Ylona Jade Garcia(; born 28 February 2002) is a Filipino-Australian singer, songwriter and actress. Garcia made her breakthrough in the Philippines in 2015 when she became a part of the television series ''
Pinoy Big Brother
''Big Brother'' () is a Philippine television reality competition show broadcast by ABS-CBN, Kapamilya Channel, TV5, and GMA Network based on the Dutch reality television franchise '' Big Brother''. Originally hosted by Willie Revillame, ...
'' where she finished as first runner-up at the end of the competition. She is currently based in the United States releasing music and is now working internationally through
88rising
88rising (stylized as 88⬆), formerly known as CXSHXNLY (pronounced "cash only"), is an American record label founded in 2015 by Sean Miyashiro and Jaeson Ma. According to their website, Miyashiro describes it as a "hybrid management, record ...
. She is a content creator for
gaming
Gaming may refer to:
Games and sports
The act of playing games, as in:
* Legalized gambling, playing games of chance for money, often referred to in law as "gaming"
* Playing a role-playing game, in which players assume fictional roles
* Playing ...
and
lifestyle brand
A lifestyle brand is a brand that is intended to embody the values, aspirations, interests, attitudes, or opinions of a group or a culture for marketing purposes. Lifestyle brands seek to inspire, guide, and motivate people, with the goal of maki ...
100 Thieves
100 Thieves, LLC (abbreviated 100T) is an American lifestyle brand and Esports, gaming organization based in Los Angeles, California, founded in 2017 by Nadeshot, Matthew "Nadeshot" Haag. The organization competes in several video games, includ ...
.
Early life and career
2002–2015: Early life and career beginnings
Ylona Jade Garcia was born on February 28, 2002, in Sydney, Australia to Filipino parents, Peter Garcia and Caridad Navalle-Garcia; both of whom are medical practitioners based in Australia.
She is the third among five siblings.
At a young age, Garcia began performing as a front act for several Filipino singers and musicians such as
Martin Nievera,
Sarah Geronimo
Sarah Asher Tua Geronimo-Guidicelli ( ; born July 25, 1988) is a Filipino singer and actress. List of awards and nominations received by Sarah Geronimo, Her accolades include a Billboard Women in Music, ''Billboard'' Women in Music Award, an ...
and
Rivermaya
Rivermaya is a Filipino alternative rock band. Formed in 1994, it is one of the several bands that spearheaded the 1990s Philippine alternative rock explosion.
Rivermaya is currently composed of original members Mark Escueta and Nathan Azar ...
's former lead vocalist
Bamboo Mañalac
Francisco Gaudencio Lope Belardo MañalacVIDEO: "It's Francisco, that's my great-grandfather, then Gaudencio, that's my lolo, then it's Lope, then it's Belardo Mañalac." / (; born March 21, 1976), popularly known as Bamboo Mañalac or simply ...
during their concert stops in Australia.
Garcia also performed at the Filipino Fiesta in September 2014 where she sang
Zedd
Anton Zaslavski (; born 2 September 1989), known professionally as Zedd (), is a German record producer and DJ. His stage name, Zedd, was derived from ''zed'', the Z#Name and pronunciation, English pronunciation, barring American English, for ...
and
Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Regarded as a pop icon and an influential figure in popular music, Grande is known for her four-octave vocal range, which extends into the whistle re ...
's song "
Break Free" with a video of the performance uploaded on her YouTube channel. She has also participated in numerous singing competitions and won in two notable ones namely the Urban Star Sydney Championship in December 2014,
for which she received the "Most Promising Talent" award,
and the Fast Track Australian Singing Competition in March 2015 as part of the junior division.
Garcia also finished third in the National Urban Star Competition reaping through the Judge's Choice segment for the "Coolest Artist" and the "Artist with the 'Wow' Factor" awards.
2015–2020: Breakthrough
In 2015, Garcia auditioned to become a housemate for the
first part of the
second special season of
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 ...
's reality television series ''
Pinoy Big Brother
''Big Brother'' () is a Philippine television reality competition show broadcast by ABS-CBN, Kapamilya Channel, TV5, and GMA Network based on the Dutch reality television franchise '' Big Brother''. Originally hosted by Willie Revillame, ...
