Maria Kristina Cassandra "KC" Cuneta Concepcion (; born April 7, 1985) is a
Filipino actress, singer, dancer, TV host, entrepreneur, socialite and humanitarian. She has had lead roles in Philippine films ''
For The First Time'' (2008) and ''
When I Met U'' (2009), and television series such as ''
Lovers in Paris
''Lovers in Paris'' () is a 2004 South Korean television series starring Kim Jung-eun, Park Shin-yang and Lee Dong-gun. It aired on SBS from 12 June to 15 August 2004 on Saturdays and Sundays at 21:55 for 20 episodes. The series is the fir ...
'' (2009), ''
Huwag Ka Lang Mawawala
''Huwag Ka Lang Mawawala'' (International title: ''Against All Odds'' / ) is a 2013 Philippine melodrama television series aired on ABS-CBN and worldwide on The Filipino Channel from June 17, 2013 to August 23, 2013, replacing '' Ina, Kapatid, Ana ...
'' (2013) and ''
Ikaw Lamang
''Ikaw Lamang'' (International title: ''No Greater Love'' / ) is a 2014 Philippine period drama television series, directed by Malu L. Sevilla and Avel E. Sunpongco, starring Kim Chiu and Coco Martin, together with an ensemble cast. The series was ...
'' (2014).
She is often dubbed as the "Mega Daughter", in reference to her mother
Sharon Cuneta
Sharon Gamboa Cuneta-Pangilinan ( , ; born January 6, 1966) is a Filipino actress, singer, television host, and socialite. Regarded as one of the most successful and highest-earning individuals in the Philippine entertainment industry, she has ...
's
honorific
An honorific is a title that conveys esteem, courtesy, or respect for position or rank when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term "honorific" is used in a more specific sense to refer to an honorary academic title. It ...
as the "Megastar". She is also the first National
Ambassador
An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...
Against
Hunger
In politics, humanitarian aid, and the social sciences, hunger is defined as a condition in which a person does not have the physical or financial capability to eat sufficient food to meet basic nutritional needs for a sustained period. In the ...
of the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...
'
World Food Programme
The World Food Programme; it, Programma alimentare mondiale; es, Programa Mundial de Alimentos; ar, برنامج الأغذية العالمي, translit=barnamaj al'aghdhiat alealami; russian: Всемирная продовольствен� ...
. She is also the new ambassador of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines. In addition, she also sang in the 2011 SEA Games opening production along with the Agnez Mo and Jaclyn Victor held in Indonesia.
Personal life
Concepcion is the daughter of singer-actress
Sharon Cuneta
Sharon Gamboa Cuneta-Pangilinan ( , ; born January 6, 1966) is a Filipino actress, singer, television host, and socialite. Regarded as one of the most successful and highest-earning individuals in the Philippine entertainment industry, she has ...
and actor
Gabby Concepcion, and the adopted daughter of Senator
Francis Pangilinan
Francis Pancratius "Kiko" Nepomuceno Pangilinan (; born August 24, 1963) is a Filipino lawyer, politician, and farm owner who served as a Senator from 2001 to 2013 and from 2016 to 2022. He was the Senate Majority Leader from 2004 to 2008.
A ...
following her mother's marriage to him. She reconnected with her father after thirteen years since her parents'
annulment
Annulment is a legal procedure within secular and religious legal systems for declaring a marriage null and void. Unlike divorce, it is usually retroactive, meaning that an annulled marriage is considered to be invalid from the beginning almost ...
and his immigration to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...
in 1995.
She graduated grade school at
Saint Pedro Poveda College in
Mandaluyong
Mandaluyong, officially the City of Mandaluyong ( fil, Lungsod ng Mandaluyong), is a first class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to ...
. In 2003, she graduated from the
International School Manila
International School Manila (abbreviation: ISM) is a private, non-profit, non-sectarian international school located in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines. Founded in 1920 as the American School by a group of American and Bri ...
