A different Sarah Geronimo in "Preview"

Most girls would jump at the chance to kiss John Lloyd Cruz, but his recent onscreen partner Sarah Geronimo is not one of them. "A lot of young people look up to me," she tells Preview magazine as she graces their October 2008 issue. "It would not be a good example if they saw their AteSarah in a kissing scene."

The statement is very typical of the young singer-actress that everyone knows and loves, but it is a different Sarah that graces the cover of Preview, her first-ever cover for any major glossy. Dramatic eye makeup and stunning coats from Burberry London's Autumn-Winter collection—flown in especially for this shoot—transform Sarah into a stunning sophisticate with a Gothic edge.

It may be a departure from the Sarah everyone is used to, but there are many subtle changes happening in her career. For one, Sarah is slowly blossoming into the 20-year-old that she is. Her new album Just Me... Sarah offers a different sound. "I want to give my supporters more than just my usual birit style," she says. Sarah has also started to seriously venture into acting, something that is still quite a challenge for her. She explains, "I always have to exert double effort when acting because it's not automatic to me."

Her hard work has obviously paid off. Her most recent movie A Very Special Love is a certified box-office hit. Success in both singing and acting is a rare feat for any artist Sarah's age, and there isn't anyone quite like her in the industry today.

Sarah also stands out from the rest with her candor and honesty, refreshing traits not found in many of today's young stars. "What I've observed is that in this business, there is a lot of pressure to fit in," Sarah muses, "I'm not going to deny that the peer pressure hasn't affected me emotionally and mentally, but I've decided that I don't have to mind whatever everyone else is doing. I can't pretend I have more to give than I really have."