What We Can Learn From Sarah Geronimo In Her 20-Year Career

Everyone sees how shiny a crown is, but only a few can understand its true weight. For Popstar Royalty, Sarah Geronimo, heavy is that responsibility.

The 35-year-old carries herself with all the grace of a veteran, because she is. In just over two decades of experience, Geronimo has already achieved what would take a lifetime for many. She has released 13 studio albums including several that went multiplatinum, was the best-selling Filipino artist in 2014, and landed on Billboard’s World Albums chart in 2015 for The Breakup Playlist: The Official Movie Soundtrack.

Among her scores of awards are Best Asian Artist (Philippines) at the 2012 Mnet Asian Music Awards, World’s Best Philippine Entertainer at the 2014 World Music Awards, and Best Southeast Asian Act at the 2014 MTV Europe Music Awards.

Here are seven music lessons to be learned from the decorated career of the Pop Princess, who shows no sign of stopping her exceptional trajectory.

Be Your Own Hero

Geronimo uses her talent to help other people, which translates to her regular participation in benefit concerts and outreach programs. She and her husband, Matteo Guidicelli, performed their rendition of “The Prayer” at a 2022 benefit concert for Typhoon Odette rehabilitation efforts. Her selfless efforts over the years have likewise inspired her Popsters fanbase to do the same, as seen in the 2020 “Tala Para Sa Taal” benefit dance flash mob.

Hit The Ground Running

Geronimo won the talent search Star For A Night in 2003 at only 14 years old, proving that one is never too young to prove their potential. Since then, it’s been the singer topping her own achievements in a league of her own. Her debut album, Popstar: A Dream Come True, and sophomore follow-up, Sweet Sixteen, were both certified multiplatinum by the Philippine Association of the Record Industry. The former is the best-selling debut album locally.

If You Build It, They Will Come

Geronimo’s earth-shaking “Tala,” co-written with Nica del Rosario and Emmanuel Sambayan, was released as the lead single from her platinum-certified album The Great Unknown in 2016. It even won Song of the Year at the 2017 MYX Music Awards. However, the so-called “sleeper hit” would only gain widespread attention three years later in 2019, with its award-winning music video since gaining close to 200 million YouTube views.

Never Stop Evolving

The multi-hyphenate recently added “concert director” to her resume. In fact, Geronimo co-directed with Paolo Valenciano her 20th-anniversary concert to mark her decadeslong milestone in the showbiz industry. The May 12 concert at Araneta Coliseum marked the singer’s Big Dome return following a prior concert she held jointly with Regine Velasquez. To no one’s surprise, the event’s tickets sold out less than a week after the tickets were made publicly available.

Pay It Forward

Famously, Geronimo is also a coach and judge on The Voice of the Philippines. Throughout her time on the show, including its junior spin-off The Voice Kids, Team Sarah has since grown to include notable mentees such as Klarisse de Guzman, Jason Dy, Kyle Echarri, Darren Espanto, Lyca Gairanod, Morissette, and Zephanie to name a few.

Show Your Range

Although Geronimo had prior supporting credits, she proved to be lead actress material when she co-starred with John Lloyd Cruz in the film series of “A Very Special Love.” The second installment, “You Changed My Life,” secured her a FAMAS Award for Best Actress nomination, while “It Takes A Man And A Woman” became her biggest commercial success to date as one of the highest-grossing films in the Philippines.

Sing Your truth

From her teen star days to her eventual induction as Pop Princess, Geronimo has always demonstrated a growing maturity in her discography. The jump from her earliest studio albums to her first international release, Becoming, and follow-up, Taking Flight, showcased her coming of age both vocally and thematically. She has since been increasingly involved when it came to producing her succeeding work, spawning bigger and bigger hits like “Ikot-Ikot” and “Kilometro.”