Lea Salonga I REMEMBER...

Lea Salonga is musical royalty. A child star in the Philippines, she originated the title role in Miss Saigon in the West End aged 18. The role catapulted her international career and sealed her place in musical theatre history, with both Olivier and Tony Award wins. She was the first Asian actor to play both Eponine and Fantine in Les Misérables on Broadway and has voiced two Disney princesses

I STARTED SINGING AT FAMILY PARTIES. Then at one of these parties, one of my cousins who was very active in musical theatre told my mother I had to go to auditions for The King and I. I was six years old at the auditions and seven by the time opening night rolled around. That was it. I just remember feeling completely safe on stage, and happy. It wasn't a terrifying place to be. I was having fun. I joined the Repertory Philippines company and performed in quite a few musicals. Fiddler on the Roof was another one and The Sound of Music, in which I played Brigitta.

MY BROTHER GERARD IS A COMPOSER, CONDUCTOR AND ARRANGER, so music was all around us growing up. My mum pretty much spearheaded my career, and took care of everything. It was a pretty normal childhood though. I still attended regular school. There were piano lessons and pretty much whatever big sister does, my little brother would want to do. He wanted to take piano lessons because I did. I also took some ballet. It wasn't anything unmanageable. I recall it being pretty happy.

My parents were supportive, but like the good Asian parents they were, they emphasised the importance of getting an education and that show business was a very fickle industry. As somebody who was in the business, I saw it firsthand. There were people who were big stars one minute, and then nobodies the next.