Jake Zyrus speaks about pains, struggles as Charice Pempengco

Romar Fernando

July 9, 2021

• Jake Zyrus has recalled his past and the pain in hiding his gender identity before as Charice Pempengco, July 1, Thursday.

  In an interview for Toni Gonzaga’s YouTube vlog, Zyrus narrated one of his key realizations. “Nung na-discover na [si] Charice, global superstar Charice being onstage with David Foster & Friends, Oprah (Winfrey) [and] Ellen (DeGeneres), that was one of my pains because I did not want to sound ungrateful,” he said.

  “It was always there — the struggle, pain of hiding yourself. Towards my transition, before I came out, at the very end, I was like, ‘No. No. No.’ But at the same time, it came to the worst of the worst,” he added.

  Zyrus also recounted the day when he had an attempt to end his life. “It’s a very dark place, and I’m saying this not because I’ve experienced it three times and I want to be able to share it [with] other people who might be going through the same. No. It’s a very, very bad place to be,” he said.

  “If you don’t understand me, then maybe just be kind to me. I think that’s the most important thing even not just for LGBT, but for everything.” Zyrus concluded.

• COMMENTS