Julie Anne Peñaflorida San Jose (born May 17, 1994) is a Filipino singer-songwriter, actress and TV host. Known as "Asia's Limitless Star" and formerly "Asia's Pop Sweetheart", she gained recognition as a finalist on Popstar Kids and began her career as a mainstay on SOP, initially as a member of the group Sugarpop with her co-finalists on Popstar Kids.
San Jose made her acting debut on the afternoon drama Gaano Kadalas and Minsan?, and starred in lead roles in Kahit Nasaan Ka Man (2013), Buena Familia (2015-2016), Pinulot Ka Lang sa Lupa (2017), My Guitar Princess (2018), Heartful Café (2021), Maria Clara at Ibarra (2022-2023), and SLAY (2025). Since 2019, she is the current host of the reality talent competition The Clash alongside Rayver Cruz, having replaced Regine Velasquez-Alcasid. She also served as a coach on The Voice Generations and The Voice Kids.
Biography[]
Early life and career beginnings[]
San Jose (far left) as a member of Sugarpop
Julie Anne San Jose was born on May 17, 1994, in Novaliches, Quezon City. She began singing at age two and placed first-runner up in Eat Bulaga!'s Little Miss Philippines in 1998, when she was four years old.
In 2006, at age eleven, San Jose competed in Popstar Kids, a singing competition on QTV hosted by R&B singer Kyla. Although San Jose did not win the grand prize, she joined Sugarpop, the show's spin-off child singing group composed of her co-finalists Pocholo Bismonte, Renzo Almario, Vanessa Rangadhol, and grand winner Rita Daniela. Sugarpop released two studio albums, Sugar Pop and Sugar Pop Repackaged. The group had a show on QTV titled Planet Q, where a young San Jose and her groupmates showcased their hosting abilities. Sugarpop also performed weekly on the GMA's variety show, SOP.
Music career[]
Julie Anne San Jose (left) and Elmo Magalona
When SOP ended in 2010, San Jose joined its replacement show, Party Pilipinas, as a solo artist. As she evolved as a performer, she began to showcase her singing, dancing, and acting abilities onstage. San Jose was also paired with a then-budding artist and rapper, Elmo Magalona. Collectively, they were known as the musical tandem JuliElmo. In Party Pilipinas, JuliElmo starred in five short films, the Red Mask Trilogy and Yellow Note 1 and 2 and the short musicals Blue Jeans: The Musical (2011), Elmo and Julie Anne: A Wazak Love Story (2012), and Status: It's Complicated (2013).
In February 2012, San Jose signed an exclusive recording contract with GMA Records. Six months later, she released her eponymous debut album, Julie Anne San Jose, which received numerous awards and was certified Diamond Record awardee. Her single, "I'll Be There", remains the only single certified quadruple platinum by the Philippine Association of the Record Industry (PARI). Currently, San Jose has released four singles from her album.
In 2013, San Jose had her first major solo concert at the Music Museum in Greenhills, San Juan. This birthday concert entitled Julie Anne: It's My Time was a success, selling out just five days after going on sale. Guests included the dance crew Addlib, Fliptop star Abra, Elmo Magalona, and Frencheska Farr, a multi-faceted performer and friend of San Jose. Marc Lopez was the music director; the concert director was Rico Gutierrez.
Acting and hosting[]
Julie Anne San Jose as Maria Clara in the fantasy series Maria Clara at Ibarra
In 2008, San Jose made her acting debut on GMA Network's afternoon soap opera Gaano Kadalas and Minsan?, where she played a supporting character to Camille Prats and Marvin Agustin.
San Jose's career took a major leap when she joined GMA-7's Party Pilipinas. Her YouTube video rendition of Nicki Minaj's "Super Bass" became popular. Soon, San Jose was one of the most promising and popular young singers in the Kapuso block. She was included in the "Top 10 Women to Watch" list by the Women Leaders’ Centre in collaboration with Arc Media Global. She also made the list of "New Breed of Stars to Watch Out For In 2012."
