Telesa Marie Castillejo de Torres (born February 12, 2007), better known as Esang De Torres, is a Filipina teen singer, songwriter and stage actress best known for portraying Lea Salonga's 'MiniMe' on

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 unde ...

's '' It's Showtime'', and joining the second season of ''

The Voice Kids Philippines ''The Voice Kids'' is a Philippine reality singing television competition on ABS-CBN. It premiered on May 24, 2014. A spinoff of The Voice of the Philippines, ''The Voice of the Philippines'', the series, like its parent show, is based on the or ...

'', ultimately picking Lea Salonga as her coach. At age 9, De Torres became the ''youngest artist to stage a major solo concert in the Philippines.'' At that time she released her first solo album, ''Ako ay Kakanta."'' In 2016, she had her professional musical theatre debut as Little Cosette in the Manila run of the musical ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its origin ...

''. De Torres played the same role in the musical's Singapore run. In 2017, De Torres played her first lead role as Matilda in the Manila run of Broadway's ''

Matilda the Musical ''Roald Dahl's Matilda'', simply known as ''Matilda'' or ''Matilda the Musical'', is a stage musical with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin and a book by Dennis Kelly, based on the 1988 novel ''Matilda'' by Roald Dahl. The musical's narrative ...

''. She was also a contestant on ABS-CBN's fourth season of '' Your Face Sounds Familiar: Kids (season 2)'' where she finished as 3rd placer. "I believe my music is always based on what I express on. It's like my inner voice coming through," De Torres states.

Life and career

Early life Esang De Torres was born in

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

, to Mary Joyce and Telesforo De Torres. She hails from Tondo,

. Esang has an older brother named James, who is also involved in such musical skills such as playing the guitar and piano. When she was just 2, De Torres started humming tunes. The first song she ever sang on a karaoke machine was Andy Williams' "The Shadow of Your Smile." When she turned 3, she could sing anything she listened to. Both her parents' side are musically inclined. Thus, her talents have been very well supportive. Her father was her first coach, who taught her the basics of singing. He was a band vocalist and a theatre singer back in the day.

2011–2014: ''SM Little Stars, I-Shine Talent Camp 3 and It's Showtime's'' ''MiniMe''

De Torres joined various talent shows. Her first singing competition was at the age of 4. At the age of 5, she joined the ''SM Little Stars 2013'' where she sang Beyonce's "

Listen Listen may refer to: * The action of listening * Central auditory system listening is how the brain processes what you hear * Listening behaviour types in human communication Computing * LISTEN, a TCP connection state on the server side indi ...

" and placed 3rd. In 2014, she was named Best in Talent portraying as Lea Salonga's ''MiniMe'' in the noontime show ''It's Showtime'' (

). One of the hosts cried after she sang her rendition of "Tomorrow" from '' Annie'' as he was touched by her youthful performance. Since then, she was dubbed on TV as "Mini Lea Salonga." On the same year, she became the Grand Winner in ''Promil Pre-School I-Shine Talent Camp 3'' (ABS-CBN), with Zsa Zsa Padilla as her coach. The prize included a contract from

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. ...

2015: ''The Voice Kids'' Philippines Season 2

In 2015, when she was 8, De Torres auditioned for the second season of The Voice Kids Philippines. Her rendition of "Home" (from ''

The Wiz ''The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz"'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls (and others) and book by William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's children's novel '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' ...

'') had all the coaches turning for her. She received a standing ovation from all of them even before the performance ended. Salonga immediately recognized her as the young singer on It's Showtime's ''MiniMe'' segment as Lea.

Bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...

was speechless, while

Sarah Geronimo Sarah Asher Tua Geronimo-Guidicelli (, , born July 25, 1988) is a Filipino singer, performer and actress. Geronimo rose to prominence after winning the television singing contest '' Star for a Night'' earning her a recording contract with Vi ...

immediately showed respect to the 8-year-old, telling her that she is an "extraordinary child" and that she is a "big fan" of De Torres. The three coaches fought hard for her, with Geronimo showing the trophy of The Voice, reminding her of Geronimo's wins from previous seasons. However, Salonga immediately dismissed Geronimo's reminder, telling De Torres that "the future is more important." Salonga then brought out a book to write a story about a beautiful princess with a beautiful voice named "Esang", and that she will help the young singer win and they "will live happily ever after." De Torres ultimately picked Salonga as her coach. He
audition
has over 28 million views to date. During the battle rounds, De Torres, along with teammate Bianca and Stephanie sang "Somewhere Out There." When Geronimo was asked to choose among the three of them, she picked Esang, saying "this child has crushed my heart ever since the blind auditions." Salonga chose De Torres to move on to the Sing- offs. During the Sing-offs, she sang her rendition of Leah Navarro's "Isang Mundo, Isang Awit." She, along with teammate Reynan Dal- Anay moved on to the live shows. During the semi-finals of the live shows, De Torres sang "Salamat, Salamat Musika" which earned praises from Geronimo and Salonga, the latter saying, "clearly, the moment you entered that stage, you are a star. You are just a star" and that "you are a complete package: the voice, the looks, everything. I thank God that you have chosen me as your coach, and that He gave you that talent. What a talented kid." Geronimo expressed how 'sharpened' already De Torres was, and that she 'salutes' the 8-year-old. De torres moved on to the finals, along with Reynan Dal Anay, Elha Nympha and Sassa Dagdag. In the first part of the finals, De Torres had a duet with

Billy Crawford Billy Joe Ledesma Crawford (born May 16, 1982) is a Filipino actor, musician, singer, dancer, comedian and television host who released 7 studio albums and has had a number of singles, notably "Trackin'", "When You Think About Me" (a remake of ...

, singing " Count on Me" by

Bruno Mars Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is known for his stage performances, retro showmanship, and for performing in a wide range of musical ...

. This performance earned her a standing ovation from all the coaches. Geronimo remarked on how 'refreshing' her performance was, and that she had shown her 'light and fun side' as compared to her previous performances where she had shown maturity beyond her age. Same goes with Salonga, saying "that was the most fun I have had on this show" and that "you reminded us that you are only 8 years old, but still incredible." Then came the upbeat rounds, with her singing

ABBA ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group ...

's " Dancing Queen". On the last part of the finals, the ballad rounds, De Torres sang her rendition of " Somewhere" from

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play '' Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid ...

. Salonga then took the moment to say her final words for De Torres' performance: "You are versatile. Musical. Intelligent- and you are eight years old; and you're a star. You deserve to win this championship: because you have everything that every singer dreams of." Salonga then urged the viewers one last time, saying "you have it all- the heart, the intonation, everything from an 8-year-old. Philippines, vote for this child: she is just incredible." De Torres came in third, with Elha Nympha winning the title.

2015–2016: Post ''The Voice Kids''

After her stint on The Voice Kids, De Torres appeared at various TV shows and events. On September 5, she and The Voice Kids Philippines Season 1 and 2 contestants held a concert entitled "Boses ng Bulilit, Muling Bibirit" which was aired on

. On September 20 at

FAMAS The FAMAS (''Fusil d'Assaut de la Manufacture d'Armes de Saint-Étienne'', "Assault Rifle from the Saint-Étienne Weapon Factory") is a bullpup assault rifle designed and manufactured in France by MAS in 1978, a year after the Austrian Ste ...

Awards, De Torres, with

Kuh Ledesma Maria Socorro "Kuh" Hashim Ledesma (born March 16, 1955) is a Filipino singer and actress. Born in Manila, Philippines with a Lebanese lineage and Ilonggo parents, she moved to Bacolod for college where she met some of her future Music and Magi ...

serenaded the "Iconic Movie Queens of Philippine Cinema" namely: Susan Roces, Gloria Romero, Nora Aunor, Maricel Soriano, Dawn Zulueta, and Sarah Geronimo. On January 25, 2016, De Torres performed for

Miss Universe 2015 Miss Universe 2015 was the 64th Miss Universe pageant, held at The AXIS at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States on December 20, 2015. This was the first edition of the pageant to be held under the ownership of WME/IMG, whic ...

