Remember Sugarpop, the pre-teen singing group composed of five talented kids who are finalists of the reality talent competition show 'Popstar Kids?' Well, they are all grown up and created a path for themselves on their own.
Sugarpop was formed in 2006 by musical director and vocal arranger Danny Tan with the intention to prolong the careers of the four finalists Julie Anne San Jose, Vanessa Rangadhol, Renzo "Enzo" Almario, and Pocholo "Cholo" Bismonte, with Rita Iringan, now Rita Daniela, as the winner.
"I was convinced that it would be just a waste of their talents if I left them alone to fend for themselves. I broached the idea of forming a teen singing group (to also include the Grand Prize winner - Rita Daniela Iringan) with Ms. Wilma Galvante.
"She gave me permission and entrusted me with full artistic control over the group.
"I asked Ms. JAYA to help me think of a suitable name. She came up with SUGARPOP! I loved it!," the musician revealed in his March 5, 2021 Facebook post.
At that time, Sugarpop was added to the roster of talented performers of the defunct GMA musical variety show 'SOP.'
Danny continued, "At that time, Ms. Darling de Jesus-Bodegon was forming an all-girl trio and an all-male quartet for a new musical segment on 'SOP.' A teen group (SugarPop) would be a perfect fit for La Diva and You've Got Male. The rest is history: Three Of A Kind musical segments became an instant hit!"
In 2010, Sugarpop was disbanded due to the reformatting of the show. However, Rita, Julie Anne, Cholo, Enzo, and Vanessa have maintained their friendship until now and continue to do what they love--singing.
In fact, due to the clamoring of fans, its members Enzo, Rita, Julie Anne, and Cholo regrouped in 2016 for a reunion number in 'Sunday PinaSaya.'
Check out what the former Sugarpop members are up to in this gallery:
Rita Daniela, formerly known as Rita Iringan, is the winner of the first season of 'Popstar Kids' which premiered in November 2005.
Aside from being a singer, Rita Daniela also excels in acting and in hosting. In fact, she already received multiple acting recognitions for her performance in the 2018 GMA drama-comedy series 'My Special Tatay,' opposite Ken Chan. Right now, she can be seen in the Kapuso afternoon series 'Ang Dalawang Ikaw,' her third team up with Ken. The 2019 GMA primetime series 'One of the Baes' is Rita and Ken's second project together. She also serves as a journey host of GMA singing competition 'The Clash' with Ken.
On December 22, 2022, Rita welcomed her baby named uno.
Julie Anne San Jose placed third in the first season of 'Popstar Kids.'
Julie Anne is rumored to be in a relationship with fellow Kapuso star Rayver Cruz. In fact, Julie has already bonded with Rayver's brother Rodjun and his wife Dianne Medina, whom she called "familia."
After Sugarpop disbanded, Julie Anne's career flourished more when she focused on her solo career. A testament to that is her earning the moniker Asia's Pop Sweetheart before obtaining the more coveted title of Asia's Pop Diva. Just like Rita, Julie Anne is also part of 'The Clash,' where she serves as the main host together with Rayver Cruz. For Julie Anne, it feels amazing to be able to share the stage with her long-time friend, Rita, again. She said, "Ang galing ni Lord kasi before magkasama tayo sa Popstar Kids, ngayon magkasama ulit tayo sa The Clash so ang galing lang talaga. It's really meant to happen."
Did you know that Pocholo "Cholo" Bismonte also joined the third season of 'The Clash?' He is part of the top 12 finalists of the said singing competition.
With the help of YouTube, Cholo still actively sings as he uploads song covers on his channel.
For Cholo, being able to perform again on TV and seeing his Sugarpop co-members Julie Anne and Rita brought back a lot of memories. He said, "Sobrang grateful lang ako, as in walang negative vibes...Sobrang saya ng puso kasi nakatungong ako dito ulit sa GMA."
Remember the mestizo Sugarpop member with spiky hair? He's none other than Renzo Almario, or simply known as Enzo Almario now.
For five years now, Enzo is in a happy relationship with Ceejay Serrano.
In 2018, Enzo reintroduced himself as "queer" when he joined a singing competition in the rival network. "Queer" means "you are one of those letters (LGBT), but you could be all of those letters, and not knowing is OK." He further explained, "That's why we don't want to be labeled as one of those letters, kasi naka-umbrella tayo. Our gender identity and expression is ever-changing."
Vanessa Rangadhol finished second runner-up to Rita in 'Popstar Kids.' The Filipino-Indian singer hit the airwaves after the release of rap song "Dota o Ako (Dota vs. GF)'' which she performed with Aikee.
According to her Instagram bio, Vanessa is the co-creator of Hangry Panky, a YouTube channel that features foods.
In 2011, Vanessa, then 16, joined local band MYMP as its lead vocalist after Juliet Bahala left the group. Now the talented singer regards herself as a content creator, theater actor, and vocal coach.