Jolina Magdangal Filipino Actress Known for Lavender Fields

Jolina Magdangal is a Filipino singer, actress and television host, born on 6 November 1978. She rose to fame in the 1990s through youth television and romantic comedies, recorded a string of best-selling albums, and has remained active as a presenter and judge on Philippine variety and singing shows.

Early life

Magdangal was born in Quezon City. Her father worked in marketing and public relations at San Miguel Corporation before leaving in 1993 to manage her career, and her mother handled finances for her business ventures. After finishing high school at Colegio de San Lorenzo, she began a theatre arts course at the University of the Philippines, but she left it when AMA Computer University offered her a scholarship in computer science.

Career

Her career began in 1989, when she joined the singing group 14-K under the composer Ryan Cayabyab and took lessons in singing, dance and acting. In 1992 the director and talent manager Johnny Manahan noticed her on the musical show Ryan Ryan Musikahan and invited her to appear in the ABS-CBN sitcom Mana. She then joined the youth programme Ang TV, where she had her own segment, and became one of the first contract artists of the ABS-CBN Talent Center, now Star Magic. In 1995 she became one of the original hosts of the variety show ASAP. A year earlier Walt Disney Records had chosen her as its first Filipino recording artist, and she sang Philippine promotional theme songs for Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.

Her first major film role was Princess Adarna in the Ang TV spin-off movie of 1996, and her debut album, A Wish Comes True, appeared the same year on Walt Disney Records. The 1997 film adaptation of the series F.L.A.M.E.S. brought her to a wider audience and began a screen partnership with Marvin Agustin. She also had a major role in Adarna: The Mythical Bird, the first full-length animated feature made in the Philippines, which was a Metro Manila Film Festival entry in 1997. Labs Kita... Okey Ka Lang? (1998) was her first major commercial success on film. That year she also starred in Puso ng Pasko, for which she received a Best Supporting Actress nomination. Her second album, Jolina (1999), was named the best-selling album of its year by the Philippine Association of the Record Industry, and the 1999 series Labs Ko Si Babe was the first Filipino romantic-comedy-drama series on television.

In 2000 she released the album On Memory Lane, made up of remakes of older songs, and starred in the sitcom Arriba, Arriba!. Later films included Kung Ikaw Ay Isang Panaginip (2002) and Home Alone Da Riber with the comedian Dolphy, an entry in the 2002 Metro Manila Film Festival. She joined GMA Network in 2002 with Kahit Kailan, followed by Narito Ang Puso Ko in 2003. Her albums Jolina Sings the Masters (2002) and Forever Jolina (2004) were each certified gold, and GMA Records made her its first banner artist. She hosted several editions of the talent search StarStruck and the morning show Unang Hirit, and starred in I Luv NY in 2006, filmed largely in New York City. Her album Tuloy Pa Rin Ang Awit came out that year, and her horror film Ouija was released in 2007. In 2008 she served as a judge on Pinoy Idol and starred in I.T.A.L.Y., and her album Destiny appeared in the same period.

She returned to ABS-CBN with the series FlordeLiza in 2015, which brought her a nomination for Best Drama Actress at the PMPC Star Awards for Television. Her album Back to Love followed in late 2015, and in the 8th PMPC Star Awards for Music she was named Female Recording Artist of the Year. From 2016 she co-hosted the morning show Magandang Buhay, which ran until 2026, and she has judged several editions of Tawag ng Tanghalan. She returned to film in 2021 with Momshies! Ang Soul Mo'y Akin!, joined the cast of Lavender Fields in 2024, and in 2025 starred in the film Ex Ex Lovers, her first work as an executive producer. That year she also made her theatre debut in Walang Aray.

Recognition

Magdangal has received two FAMAS Awards, seven Box Office Entertainment Awards and an MTV Pilipinas Music Award. Her Favorite Female Artist award at the MTV Pilipinas Awards 2004 was for the music video of "Bahala Na". She earned three PMPC Star Awards for television hosting, a star on the Eastwood City Walk of Fame in 2009, and a Serviam Award from the Catholic Mass Media Awards in 2005.

Public roles

In 1998 she was appointed national youth advocate by the Philippine government, and in 1999 and 2002 she served as Ambassadress of Goodwill for The Children's Hour, a fundraising campaign for children.

Personal life

Magdangal married Mark Escueta, the drummer of the band Rivermaya, in November 2011.