[1][2][3] In 2007, after competing in many singing competitions and several appearances on Filipino television, Zyrus performed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in the United States.

[7] Zyrus was born as Charmaine Clarice Relucio Pempengco in Cabuyao, Laguna province, the Philippines,[8] and was raised by single mother Racquel.

[12] In June 2007, producers at Ten Songs/Productions, a music publishing company in Sweden, invited Zyrus to record demos after seeing the online videos.

[15][16] Zyrus then made a second appearance on Star King in Korea on 28 December as the "Most Requested Foreign Act", performing Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" and singing a duet with Lena Park.

[25] Bocelli subsequently expressed interest in performing a duet with Zyrus[26] with an invitation to be a guest on his birthday concert "The Cinema Tribute" held on 20 July at the Teatro del Silenzio in Lajatico, Tuscany, Italy.

[44][45][46] Zyrus then debuted a new original song, "Fingerprint", composed by Robbie Nevil and produced by David Foster,[47] and then appeared in April in the season premiere of Ti lascio una canzone, an Italian musical variety show televised from Teatro Ariston in the city of Sanremo.

[citation needed] Also in May, Zyrus would again perform at a David Foster and Friends concert held at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

[59][60] The first major concert for Zyrus was called Charice: The Journey Begins, presented to a sold-out crowd on 27 June at the SMX Convention Center, SM Mall of Asia in the Philippines.

[69] Later in the month, Zyrus appeared on the grand finale of Singapore Idol as a guest, performing two signature songs, The Bodyguard medley and "Note to God".

[75] Later the same week, Charice released a promotional single called "Crescent Moon" in Japan, an English rendition of the Japanese song "Mikazuki" by Ayaka.

[76] July's promotional tour for the album took Zyrus to Thailand, the Philippines, Japan and South Korea, including a third appearance on Star King.

[79][80] On 8 January 2011, Zyrus was launched as the new endorser of Aficionado Germany Perfume; this event, at the SM Mall of Asia Concert Grounds, titled 1@11, gathered an audience of 85,000.

From 21 to 25 February, Zyrus embarked on a solo tour to Japan, performing in four shows held at three Zepp music halls, in Nagoya, Tokyo dates and Osaka.

[89] On 10 August 2013 GMA Network's drama anthology series Magpakailanman aired an episode titled "The Charice Pempengco Story", in which Zyrus reenacted scenes based on his life.

Growing up, the family listened to many types of music, especially artists such as Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and Destiny's Child.

Zyrus has also expressed admiration for Lady Gaga and Beyoncé[96] for attitude, fashion, and vocal style, and stated a wish to work with both of them someday.

[99] Zyrus performed "Earth Song" by Michael Jackson with Ne-Yo at the David Foster and Friends Special in Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas in October 2010.

In an ABC News interview, David Foster mentioned Zyrus' ability to mimic other people's voices, which, according to him, is a characteristic of good singers.

[102] Ryan Murphy, the executive music producer of the hit US television series Glee, said, "When that girl [sic] opens her mouth, angels fly out."

The more than 40 godparents included ABS-CBN network president Charo Santos-Concio, producer Laurenti Dyogi, The Buzz hosts Boy Abunda and Kris Aquino, segment host and radio personality Jobert Sucaldito, TV Patrol news anchors Karen Davila and Julius Babao, and Star Records head Annabelle Regalado-Borja.

Oprah Winfrey and David Foster, two principal sponsors who played a major role in Zyrus' ascent to international stardom, were unable to attend and instead sent their own representatives to the ceremony.

[105][106] In October 2011, Zyrus' estranged father, 43-year-old construction worker Ricky Pempengco, was stabbed to death in the Philippines, forcing the cancellation of a concert in Singapore.

In March 2012, Zyrus faced harsh criticism from the Internet and the media after changing his hairstyle and fashion into a self-described "edgy and rock" look, responding: "I know some people think that this is very rebellious but it's not.

[114] On 2 June 2013, Zyrus said that he identified as lesbian at that time during an interview with Boy Abunda at The Buzz in the Philippines, mentioning past relationships with other women in the industry.

[118] In a 2014 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Zyrus mentioned being attracted to girls since childhood and said "basically, my soul is male", but denied plans to pursue gender transition at that time.

Note: Prior to his appearance on Tonight with Boy Abunda in 2017, Zyrus' gender identity as a trans man was not known to the wider public.