, and in 2007, graduated with a
bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
in International
Corporate Communications
Corporate communication is a set of activities involved in managing and orchestrating all internal and external communications aimed at creating favourable point of view among stakeholders on which the company depends. Riel, Cees B.M. van; Fombr ...
with a minor in
Theatre Arts
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...
from the
American University of Paris
The American University of Paris (AUP) is a private, independent, and accredited liberal arts university in Paris, France. Founded in 1962, the university is one of the oldest American institutions of higher education in Europe, and the first to ...
.
Career
Concepcion made several guest appearances in her mother's concerts and television shows. In 2003, she became a
product endorser both on television and in print ads. She started her career with global franchise MTV as an
MTV Asia VJ.
As
World Food Programme
The World Food Programme; it, Programma alimentare mondiale; es, Programa Mundial de Alimentos; ar, برنامج الأغذية العالمي, translit=barnamaj al'aghdhiat alealami; russian: Всемирная продовольствен� ...
's Philippine ambassador, she shared the stage with
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...
in 2008 to present the former US leader's foundation its commitment to feed more people in impoverish countries.
In 2009, she starred in the
Philippine remake of her first primetime drama series, ''
Lovers in Paris
''Lovers in Paris'' () is a 2004 South Korean television series starring Kim Jung-eun, Park Shin-yang and Lee Dong-gun. It aired on SBS from 12 June to 15 August 2004 on Saturdays and Sundays at 21:55 for 20 episodes. The series is the fir ...
'' as a Kapamilya. In 2010, she returned to do a film with
Star Cinema
ABS-CBN Film Productions, Inc. (doing business as Star Cinema or ABS-CBN Films) is a Filipino film studio and film and television production company and film distributor headquartered in Quezon City. It is one of the major film studios in t ...
with her first movie with her father,
Gabby Concepcion, for Father's Day, ''
I'll Be There'', directed by
Maryo J. de los Reyes. In her 2010 studio album titled ''KC'', she sang "Girl Most Likely To" by
Skye Sweetnam
Skye Alexandra Sweetnam (born May 5, 1988) is a Canadian singer, actress, and music video director. She first entered the music industry in 2003 with the release of her debut single " Billy S." More than a year later, her debut studio album, '' ...
from the soundtrack of
Mattel's 2006 film ''
The Barbie Diaries''. In the same year, she joined ''
Star Magic
ABS-CBN Center for Communication Arts, Inc., doing business as Star Magic (formerly known as ABS-CBN Talent Center), is the talent agency owned by ABS-CBN Corporation based in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines that was founded in 1992.
H ...
'' but after a year, she left and joined
Viva Artist Agency, a talent management of Viva Entertainment.
On the April 11, 2010 episode of ''
The Buzz'', it was announced that Concepción had been chosen to be the replacement co-host after
Ruffa Gutierrez's departure. She was also featured on the cover of
Cosmopolitan Mexico. In 2011, she made another film with Star Cinema, a romantic, drama film ''
Forever and a Day''.
In 2012, she hosted the first and only season of ''
The X Factor Philippines
''The X Factor Philippines'' is a Philippine reality music competition, adapted from the The X Factor (UK TV series), original UK series as part of The X Factor, ''The X Factor'' franchise, to find new singing talent in the Philippines. The show ...
''. She was also featured in USA's
Complex Magazine as one of ''The 25 Sexiest International Actresses''.
In 2013, she starred in her first lead antagonist role in ''
Huwag Ka Lang Mawawala
''Huwag Ka Lang Mawawala'' (International title: ''Against All Odds'' / ) is a 2013 Philippine melodrama television series aired on ABS-CBN and worldwide on The Filipino Channel from June 17, 2013 to August 23, 2013, replacing '' Ina, Kapatid, Ana ...
''. In 2014, she starred a lead role as Natalia in the second season of the
period drama
A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and swa ...
series ''
Ikaw Lamang
''Ikaw Lamang'' (International title: ''No Greater Love'' / ) is a 2014 Philippine period drama television series, directed by Malu L. Sevilla and Avel E. Sunpongco, starring Kim Chiu and Coco Martin, together with an ensemble cast. The series was ...
