Most people are lucky if they find one career path they love during their lifetime, but Carol Banawa has managed to find three. Over the years, she has found success as an actress, singer, and now a nurse. To say that Carol is multi-talented wouldn’t even be accurate enough at this point. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Carol began getting attention after news broke that she was preparing to treat patients who were hospitalized due to the virus. Her journey became a heartwarming story of inspiration to people all over the world, but to Carol, it was simply another day in her life. Continue reading to learn 10 things you didn’t know about Carol Banawa.
1. She Was Born In The Philippines
Carol was born in the Philippines which is where she began her music career. Her music was especially popular in her home country and three of her albums were certified platinum by the Philippine Association of the Record Industry. Even after years of living in the United States, she remains very proud of her roots.
2. She’s An Award Winner
At the height of her music career, Carol was what most people would consider a big deal. She was nominated for several awards and took home a few wins. In 1999, she won Best Pop Female Vocal Performance at the Katha Music Awards. In 2011, she won an ASAP Pop Viewers Choice Award for Pop Movie Themesong.
3. She Once Sang In Front Of Michael Jackson
Carol has had a lot of cool experiences throughout her career, but one of the coolest was getting the chance to sing in front of Michael Jackson. In an Instagram post, Carol said, “In December of 1996, Michael Jackson had a concert in the Philippines as part of his HIStory World Tour. Vandolf and I were at The Manila Hotel doing a Christmas show for orphans. MJ and his whole team were checked in at the same hotel. While I was singing, I saw him and his crew walking towards our event.” After the show, she got a chance to meet Michael and get his autograph.
4. She’s A Big Fan Of This Is Us
Since its debut in the fall of 2016, This Is Us has become one of the most popular shows on NBC. People can’t get enough of the Pearson family and Carol Banawa is one of those people. She is a huge fan of the show and feels like she gets a “free therapy session” every time she watches it.
5. She’s A Wife And Mother
Carol has accomplished a lot of things in her professional life, but it hasn’t come at the expense of her life at home. Carol is happily married and she and her couple have two children together. In September 2020, she announced that they have a third child on the way.
6. She Auditioned For American Idol
American Idol is one of the most popular singing competition shows in the United States, and that was even more true when Carol auditioned for season five. Unfortunately, she didn’t make it to the next round and we were unable to find a recording of her audition.
7. She Wants People To Know They’re Never To Old To Chase Their Dreams
Lots of people feel pressure to be at certain place in life by the time they reach a certain age. For many, this mindset becomes very limiting and they simply give up on things if they haven’t gotten where they want to be by a specific age. After getting her bachelor’s degree while she was nearing 40, Carol encouraged people to remember that you’re never too old to do something you want to do.
8. One Of Her Songs Was Played In The Vampire Diaries
Carol Banawa’s music may not have reached main stream popularity n the United States, but one of her songs did make it to an episode of the hit series, The Vampire Diaries. The song “Bakit Di Totohanin” was played during season seven, episode 16 in 2016.
9. She’s Lived In Saudi Arabia
Although Carol was born in the Philippines, she and her family lived in Saudi Arabia for a while when she was younger. They eventually moved back to the Philippines which is when Carol really started to get serious about entertaining and she landed a spot on the kids’ TV show Ang TV.
10. She Got Her First Record Deal When She Was 13
What some Americans may not understand about Carol is that she was a child star in her own right. She began singing and acting at a very early age and by the time she was 13-years-old she had gotten her first record deal. She was signed with the Philippines based label Star Music from 1994 to 2010.
