Face of Allure: Jensen Teñoso

MANILA, Philippines - “Faith keeps me believing in the impossible. Hope makes me strong in difficult circumstances. Love makes me realize that I am accepted.”

These are the guiding principles in the life of an 18-year-old rising singer named Jensen Kyra Teñoso, the eldest of two daughters of Jonjie and Jennifer Teñoso.

She was born to a simple, Christian family. That presumably made her an image of positivity and self-determination as this perky girl, while brimming with sunny disposition, actually experienced being bullied as a child. Her being one of the finalists of GMA’s The Protégé: The Battle for the Big Break not only ushered a big step to her current career but also a leap from her quite bitter past. She shares a sad childhood story similar to her idols’ (young pop singers Demi Lovato and Jessie J) but she’s glad that the bullying only taught her to develop her strength — singing.

She’s been singing since she was three years old and as a kid, she would always watch television and tell her mom that she wanted to be seen and heard on the tube, too. “My childhood was all about music. I sang all the time but I hardly had any friends,” she confesses. “It was rough, especially during my grade school days. I was bullied and it came to a point when I had to eat lunch with my teachers because nobody in the class wanted my company. My classmates hated me as they thought I was ‘kill joy.’ There was also a time when someone from the older batch locked me in the restroom.”

Instead of fretting over the endless rejections, Jensen honed her talent and diverted her attention to her family and their Christian church. She found a support team in her direct family, cousins, uncles and aunties, and Lolo and Lola on the mother’s side, whom she collectively calls “Full Force.” They brought her closer to God, filling in the morose gaps of her childhood life. “I really thank Jesus for giving me this talent. I am so grateful. Life used to be really hard for me; I didn’t know what I would be and whom I should be with. But God gave me music and helped me through. The moments that pulled me down made me realize that whatever you’re experiencing, whether good or bad, it’s always better with Jesus,” she says.

In June 2011, after singing a special number for a Sunday service, singer-actress Claire dela Fuente approached her and asked if she would like to join The Protégé. It was a reality-based singing competition where 10 nationwide finalists each had a celebrity mentor, one of which was Dela Fuente. Shocked but delighted, Jensen agreed and went to SM City Batangas for the first day of a rough screening, with 500 aspirants pining for the three semi-final slots and the face-off round. She reached Final 5, the last elimination night of the gala search.

The 5-ft.-7-in. “Sultry Charmer” shares that the defeat was initially hard for her to accept, but it utterly improved her performance and turned her into a better person. She believes that everything happens for a reason, as her mom always says. Jensen is one optimistic girl who always finds a needle of hope in a haystack of despair. She continues, “When I got eliminated, Dad told me, ‘Bigger things have yet to come’.” Her parents may have prophesied the fulfillment that Jensen is achieving now, as she has already become a Party Pilipinas regular.

Like her contagious cheerfulness, Jensen’s positivity is boundless. And with faith, hope and love intact, the good spirit in her is guaranteed to realize how she sees herself in the future — a triumphant singer and actress, and a loyal servant of God.                                     

Photography by MAU AGUASIN • Styling by REG RODRIGUEZ • Makeup by RIA AQUINO • Hairstyling by ALBERT SERRANO • Sequin dress by PEACE LOVE FASHION, teal dress with black lace by SESA • Accessories by ESTRELLAS MANILA