I first heard about Julie Anne San Jose when she was a pre-teen hopeful joining a rash of contests and finally getting her break into television via noontime show Eat Bulaga.
I was editing a magazine being published by the company where her aunt Fe San Jose was working. Fe was obviously quite proud of her niece, the daughter of her younger brother.
Now, many years later, I bumped into Fe once more when she drove for her niece to a press conference given exclusively for Julie. Now a big celebrity, with TV shows, concerts and albums to her name, the young lady was obviously still in the nurturing fold of her beloved family, still the “good girl” her aunt had praised to high heavens back when she was just starting out.

Born to sing
Her aunt tells me they noticed that Julie Anne was a singer when they heard her singing “Habang May Buhay” when she was just a year and a half old.
A year and a half? I exclaimed.
Yes, Fe said.
So, when she was just three, Fe’s mom (Julie’s “stage lola,” Fe says) took her to the Center for Pop Music for some lessons. They didn’t take her then because she was too young, but the little girl continued to sing her heart out. At age 5, he began taking lessons. At 7, she started joining contests. She never won, Fe said, but Julie loved singing.
Of course, it is well known that her Dad did not approve of his daughter being in show business. Julie had implored him to allow her to pursue her dreams and promised that she would graduate with honors. She continued to work while studying, and delivered her promise to her father.
Today, at 24, Julie Anne San Jose is a certified star. She has a diploma on Communication Arts, and she plans to take up a masteral course sometime.
That is, she hopes to find the time to focus on it, but she is very busy nowadays.
Asia’s Pop Sweetheart marked May with back-to-back surprises for her fans.
Julie graced the last print cover of Cosmopolitan magazine, where she bares all her thoughts on her new music, her inspirations and plans on her future.
The daytime drama My Guitar Princess, which she headlines, was also launched in the same month. Actors Gil Cuerva and Kiko Estrada are her leading men in this story of hopes and dreams – a story, by the way, that she says she can relate to.
Last May 17, she celebrated her birthday with her closest friends and family, as well as a birthday performance on Sunday PinaSaya, where she was cheered on by her closest showbiz friends.
In a prior interview, Julie shared how thankful she is for the overwhelming reception of her most recent single “Nothing Left.”
Following this, fans will have another single to look forward to this June as she releases “Tayong Dalawa,” her third single under Universal Records. This will be included in her upcoming EP, which will be released on June 29.
Hard work and dedication are what it takes to succeed, Julie Anne says. That, and a dream that never fades.