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“If it’s really the place that you’re supposed to be, you’ll find your way there.”

Thus the singer/actress known as Karylle – who industry watchers have tagged as the hottest thing for 2009 – explains her participation in show business. But when asked if she had always wanted to be in showbiz, Karylle answers without hesitation: “No, anything but!”

Karylle’s first exposure on stage was in ballet recitals at the young age of three. She says that there was an initial reluctance on her part to enter showbiz because “I associated success in this field too much with a broken family.” Her parents split up amid a nasty whirlwind of showbiz intrigue and drama.

It was through her participation in a family healing ministry that she was able to come to terms with her personal issues. “When I was able to overcome that and go through all the forgiveness, that’s when all of the blessings started to come in,” she reveals.

Though Karylle was not part of showbiz when she was young, she grew up exposed to it as the daughter of actress-singer Zsa Zsa Padilla. “She knew that it would come,” she says of her mother’s reaction when she decided to enter the industry. “But she wanted it to come when I was ready, so she didn’t push me.”

Of course, when Karylle did decide to become an actress and a singer, comparisons with her mother were inevitable. “At first I deliberately tried not to sound like her,” Karylle says, noting that some even say that if you close your eyes, you would not be able to tell mother and daughter apart by their voices. Maturing through her years as a singer, she now says, “Instead of fighting it, I just let it be. It’s something that I’m proud of now. I’ve accepted it.”

Both her parents respect the decisions that she makes. “I think they’ve raised me well and the foundation is already there.” Her parents are more than supportive of her many endeavors. Karylle says her father, Dr. Modesto Tatlonghari, was present in most of her shows during her West Side Story run, and is often with her in guestings and other appearances, doting father and protector, even soundman all rolled into one. She is quick to add, though, that he is not the typical stage father.

Nor is Zsa Zsa a stage mother, she insists. “She just pretends to be sometimes,” Karylle jokes.

Her first big acting break came onstage, this time as part of Trumpet’s Little Mermaid where she took the role of Princess Sapphire in 2000. Years later, she was back in the theater as Maria in West Side Story. “When I went back to Meralco, I felt like I was home,” she shares, adding that she “started from upstairs” – the dressing room for the ensemble being upstairs in the Meralco theater. In Little Mermaid, she progressed to dressing room four on the ground floor, and in West Side Story she made her way to dressing room number one. “I felt like I finally made it!” the actress enthuses.

Many in the business definitely share the same sentiment: Karylle is being hailed as the hottest face of 2009.

“It’s not something I expected for this year,” Karylle says of being identified as the one to look out for this year. “The whole 2008 I was just focusing my energy on being positive, so I guess this is the result.”

One of the highlights of her career in 2008 was singing the national anthem during boxer Manny Pacquiao’s triumphant fight against Oscar de la Hoya last December.

“It’s a very big honor,” she says. To be part of the historical event, she had to audition for Team Pacquiao. She recalls that she auditioned almost a year in advance. Though she did not get her chance to sing right away, she says, “I always believed that my time would come.”

On the boxer, she says enthusiastically, “Everyone is a fan, everyone is inspired by him.” The experience of being in the ring showed her the impact he has on all the Filipinos cheering for him. “Your pride just increases even more.”

Karylle herself is a sports fan, wearing her Paquiao t-shirt and cellphone strap with pride. To keep fit, she does Pilates. For her recent Bench ad campaign, she did not go on a diet and didn’t think of it as a “pa-sexy” shoot. “I just wanted to show people that I’m fit,” she says.

She also took part in the recent UNICEF 5k run for the first time. “I was so excited I hardly slept,” she says. “After the marathon I felt so good. I have never felt so fulfilled,” although she admits the run really tired her out.

“I’m going to train properly for my next marathon,” she announces.

Aside from acting, singing, and dancing, Karylle enjoys playing the piano. Though she was not part of organizations when she was studying Communication Technology Management at the Ateneo de Manila University (she graduated in 2002), she was part of the music ministry as a high school student in Poveda, where she was also a cheerleader.

“I always thought that I would be a dancer or businesswoman,” Karylle says. “But as it turns out, I was able to do all.” With a good sense for business, Karylle runs Mei Lin, a Chinese restaurant in Quezon City beside which is Center Stage, a videoke bar, with a band area and function rooms. She shares that companies and groups that reserve the function room always have a good time because after the seminar, they can go straight to the videoke bar to relax and have fun.

“It’s been doing well. There are hardly any free slots,” she says of Center Stage. “I couldn’t even get a slot for my party because I forgot to reserve!”

Her year is jam packed with new projects – her third album is scheduled to come out in time for Valentine’s Day in February under Polycosmic EMI. She is set to appear on the covers of magazines and also has new endorsements lined up. As the new star in the ABS-CBN stable, she will be part of three soap operas, including Maruja. Her love for theater blooms in August with a rerun of West Side Story. On top of all her performances, Karylle is busy with her businesses, and her advocacies and charities such as the White Cross. She is also a spokesperson for the Seven Habits for Highly Effective People.

Despite her hectic schedule, Karylle finds time to spend with her friends. “I have really good friends,” she says. “I’m happy that they’re still there and they help me.”

The actress copes with her busy schedule by staying healthy. When she gets tired or moody, she listens to her favorite songs and turns to her dogs as stress busters.

“It relaxes me knowing that I have other projects outside of showbiz,” she adds, saying that balance is important. “It is nice to have interaction with different people, and to be aware of the different things that are going on in the world.”

Being in the limelight unfortunately opens one to criticism, gossip, and controversy – all of which Karylle has had a fair share of in the past year, including a much-talked about break-up with her boyfriend. “The gossip is funny,” she says.

“Having people around who’ve known me forever” is how she deals with gossip. “Sometimes I read my own interviews just to see if it’s still the real me, to have a kind of reality check.” She turns to friends and family for reassurance and, most of all, honest opinions. The down-to-earth actress says, “It’s easy to get lost. I’m happy that I’m surrounded by good people. I think that’s mainly the thing.”

On criticism, Karylle says, “It’s hard but it also makes you tougher in the sense that you really want to expand yourself. It’s a continuing learning process” 

In the years to come, Karylle says she wants to sing more and come up with more original songs. “Hopefully, I can even make my own music festival, showing the kind of music we have here,” she says. Of course she hopes for more movies and acting opportunities, especially on stage, “because theater is the medium that can combine everything – acting, singing and dancing.”

“I love to write,” she adds, and she is thrilled at being one of the contributing writers of The STAR’s Entertainment section under Ricky Lo. She will also be setting up a blog soon. A book, she says, is another plan she has for the near future.

Beyond all that – and that is quite a lot, by any measure – Karylle has other things in mind for her future.

“I want to win the Nobel Peace Prize,” she says seriously. She has read a lot about the Nobel laureates and is aware of the rigorous process one must go through to receive the prestigious award but, she stresses: “It is my ultimate goal.”