''. In 2015, she returned and starred a lead role as Anna in Christmas Special Series of
ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Philippine commercial broadcast network that serves as the flagship property of ABS-CBN Corporation, a company under ...
, ''
Give Love on Christmas,'' and was named one of
GQ India
''GQ'' is the Indian edition of the American monthly men's magazine called '' GQ''. It is the 15th international edition of ''GQ'' and is published by Condé Nast India Pvt. Ltd., a 100% owned subsidiary of Condé Nast International. Condé Na ...
's ''Hottest Actresses Around the World'.'' In 2016, she returned as the host in
Binibining Pilipinas 2016 along with co-host and actor
Xian Lim. She was also the host of
Binibining Pilipinas 2011 five years ago with co-host and actor
Derek Ramsay
Derek Arthur Ramsay Jr. (born December 7, 1976) is a British-Filipino model, actor, and host. As of 2019, he is an exclusive talent of GMA Network. In 2021, he file for indefinite leave and is currently inactive in showbiz to attend personal li ...
. She took a step back from showbiz for a while to focus as being the
UN Ambassador of
World Food Programme
The World Food Programme; it, Programma alimentare mondiale; es, Programa Mundial de Alimentos; ar, برنامج الأغذية العالمي, translit=barnamaj al'aghdhiat alealami; russian: Всемирная продовольствен� ...
for Hunger and made an online shop website KC's Closet and reached 1,000,000 pesos and being donated in Public School in
Maguindanao.
In 2019, KC was the first Filipina celebrity to represent global brand
Shiseido
is a Japanese multinational cosmetic company founded in Tokyo, Japan in 1872. Its product categories consist of: skin care, makeup, body care, hair care, and fragrances. The company is one of the oldest cosmetic companies in the world and ...
as an ambassador and endorser.
She is set to make a showbiz comeback after signing an exclusive management contract with Cornerstone Entertainment.
Music
2008-2009: ''a.k.a Cassandra''
In 2008, KC Concepción released her first studio album on July 15, 2008 entitled "a.k.a Cassandra", on the Sony BMG Philippines label, which ranked number 1 based on total album sales in all Odyssey Record Bar branches nationwide. In fact, 1,102 copies of the album were sold in all Odyssey branches alone. KC Concepción made Philippine music history with her lead single "Imposible" during that year. KC has the most number of music downloads in the Philippines in the same year, which marked 1 million downloads online. KC Concepción thought that she would just perform her newest single, "Doo Be Doo", on the noontime TV show Wowowee on ABS-CBN Channel 2 on November 15, 2008. However, she was surprised when she was given a Platinum Record Award for her album "a.k.a. Cassandra".
2010-2011: '' KC''
In, 2010 KC released her Second Studio Album entitled
KC,
KC ranked number 3 based on
OPM charts, in Astrovision Stores the album KC reached number 1. ''
KC'' was launched on ASAP XV. ''
KC'' was released on March 24, 2010, under the Sony Music label. she also set KC Mall Tour to promote
KC album.
Acting
Theater
*2003, ''The Little Mermaid''
*2005, ''
Beauty and the Beast
''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' (''The Young American and Marine ...
''
*2008, ''Katy, the Musical Concert''
Television
Films
Discography
Studio albums
* ''
a.k.a Cassandra'' (2008)
* ''
KC'' (2010)
Soundtrack
* ''For the First Time'' (2008)
* ''When I Met You'' (2009)
* ''Forever and a Day'' (2011)
Awards, nominations and recognitions
References
External links
*
*
KC Concepcionon
Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Concepcion, KC
Filipino child actresses
Filipino film actresses
Filipino television actresses
21st-century Filipino women singers
Filipino people of American descent
Filipino people of Spanish descent
Filipino expatriates in France
1985 births
Living people
Pangilinan family
Star Circle Quest
Star Magic
American University of Paris alumni
VJs (media personalities)
Filipino people of Kapampangan descent
Viva Artists Agency
ABS-CBN personalities
Filipino musical theatre actresses
Ambassadors of supra-national bodies
World Food Programme people