parungao, the same guy behind the music videos of Bakit Pa Ba by Sarah Geronimo and Masasabi Mo Ba by Rachelle Ann Go, and reputed for his exceptional work in commercials and reality shows like Survivor, also directed the video of To Reach You.

Album
Anja's album features songs including Saturno’s lovelorn ballads and new love songs such as “I Love You,” and “When,” and the Tagalog “Nasaan Ang Pangako”.

Anja also is lucky to be singing brand new songs by up and coming songwriter and hitmaker Christian Martinez, and their combination makes for some pretty modern sounding OPM pop like the mid-tempo, acoustic guitar-driven ditty “Ako Para Sa ‘Yo,” and the piano decked “Di Bale Na Lang.” The Anja Aguilar-Christian Martinez singer and songwriter pairing also came up with the pop-py number “Magic Of Love” and another catchy original Tagalog song in “Ako.”

Career Expansion
Aguilar's first movie role was in Magic Temple, released in April 13, 2012 with Charlie Green, BJ Forbes and Jubal Makisig Morales. On May 15, 2012, Aguilar starred with return of the actor Onemig Bondoc in Fall In Love Again which was produced by Viva Films and Neo Films while grossed almost P180 million and the movie opened with P14 million pesos.

As of June 29, 2012, Aguilar will now signed a contract with the Kapinoy network IBC-13, which aired her first teen drama anthology series Dear Heart, a co-production with Viva Television. At this time, she become a regular host and performer on the variety show KSP: Kapinoy Sunday Party while an extension as a performer in P.O.5 as well as the supporting cast of Popstar TV on TV5 and also the regular performers in ASAP 2012 on ABS-CBN. Last June 29, Aguilar released her another album Tell Me Your Heart with Heaven Knows as its first single. After a week of its release, the album was cirtified gold and quickly achieved triple platinum status when it sold more tthan 80,000 copies nationwide. Aguilar stars in the phenomenall animated fairy-serye Winx Club on IBC with produced by Rainbiw S.r.l and co-produced by Viva Television as the vocie of Bloom dubbed in Filipino along with Stella, Aisha, Musa, Tecna and Flora.

Aguilar has another movie with Martin Escudero in To Love Again which shown on August 11, 2012 in theaters nationwide. On October 6, 2012, Anja joined the extended co-host for a noontime variety show Lunch Break. She hosted the singing contest: Born to be a Star, which is premiered on September 30, 2012 which aimed to discover new talents. The weekly show was aired on IBC-13 and was a co-production with Viva Television.

On October 6, 2012, Aguilar become the concert scene she is staged her first solo concert. Viva Records released a live DVD album of her concert at Araneta Coliseum titled Anja Aguilar: Live Album. She has sung several soundtracks for Viva Television and Viva Films as well as several theme songs for IBC-13. Geronimo continued to perform in concerts throughout the world, in places like Taiwan, Canada, the U.S., and Dubai. Aguilar released a newest Christmas album Anja's Christmas in October 2012.

Aguilar worked with Marvin Agustin in the film collaboration of Star Cinema and Viva Films titled All At Once which was shown on December 25, 2012 in theaters nationwide and shown as the official entry of the 2012 Metro Manila Film Festival at the time.

In March 2013, Aguilar made a movie again with Marvin Agustin in Lost in Your Eyes, the sequel of All at Once. The film’s total theatrical earnings earned over ₱225.30 million, and holds the record for the highest grossing Filipino movie made.