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in Manila during her homecoming visit.

2016: ''Ako ay Kakanta'' Birthday Concert

On February 12, 2016, 9-year-old De Torres held her first major solo concert entitled ''"Ako ay Kakanta: Birthday Concert"'' at Skydome, SM North. She then released her first solo album entitled ''Ako ay Kakanta'' which is available on iTunes. This made her the ''youngest artist to stage a major solo concert in the Philippines.''

2016: ''Les Misérables''- Auditions and Musical Theatre Debut

During the gala night of ''Les Misérables'' in Manila, Salonga's mother, Ligaya, recommended the 9-year-old De Torres to musical theatre producer

Cameron Mackintosh Sir Cameron Anthony Mackintosh (born 17 October 1946) is a British theatrical producer and theatre owner notable for his association with many commercially successful musicals. At the height of his success in 1990, he was described as being "th ...

. The young singer then was invited to audition for the role of Little Cosette at the Opera House. She sang " Castle on a Cloud" in front of the directors and composer himself

Claude-Michel Schönberg Claude-Michel Schönberg (born 6 July 1944, in Vannes) is a French record producer, actor, singer, songwriter, and musical theatre composer, best known for his collaborations with lyricist Alain Boublil. Major works include '' La Révolution Fran ...

. One of them stated that she was, indeed, perfect pitch. Another one promised that the 9-year-old would still sing that well ten years later. Four days later, she got a call that she was cast as Little Cosette. Mackintosh then announced that De Torres will part in the international casting of the Manila production of ''

''. In the interview, she said that she is very thankful that she is given the role, and that she dreams of making it big in theatre like her coach Lea Salonga. She made her professional theatre debut on April 8 at th
Solaire Theatre
Spectators said considering that she was cast with mostly British actors, they did not see any sign of nervousness in her. Few weeks later, De Torres was heading to Singapore to continue her career in musical theatre as she plays the same role in its Singapore run.

2017: ''Matilda the Musical''

On August 1, 2017 after going through open call auditions, Atlantis Theatrical Entertainment Group announced that De Torres will play the lead role in the Manila run of Broadway's Tony Award-winning ''Matilda'' ''the'' ''Musical'' starting November 10. This is her first lead role in a Broadway musical. A review of the show's preview night reveals a standing ovation for De Torres and how she has significantly improved her voice since her stint on ''The Voice Kids.''

2018: ''Your Face Sounds Familiar: Kids''

In 2018, De Torres joins ABS-CBN's ''Your Face Sounds Familiar: Kids (season 2)'' as one of the contestants. from week 1 to week 16, she impersonated

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

, Cher, Lea Salonga,

John Legend John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and record producer. He began his musical career by working behind the scenes, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Eve ...

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Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

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, Jaya with

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impersonated by

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and

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. She won on week 5 as

and week 12 as

Discography

(2017-2018)

*Awit sa Marawi *Habang Buhay, May Pag-asa *Limos *Paraiso *Pasko ng Pilipino

Ako ay Kakanta (2016)

*Ako ay Kakanta *Batang Makulet *Friend *Kung Bubuksan Mo Lang ang Puso *Pag-Ibig ang Sagot *Nanay Ko, Tatay Ko *Your Angel *May Bukas Pa

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Torres, Esang Living people 2007 births Filipino child singers Filipino child actresses Filipino musical theatre actresses People from Tondo, Manila Singers from Manila Star Magic Actresses from Manila The Voice Kids (Philippine TV series) contestants 21st-century Filipino women singers 21st-century Filipino singers