From content creator to rising star, Mikee Quintos has certainly come a long way.
Mikee started as a YouTube content creator who would post covers of pop songs for fun.
Today, she is one of GMA-7's recognizable stars among its roster of young talents.
But how well do you know Mikee?
PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) takes a look at Mikee’s showbiz journey and gives some interesting trivia about her.
Notable family name
Mikaela Marie Javier Quintos was born on December 18, 1997.
Mikee grew up in the busy district of Sampaloc in Manila, and hails from a family of politicians and public servants.
Both of her parents—Jocelyn and Eduardo “Wardee” Quintos XIV—were councilors in Manila.
Her great grandfather Eduardo Quintos Sr. served as chief of police of Manila from 1948 to 1951, and again from 1962 to 1965.
Interestingly, Quintos Sr. Street in Sampaloc, Manila, was named after Mikee’s great grandfather.
Made for showbiz
Mikee is a natural-born performer, and has always been drawn to arts and music.
Even at a young age, Mikee would perform at her parents’ campaign sorties.
She can play the guitar, piano, and ukulele. Eventually, she began uploading videos of herself performing covers on YouTube.
Mikee revealed in an interview, “I realized na I love music when I was seven years old.
"Nag-karaoke lang [ako] 'tapos biglang pinansin ng lola ko na, 'Marunong kang kumanta, ah?'
"Sa lola ko namana yun, siya na yung [nagtuturo sa akin] ever since ng position on how to sing and breathing."
In a chat with broadcast journalist Rhea Santos for Tunay na Buhay in 2017, Mikee recalled how she got discovered.
She was watching the GMA-7 reality talent program To The Top, lending her support to a friend who was among the show’s contestants.
“I was in the audience area 'tapos parang may maliit na booth na nag-vi-VTR. May scouting yata yung GMA nun.
"Tapos lumalapit lang sila sa people, ‘Uy, VTR ka!’ ganyan, ganyan,” shared Mikee.
Although it seems like luck found her, showbiz actually runs in Mikee’s blood, too.
Her mother was a commercial model in her youth, appearing in ads for a fast-food chain, a skin-care product, and a juice brand. She even posed for a popular magazine back in the day.
While Mikee's star is on the rise, she continues to pursue her education outside showbiz. She is an architecture student at the University of Santo Tomas.
Pursuing architecture has meant veering away from a path other family members have taken.
Mikee explained, “We're a family of doctors and lawyers. I can't see myself being a lawyer, the same thing with medicine.
"I'd rather study math, and I'm artsy din. May artistry pa din pero you're a professional."
Finding fame
In the beginning of her showbiz career, Mikee endeared herself to viewers when she portrayed Lira in the reboot of the hit Kapuso fantasy series, Encantadia.
She then appeared in numerous Kapuso shows, including the action-crime series Alyas Robin Hood, the drama-fantasy series Sirkus where she was paired with Mikoy Morales, and the family drama series Onanay.
A big breakthrough in Mikee’s career was the drama-romantic-fantasy series The Lost Recipe. The show aired on GTV, GMA’s subsidiary channel, in 2021.
The series, which saw Mikee paired with model-actor Kelvin Miranda, was a hit. Some viewers commended the show for integrating cultural references in its narrative.
Projects continued to come Mikee’s way despite the pandemic.
A few months after the end of The Lost Recipe, the Kapuso network announced Mikee’s inclusion in Pepito Manaloto: Ang Unang Kuwento, a prequel of the long-running sitcom top-billed by comedian Michael V.
Mikee is currently seen in the Kapuso afternoon series Apoy Sa Langit, where she portrays the character of Ning Hidalgo.
Recording artist
For someone who has been singing in public since she was a kid, Mikee was surprisingly insecure about her singing abilities.
Most of the time, Mikee would sing the soundtrack of her own shows. She is the voice behind “Awit ni Lira” (Encantadia), “Panaginip” (Onanay), and “Basta Masaya Tayo” (The Lost Recipe).
Still, Mikee never considered herself good enough to be a bona fide recording artist.
That all changed on September 24, 2021, with the release of Mikee’s debut single “Just Enough” under GMA Playlist.
“Ilang years akong naging kabado na mag-release ng kanta na sa akin or kantang ako yung nasa title as singer. Parang nakakakaba yun for me,” Mikee told GMANetwork.com.
“I'm so grateful to them [GMA Playlist] kasi sila yung nag-trust sa akin and vice versa. We trusted each other.”
“Just Enough” had a successful debut on streaming platforms Spotify and iTunes.