'', where she passed after showcasing her talents in singing, acting and dancing as well for her "confidence and candid remarks." She entered the house on the second day with Franco Rodriguez, who was later hailed as the second runner-up; Kyle Secades and Zonia Mejia. During her time in the house, Garcia composed and recorded two songs, "Win the Fight" (2015), for which she composed and recorded with her fellow housemate
Jimboy Martin; and "Magmahal Muli" (2005, lit. ''To Love Again''), for which she recorded with her fellow housemate
Bailey May
Bailey Thomas Cabello May (born 6 August 2002) is a Filipino-British singer, songwriter, model, actor, dancer and television personality. He first gained recognition through his Sean Kingston and Daniel Padilla covers. In 2015, he successfully ...
; originally composed and recorded by
Sam Milby
Samuel Lloyd Milby (born May 23, 1984) is a Filipino actor, model and musician. He came to prominence after joining the first edition of '' Pinoy Big Brother''.
Biography
Samuel Lloyd Milby was born on May 23, 1984 in Troy, Ohio, USA to parent ...
and
Say Alonzo
The first season of the reality game show ''Pinoy Big Brother'' premiered on the ABS-CBN network on August 21, 2005 and ran for 112 days until December 10, 2005.
Nene Tamayo was named the show's first ever ''Big Winner'' over Jayson Gainza an ...
from the
first season of ''Pinoy Big Brother'' (2005). The songs were later featured on the extended play ''PBB 737'' (2015) and was released on
Spotify
Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...
on 9 August 2015. After passing four eviction nights as a nominated housemate, she was selected as one of the four finalists after garnering 19.84% of the public vote and exited the Big Brother house on the fiftieth day, for the
second part of the special season to commence. However, during an episode of
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 ...
's noontime variety series ''
It's Showtime!'' (2009), Garcia and her fellow finalists
Jimboy Martin,
Bailey May
Bailey Thomas Cabello May (born 6 August 2002) is a Filipino-British singer, songwriter, model, actor, dancer and television personality. He first gained recognition through his Sean Kingston and Daniel Padilla covers. In 2015, he successfully ...
and Rodriguez were instructed to return to the Big Brother house. During her second time in the house, Garcia participated in the final weekly task, "Short Film Festival," with her fellow finalists and the five remaining housemates of the second part of the second special season, and was cast in ''Pinoy Big Brothers romantic comedy film ''Trending: Love'' (2015, stylized as ''TRENDING: LOVE''), where she portrayed the fictional character Sophie Mendoza.
On 14 August 2015, Garcia participated in the ''Teen Power: The Kabataang Pinoy Concert Party'' with her former ''Pinoy Big Brother: 737'' housemates and finalists from the first part of the second special season, as well as other teenage actors and musicians including
Alexa Ilacad
Alexandra Mamangun Ilacad (born February 26, 2000) is a Filipino actress, singer, host, dancer, vlogger and model who has appeared in several programs of ABS-CBN.
In 2025, Ilacad became a host for '' Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edit ...
and
Gimme 5
''Gimme 5'' was a children's television programme that broadcast on Saturday mornings on ITV from 25 April 1992 to 27 August 1994. The programme was a live two-hour show which included live guests, cartoons, competitions, and games. For serie ...
.
On 8 November 2015, Garcia was hailed as the first runner-up to Martin during the Big Night ceremony at the Albay Astrodome in
Legazpi, Albay
Legazpi (, American Spanish: , European Spanish: ), officially the City of Legazpi (; ), is a Component City, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Albay, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a ...
, garnering 42.24% of the public vote. In the same month, she was cast with May as part of the extended cast of ABS-CBN's romantic comedy television series ''
On the Wings of Love'' (2015–16), where they portrayed the fictional character Audrey Olivar and Harry Fausto respectively At the end of 2015,
Star Music
Star Music (also known as Star Records and corporately as Star Recording, Inc.) is a Philippine record label owned and operated by ABS-CBN Corporation. It was formerly a separate company operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of ABS-CBN Corpora ...
named Garcia as their representative for their "#SpotifySpotlight" segment in 2016.