San Jose landed more television projects in GMA Network in the following years. She played the lead role in the primetime drama series Kahit Nasaan Ka Man, a visually impaired but musically talented girl named Pauline Gomez. She was paired with Kristofer Martin, who played her love interest. She was also part of the now-defunct Sunday musical variety show Sunday All Stars as a lead performer. Her hosting skills were also showcased in her stint in the self-titled weekly dance show Marian Rivera, Marian, alongside her co-host Christian Bautista. She also played a recurring character named Nikki in Pepito Manaloto, who is the love interest of Chito, played by Jake Vargas.
In January 2017, she played the lead role in the afternoon soap Pinulot Ka Lang sa Lupa as Santina Marquez. The show ended after its 11th week.
In May 2018, San Jose starred in a daytime musical series My Guitar Princess, where she plays the main character, Celina Raymundo, a.k.a. the "Guitar Princess", along with leading stars Gil Cuerva and Kiko Estrada. The show features original soundtracks, including the show's theme song "Walang Kapalit", created by Roxy Fabian. The featured songs did really well on iTunes Ph Chart and Spotify.
San Jose becomes the lead host of GMA Network's musical variety show Studio 7, that premiered on October 14, 2018. She made her voice acting debut in the first Filipino anime series, Barangay 143, on GMA Network.
San Jose along with Rayver Cruz took over as the hosts of singing competition The Clash in 2019, replacing Regine Velasquez who moved to ABS-CBN.
In 2021, San Jose returned to acting in a co-leading role alongside David Licauco in Heartful Café. The following year, her role as Maria Clara, the love interest of Crisostomo Ibarra (Dennis Trillo), in the fantasy drama Maria Clara at Ibarra required her to speak Spanish and have her hair pulled back in an updo. San Jose next guest starred in the war drama Pulang Araw (2024) as the bodabil singer Katy de la Cruz, and next played a lead role in SLAY. She was also a coach on The Voice Generations and The Voice Kids.
Filmography[]
Television[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | SOP | Performer | |
| 2008 | Gaano Kadalas ang Minsan? | Claudette Medrano | Acting debut |
| 2010 | Party Pilipinas | Performer | |
| 2011 | Daldalita | Marga de Leon | |
| 2011 | Andres de Saya | Lizzy | |
| 2012 | Tween Hearts | Mira | |
| 2012 | Together Forever | Antoinette Escueta | |
| 2013 | Sunday All Stars | Performer | |
| 2013 | Kahit Nasaan Ka Man | Pauline Gomez | |
| 2015 | Sunday PinaSaya | Host | |
| 2015 | Buena Familia | Darling Buena | |
| 2017 | Pinulot Ka Lang Sa Lupa | Santina Marquez-Esquivel | |
| 2018 | My Guitar Princess | Celine Raymundo | Lead role |
| 2018 | Studio 7 | Host/Performer | |
| 2019 | The Clash (Season 2) | Host | |
| 2020 | All-Out Sundays | Host/Performer | |
| 2020 | The Clash (Season 3) | Host | |
| 2021 | Heartful Café | Heart Fulgencio | Lead role |
| 2022 | Maria Clara at Ibarra | Maria Clara | Main role |
| 2023 | The Clash (Season 4) | Host | |
| 2023 | The Voice Generations | Coach | |
| 2024 | Pulang Araw | Katy dela Cruz | Guest |
| 2024 | The Clash (Season 5) | Host | |
| 2024 | The Voice Kids | Coach | |
| 2025 | SLAY: 'Til Death Do Us Part | Liv Baltazar | Viu original series Premiered on GMA Network on March 24, 2025 as part of the GMA Prime line up. |
Trivia[]
- Julie Ann San Jose shares the same birthday as Kris Bernal, Radson Flores and Naya Ambi.
Gallery[]
External links[]
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