“Of course, there is pressure, bilang ikaw yung unang artist [ng label to release a single]. Pero yun din yung pressure na nagpalakas ng loob ko and nag-push sa akin to decide na game na, I think it's about time,” said Mikee.
Mental health
Mikee does not shy away from talking about her mental health struggles.
She admitted feeling the pressure of being in the spotlight as her career took off.
Mikee revealed in an interview, “Nagkaroon ako ng crisis. Naramdaman ko na parang hindi ko deserved yung binibigay nilang [fans] love and attention.
"I had this really big insecurity that it's hard for me to take compliments.
“Whatever it was that I was doing at that point in my life, I felt like it wasn't enough.”
She continued, “I wanted to do more, to make things better. 'Ganyan, they're giving this love, Mikee, kailangan mo mag-work harder para ibalik 'yan sa kanila, para maramdaman nilang grateful ka.' Ganun yung laging nasa isip ko.”
Mikee has since come to grips with her insecurity, and now has a better appreciation of her celebrity status and the expectations that come with it.
PAST RomaNCES
Mikee was in a relationship for three years with T.O.P. boyband member, Louie Pedrosa.
“We started as friends sa school. We’re both from UST and we have the same group of friends,” Mikee told PEP.ph in 2017.
“'Tapos, classmate ko pa yung sister niya.
“So doon na nagsimula iyon hanggang sa pareho na kaming naging talents ng GMA-7.
“Kahit wala na kami, we’re still the best of friends.”
In 2019, Mikee revealed that she was in a relationship with a non-showbiz Chinese guy.
“Happy naman and I just want to take things slow. Ayoko na muna ng all-out,” she confided to PEP.ph.
“Gusto ko lang i-enjoy ang time with him at kung ano ang meron ngayon.
“Like, wala pa ako dun sa level na 'I love you forever.’”
The pair apparently broke up.
Mikoy Morales, one of Mikee’s closest friends in showbiz, purportedly fell for Mikee.
Their relationship didn’t prosper beyond friendship, though.
“Mikoy and I are really good friends. We're best friends, actually,” Mikee said candidly during a guesting at Mars Pa More.
"Yung dumaan na pandemic, kaming dalawa yung, sabay kaming naging single. Nasakto yung mood namin, yung vibe namin. At one point, we both questioned, 'Can this be more?'"
Mikee added, "We always talked about it, 'Okay, parang wala pa sa timing noong time na iyon. Until eventually we just realized, 'I think we're meant to be friends.'”
As for Kelvin Miranda, Mikee's leading man in The Lost Recipe, he and Mikee became so close that many thought they would end up as lovers in real life.
The two seem to have remained good friends even after their show ended.
“I think one of the most attractive things that I find sa isang lalaki is yung ability nila to be honest. So honesty is sexy for me.
"Okay, hindi sexy, but it really is attractive, and Kelvin can be really, brutally honest,” said Mikee to GMANetwork.com.
“It's intimidating sometimes, pero it's also what I like him the most. Totoo siya, diretso. Walang bola. Kaya kahit yung mga bola niya, mapapa-'Ay totoo sinasabi niya, naniniwala ako. 'Wag ka ganyan.'”
CURRENTLY DATING
The hopes of #MiKel fans were dashed, however, after actor Paul Salas confessed recently that he and Mikee are dating.
During his appearance in the April 27 episode of Mars Pa More, Paul said, “Hindi kami nagmamadali pero dating kami. Dating.”
Paul was also part of The Lost Recipe.
But even before his admission, there were already whispers about the two playing sweet music together.
In December, Mikee and Paul posted separate pictures while on the beach.
Eagle-eyed fans were quick to spot the similarities of the location based on the images, which meant the two might have been together when the photos were taken.
Since Paul’s public confession, Mikee has been posting more photos of them together on social media.
Mikee shared a picture taken after they cast their votes on May 9, election day.
This was followed by pictures of them together while on an outdoor adventure date.
“Opo, happy naman po ako,” the 24-year-old actress told PEP.ph in a chat to promote Apoy Sa Langit.
“Pero iwan muna po natin yun doon. Alam niyo naman po yata kung sino.
“But yes, I’m dating po ngayon. I’m enjoying and happily growing.”
Paul, meanwhile, describes his feelings for Mikee as not just a passing fancy.
“Hindi kami nagmamadali, kumbaga gusto namin sure na," said Paul.
"Kumbaga pa-25 na po ako, so gusto ko parang kung ito naman, gusto ko ito na yung last."