In 2016, Garcia revealed on the musical variety television show ''
ASAP
ASAP usually stands for " as soon as possible".
ASAP may also refer to:
Arts and media Music Performers
* ASAP (band), a hard rock band fronted by Adrian Smith
* ASAP Mob, a recording group from Harlem, New York
** ASAP Ferg (born 1988), Americ ...
'' that her debut studio album would be released "very, very, very, very soon." On 21 January 2016,
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...
announced Ylona as one of the ambassadors for their "Taste the Feeling" campaign together with Bailey May,
James Reid,
Nadine Lustre
Nadine Alexis Paguia Lustre (, ; born October 31, 1993) is a Filipino actress and singer. Known primarily for her performances in a variety of film genres, she rose to fame for playing the lead role in '' Diary ng Panget'' (2014). Her accola ...
,
Maine Mendoza
Nicomaine Dei Capili Mendoza-Atayde (born March 3, 1995) is a Filipino television host and actress. She is best known for her viral video, viral Dubsmash videos and her role as Yaya Dub in the noontime reality show ''Eat Bulaga!'' segment "Kal ...
,
Alden Richards
Richard Reyes Faulkerson Jr. (born January 2, 1992), known professionally as Alden Richards, is a Filipino actor, entrepreneur television personality, and singer. Known for his leading man roles in romantic and historical drama in television an ...
,
Liza Soberano
Hope Elizabeth Soberano (born January 4, 1998) is an American and Filipino actress. Known for playing supporting characters in comedies and dramas as a teenager, she has since expanded her repertoire to leading roles in film and television. She ...
,
Enrique Gil
Enrique Mari Bacay Gil V (; born March 30, 1992) is a Filipino actor and dancer. Gil has appeared in various films and television shows such as '' Mula sa Puso'', '' Budoy'', '' Princess and I'', '' Muling Buksan ang Puso'' and '' She's the One ...
,
Janella Salvador
Janella Maxine Desiderio Salvador (; born March 30, 1998) is a Filipino actress and singer. Debuting in the hit morning drama '' Be Careful with My Heart'' (2012–2014), she followed with lead roles in '' Oh My G!'' (2015), '' Born for You'' ...
, and
Enchong Dee
Ernest Lorenzo "Enchong" Velasquez Dee (, born November 5, 1988) is a Filipino people, Filipino actor, comedian, model, host, swimmer, triathlete, duathlete and writer. Dee is a contract artist of ABS-CBN Corporation, ABS-CBN's Star Magic. ...
. On 31 January 2016, Garcia was announced as the "Celebrity VJ" for the month of February for the music television network
Myx
Myx (, stylized as MYX or myx and pronounced as ''mix'') is a Philippine pay television channel based in Quezon City and owned by Creative Programs Inc., a subsidiary of ABS-CBN Corporation. The channel is targeted to youth audiences and pri ...
.
On 4 February 2016, Ylona was signed by
Star Music
Star Music (also known as Star Records and corporately as Star Recording, Inc.) is a Philippine record label owned and operated by ABS-CBN Corporation. It was formerly a separate company operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of ABS-CBN Corpora ...
.
["Star Music welcomes ex-'PBB' housemate Ylona Garcia"](_blank)
''Star Music''. Retrieved 2 March 2016. She eventually announced that her upcoming debut studio album will be released soon; hinting possibilities of her debut studio album releasing sometime during early-mid 2016.
In the same year, she joined the reality music competition ''
We Love OPM: The Celebrity Sing-Offs'' as part of ''Team Yeng: Oh My Girls''. She, together with
Alexa Ilacad
Alexandra Mamangun Ilacad (born February 26, 2000) is a Filipino actress, singer, host, dancer, vlogger and model who has appeared in several programs of ABS-CBN.
