Lea Salonga has bagged her first Grammy nomination for her work in a Broadway production.
The theater veteran announced Friday, Dec. 7 (Dec. 8 Manila time) that the entire cast of “Once on This Island” album was nominated for the category Best Musical Theater Album. Salonga is listed as a principal soloist on the album.
She expressed her excitement on Instagram: “Pardon me for screaming but… the ‘Once on This Island’ cast album just got nominated for a Grammy! Ohhhh myyyyyy Godddddddd!”
In another post on the same day, she shared a screenshot of her name listed on the Grammy Awards website. “And it’s true! I am officially a Grammy nominee!”
“It may be a while before I get any sleep tonight!” she stated. “So thrilled to share this with my Island family. And that at 47 years old, one can still have a first!”
In the 2017 Broadway revival of the one-act musical, Salonga played the goddess of love Erzulie. The story follows a peasant girl on a Caribbean island who brings its residents of different social classes together through love.
Filipino celebrities such as Anne Curtis, Ogie Alcasid, Maja Salvador, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Coney Reyes, Karen Davila and Daphne Oseña-Paez extended their congratulations in the comments section.
“It’s a victory already!” said Davila, while Reyes said, “You continue to make us, your countrymen proud!”
Singers Martin Nievera, Yeng Constantino, Erik Santos, Mark Bautista and Jason Dy also cheered her on.
Salonga is the first Asian woman to win a Tony Award for her performance in Miss Saigon. She has also bagged international wins at the Laurence Olivier Awards and Theatre World Awards.
Filipino Grammy winners include Jhett Tolentino, a producer who received an award for Best Musical Theater Album for “The Color Purple” in 2017. Filipino-American artists Bruno Mars and apl.de.ap of Black Eyed Peas have each won multiple Grammy awards.