Sparkle’s Princess Aliyah turns 18, wishes to do action series

MANILA, Philippines — Princess Aliyah belongs to the GMA’s younger, promising set of artists looking to establish their foothold in the entertainment field.

She is seen in the GMA Afternoon Prime romance-drama series “You’re My Favorite Song” and has released her debut single Amba, under GMV Studios.

Marking a milestone, Princess will turn 18 on Aug. 6 and celebrate it on Aug. 7 with a party that revolves around the theme “a celebration of grace and dreams.”

In a recent group interview, she was asked to reflect on her career so far.

“Actually, I’d say happy. Siguro ang regret ko lang po is masyado po akong nag-focus sa acting career po. Kasi po, nag-start po ako six years old sa pagkanta po talaga (maybe if there’s something I regret is that I focused more on acting. I started singing at six years old). That’s how I got introduced to showbiz,” said she.

“So, ang gusto ko po sana, mas na-balanse ko po (I wished I could have balanced both). Pero yun nga po, nag-focus po kasi ako sa acting,” added she.

With those talents, Princess can be further groomed and nurtured as a singer-actress. She recalled she first tried her luck in a TV reality talent (singing) competition for kids and also attended workshops.

Princess became part of the Kapuso network at eight and worked with filmmaker Peque Gallaga in the movie titled “Magikland.”

In the course of her budding career, she appeared in shows such as “Royal Blood,” “Forever Young,” “Sparkle U” and the now-airing “You’re My Favorite Song.”

Prior to the latter, she was a celebrity housemate for “Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edition 2.0,” stayed in the show for four months and emerged as the Kapuso Fourth Big Placer. She left Bahay ni Kuya with lessons learned.

“So, siguro po sa ‘PBB,’ basta natutunan ko pong mahalin siyempre yung sarili ko (maybe what I’ve learned from staying inside the ‘PBB’ house is to love myself even more). And… hindi naman sa hindi magkaroon ng pake sa sasabihin ng iba (and another thing is, I’m not saying that I don’t care what others say), pero mas ma-filter out ko kung anong importante (but I will filter out what’s important).”

After her “PBB” stint, she now shares the screen with fellow Sparkle artists Caprice Cayetano, Heath Jornales, Marco Masa and Clifford in “You’re My Favorite Song.”

As for the new personal and professional pursuits she looks forward to embarking on now that entering adulthood is beckoning weeks from now, Princess said, “Gusto ko po… ngayon po kasi, mas nag-e-explore din po ako sa boxing ngayon
(what I’d like to do is, I’m exploring boxing) kasi gusto ko po talaga mag-action series (because I want to do an action series in the future).”

“I want to enroll in Muay Thai, Martial Arts (classes),” added she. “Kasi po, gusto ko po talaga ng challenging roles (I really want to do challenging roles). Ayoko po nung parang i-na-api lang. And maybe I also want to do a movie or be part of it.”

The young artist looks up to seasoned actress Angel Locsin as well as Asia’s Songbird Regine Velasquez and Popstar Royalty Sarah Geronimo.

“It’s about (having a) crush,” said Princess of the upbeat, danceable song Amba (short for Ambagal bagal mo), which will have its music video soon. “Para sa mga torpe po na ayaw mag-confess (it’s for those who are shy to confess their feelings).”

And another single is in the pipeline, she shared.

Given the chance, Princess would like to record a medley and birit songs in the next musical endeavors. She also expressed interest in songwriting.

Aside from doing showbiz, Princess is a senior high school student at AMA. In college, she considers taking up aeronautical engineering since she wants to become a pilot.

For now, Princess is busy juggling showbiz and studies.

(Stay updated with the careers of Sparkle artists, including Princess, by following @sparklegmaartistcenter and @sparkleworkshops on Instagram, Facebook, X, and TikTok.)