In 2025, Ilacad became a host for '' Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edit ...
and ''GirlTrends'' member Krissha Viaje were coached and trained by their mentor ''Pop Rock Royalty''
Yeng Constantino
Josephine "Yeng" Eusebio Constantino-Asuncion (born December 4, 1988) is a Filipino singer, songwriter, composer and guitarist. She is referred to as the ''Philippines Pop Rock Royalty'' and is regarded as one of the biggest hitmakers in Ph ...
. The girls finished the competition as runners-up just behind the grand winner, Team
Erik
The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, Eirik, or Eiríkur is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization).
The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Nor ...
's ''Tres Kantos''.
In 2018, Garcia became a member of the teen pop group ASAP G!. Other members of the group are Isabela Vinzon, Jayda Avanzado,
Kyle Echarri
Kyle John Paradillo Echarri (born June 20, 2003) is a Filipino singer and actor. He first gained recognition as a semi-finalist in the second season of the talent competition show ''The Voice Kids'' in 2015. Echarri released his debut album ' ...
, Jeremy Glinoga and
Darren Espanto
Darren Lyndon Espanto (born May 24, 2001) is a Filipino singer, actor, and television personality.
He made his first television appearance on YTV (Canadian TV channel), YTV's reality TV competition, ''The Next Star,'' in 2012 and rose to pro ...
. The group formed on 3 June 2018 and disbanded in November 2018, when the show was reformatted into ASAP Natin 'To.
In 2019, Garcia transferred from Star Music to Homeworkz for her recording label.
On 3 May 2020, Garcia released the music video for her single "Walk In My Timbs" which features R&B artist
Jay-R. The song made its official debut performance on 8 May through Philippine morning show
Umagang Kay Ganda
''Umagang Kay Ganda'' (, abbreviated as ''UKG'') is a Philippine television news broadcasting and talk show broadcast by ABS-CBN. Originally hosted by Edu Manzano, Pinky Webb, Lucky Mercado, Anthony Taberna, Alex Santos, Winnie Cordero, ...
. Jay-R revealed that Ylona is the actual writer of the song while praising her amazing writing skills at a very young age which makes him inspire and learn a lot from her.
On 3 December 2020, Garcia performed on 88rising's Double Happiness Winter Festival performing her single "Spilt Milk" and a cover of "Winter Things" by
Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Regarded as a pop icon and an influential figure in popular music, Grande is known for her four-octave vocal range, which extends into the whistle re ...
.
2021–present: 88rising, international endeavor
On 24 February, American-Asian international record label
88rising
88rising (stylized as 88⬆), formerly known as CXSHXNLY (pronounced "cash only"), is an American record label founded in 2015 by Sean Miyashiro and Jaeson Ma. According to their website, Miyashiro describes it as a "hybrid management, record ...
released a mysterious photo of Garcia on Twitter with its caption "sooner than you think". The label on 27 February officially announced the addition of Garcia as their new artist and will be handled by "Paradise Rising", a label under 88rising and
Globe Telecom
Globe Telecom, Inc., commonly shortened as Globe, is a major provider of telecommunications services in the Philippines. The company operates one of the largest mobile, fixed-line and broadband networks in the Philippines. As of November 2023, ...
that focuses on Filipino artists.
Garcia on 1 March announced that she is gearing up for her next comeback announcing the single's title "All That" alongside the release of the song's video teaser on her official social media platforms. On 3 March,
Paradise Rising released the official music video of Garcia's single "All That". The song garnered attention and reached more than one million views on YouTube in four days.
In an announcement made by 88rising on August 26, Garcia was confirmed to be making her next comeback with a brand new single "Don't Go Changing" for the ''Head in the Clouds'' album. On November 7, Garcia flamed up the
Rose Bowl stadium in
Pasadena, California
Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commerci ...
with her 20-minute spotlight in the Head in the Clouds Music Festival 2021 stage.
In January 2022, Garcia released her new single "Entertain Me", released in partnership with the tactical shooter game
VALORANT
''Valorant'' is a 2020 First-person shooter, first-person tactical shooter, tactical hero shooter video game developed and published by Riot Games. A free-to-play game, ''Valorant'' takes inspiration from the ''Counter-Strike'' series, borrow ...
