Four years after coming out, Charice Pempengco has a new name: Jake Zyrus.
The singer and former “Glee” star changed his name on social media accounts over the weekend and deleted his prior photos on Instagram.
Zyrus, who grew up poor in the Philippines and came out as a lesbian in 2013, shot to fame after Oprah Winfrey and music mogul David Foster took notice.
Winfrey invited the then tiny teen with the huge voice onto her show and linked the singer up with idol Celine Dion.
A performance in which Dion invited Pempengco to Madison Square Garden to duet “My Heart Will Go On” went viral. The newfound fame led to a recording career and a guest starring role on “Glee.”
In 2014, the performer talked to Oprah Winfrey about ditching the girly-girl look and long hair fans had come to know.
“Basically, my soul is like male,” the singer told Winfrey. “But I’m not going to go through that stage where I change everything.”
Zyrus received support online from some fans who embraced the change.
The first Zyrus posted to his new Instagram account was a picture that read, “Thank you.”
“From the bottom of my heart, thank you for the love and respect,” the caption read. “I love you back and I’m sending peace to everyone.”
