Maria Isabella Simone Arroyo Magalona-Bacarro (born November 23, 1988), better known as Saab Magalona, is a Filipino actress, singer, and blogger who started in the TV5 youth-oriented drama series '' Lipgloss''. She is the daughter of

Francis Magalona Francis Michael Durango Magalona (October 4, 1964 – March 6, 2009), also known as Francis M, was a Filipino rapper, songwriter, and actor. He is regarded as an influential figure in Pinoy hip hop. Magalona was a son of actors Pancho Maga ...

and sister of

Maxene Magalona Maxene Sofia Maria Arroyo Magalona (born November 23, 1986) is a Filipino actress, model, host, and yoga instructor currently signed under ABS-CBN. A former talent of the GMA Artist Center, she was known for her portrayals of Donna Vallejo on '' ...

, Frank Magalona & Elmo Magalona. In music, she is a member of the 8-piece indie rock band

Cheats Cheating generally describes various actions designed to subvert or disobey rules in order to obtain unfair advantages without being noticed. This includes acts of bribery, cronyism and nepotism in any situation where individuals are given pr ...

, where she acts as co-lead vocalist, alongside Candy Gamos and her husband, Jim Bacarro.

Career

In 2007, she made her first onscreen appearance as the friend of Eleanor (played by

Alessandra de Rossi Alessandra de Rossi (born Alessandra Tiotangco Schiavone on July 19, 1984) is a Filipino actress and writer. Known for her dramatic and comedic performances in independent film and television, she made her screen debut in the comedy series ''! ...

) in the

GMA Network GMA Network (an acronym of its legal name, Global Media Arts and commonly known as GMA) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine commercial broadcast network, serving as the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network (company), ...

'' telefantasya'' '' Kamandag'' where her sister Maxene played the role of one of

Richard Gutierrez Richard Kristian Gutierrez (born January 21, 1984) is a Filipino actor. He is regarded as the original "''Fantaserye King''" for top billing multiple hit television series. Gutierrez is a recipient of a FAMAS Award and three PMPC Star Awards fo ...

' leading ladies. In 2008, she joined the cast of TV5's ''Lipgloss''. In October 2010, she made her GMA comeback on the teleserye ''Koreana'', playing Ivy. Her music career began when she filled-in for several indie bands such as Us-2 Evil-0 (2009), Duster, and BBYGRL (2012). A few years later, she and Jim Bacarro formed the band called Cheats following the disbandment of Bacarro's band Ernville. In 2018, she returned to television and signed up with

ABS-CBN ABS-CBN is a leading Philippine media and content company. It serves as the flagship media brand of ABS-CBN Corporation, a subsidiary of Lopez Holdings Corporation. Once the country's largest free-to-air television network, ABS-CBN has since ...

as the new host of music program Coke Studio Homecoming.

Personal life

Magalona was born to rapper and actor

and Pia Magalona. Her grandparents are actors

Pancho Magalona Enrique Gayoso Magalona Jr. (January 22, 1922 – April 7, 1998), professionally known as Pancho Magalona, was a Filipino actor from the 1940s to the 1970s. Early life Born Enrique Gayoso Magalona Jr. in Bacolod, Negros Occidental, he was the ...

and Tita Duran, while her great grandfather was former senator Enrique Magalona. She has five siblings, including actors Maxene, Frank,

Elmo Elmo is a Muppet character on the children's television show ''Sesame Street''. A furry red monster who speaks in a high-pitched falsetto voice and frequently refers to himself in the third person, he hosts the last full 15-minute segmen ...

, and Arkin. She took up

creative writing Creative writing is any writing that goes beyond the boundaries of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature, typically identified by an emphasis on craft and technique, such as narrative structure, character ...

at the Ateneo de Manila University and graduated in 2009. On January 24, 2015, she married her boyfriend and fellow Cheats band member, Jim Bacarro, in a private ceremony that was held in St. Ignatius Chapel inside the

Philippine Military Academy The Philippine Military Academy ( / ) also referred to by its acronym PMA is the premier military academy for Filipinos aspiring for a commission as a military officer of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). It was established on Decembe ...

Baguio Baguio ( , , ), officially the City of Baguio (; ; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines. It is known as the "Summer Capital of the Philippines", ...

. In September 2017, Magalona announced that she and Bacarro were expecting twins. Later on, she suffered a miscarriage and lost her daughter, while her son narrowly survived childbirth. In September 2019, Magalona gave birth to another son.

Filmography

Television

Music career

;Albums with Cheats *''Cheats'' (2016)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Magalona, Saab 1988 births Living people

Saab Saab or SAAB may refer to: Brands and enterprises * Saab AB, a Swedish aircraft, aerospace and defence company, still known as SAAB, and together with subsidiaries as Saab Group ** Datasaab, a former computer company, started as spin off from Saab ...

Filipino child actresses Filipino television actresses Ateneo de Manila University alumni 21st-century Filipino actresses Actresses from Manila GMA Network (company) people TV5 Network people ABS-CBN people