. The song was used in the game's trailer for its new Agent, Neon, a Manila native who also appears in the music video (and in the cinematic trailer for the agent released by Rio Games). On the 25th, Ylona disclosed that she has since relocated to Los Angeles, California, in the US and will stay in the country for good to further pursue her career in music.
In August 2022, Garcia became the first Filipino to be featured on the pages of American fashion magazine
V for its Fall 2022 edition. On Instagram, V referred to Ylona as "the new global voice leading R&B Pop."
In August 2024, Garcia joined
gaming
Gaming may refer to:
Games and sports
The act of playing games, as in:
* Legalized gambling, playing games of chance for money, often referred to in law as "gaming"
* Playing a role-playing game, in which players assume fictional roles
* Playing ...
and
lifestyle brand
A lifestyle brand is a brand that is intended to embody the values, aspirations, interests, attitudes, or opinions of a group or a culture for marketing purposes. Lifestyle brands seek to inspire, guide, and motivate people, with the goal of maki ...
100 Thieves
100 Thieves, LLC (abbreviated 100T) is an American lifestyle brand and Esports, gaming organization based in Los Angeles, California, founded in 2017 by Nadeshot, Matthew "Nadeshot" Haag. The organization competes in several video games, includ ...
as a content creator.
In June 2025, Gavin Martinez of ''
The Philippine Daily Inquirer
The ''Philippine Daily Inquirer'' (''PDI''), or simply the ''Inquirer'', is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines. Founded in 1985, it is often regarded as the Philippines' newspaper of record. The newspaper is the most awarded broad ...
'' said that Garcia "has long been more than just a pop star", describing her as a "style icon" and "voice of her generation".
Other ventures
Ambassadorship
In June 2017, Ylona was part of the new set of endorsers by T&J Salon Professionals.
In December 2017, Ylona was introduce as the brand ambassador of
Café Amazon
Café Amazon () is a Thai chain of coffee shops owned by PTT Public Company Limited
PTT Public Company Limited or simply PTT () is a Thai Government-owned corporation, state-owned Stock Exchange of Thailand, SET-listed oil and natural gas, ...
in the Philippines.
In September 2019,
Pond's Philippines launched a community of women that encourages fellow women to face their hesitations and see what happens. The campaign aims to provide women with a platform to share inspiring stories on how they overcame their hesitations to become the best version of themselves, headed by Ylona,
Kathryn Bernardo
Kathryn Chandria Manuel Bernardo (born March 26, 1996) is a Filipino actress. She began her career as a child actress, portraying young versions of lead characters in series such as '' It Might Be You'' (2003) and '' Endless Love'' (2010). She ...
,
Heart Evangelista
Love Marie Payawal Ongpauco-Escudero (born February 14, 1985) known professionally as Heart Evangelista, is a Filipino actress. She is currently an exclusive artist of GMA Network represented by Alice Talents Agency in Paris, France and Direct ...
,
Nadine Lustre
Nadine Alexis Paguia Lustre (, ; born October 31, 1993) is a Filipino actress and singer. Known primarily for her performances in a variety of film genres, she rose to fame for playing the lead role in '' Diary ng Panget'' (2014). Her accola ...
, and
Gabbi Garcia
Gabriella Louise Ortega Lopez (born December 2, 1998), known professionally as Gabbi Garcia (), is a Filipino actress, global endorser, singer, host and vlogger. She is currently an exclusive talent of GMA Network, Sparkle GMA Artist Center, ...
.
Discography
Extended plays
Singles
As lead artist
Collaborative singles
Soundtrack appearance
Videography
Music videos
Filmography
Series
Hosting
Television
Concert and tours
Concerts
Concert participation
Performances on award shows, television shows and specials
Awards and nominations
Notes
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Garcia, Ylona
2002 births
Living people
Filipino child actresses
Filipino film actresses
Pinoy Big Brother contestants
Singers from Sydney
Australian people of Filipino descent
Australian expatriates in the Philippines
Star Magic
ABS-CBN people
Star Music artists
21st-century Australian singers
21st-century Australian women singers
Filipino television actresses
21st-century Filipino women singers