From HORI7ON, Atasha Muhlach, juan karlos, and more, these stars should be on our radar in 2024.
Related: 9 Local Artists Who Had A Well-Deserved Breakthrough In 2023
Another year, another batch of stars who served main character energy in the past twelve months. Across TV, movies, music, social media, and more, established celebs further solidified their star power, while others broke through on the scene in a force that had heads turning for all the right reasons. Highlights from the past year include Kaori Oinuma’s scene-stealing role in A Very Good Girl, Xyriel Manabat proving why she is one of the generation’s best actresses, and Kyle Echarri solidifying his status as Gen Z’s next leading man. And as we move to a new year, 2024 looks to deliver more moments of Gen Z excellence from today’s hottest names.
Some are already household names, and others are just beginning to spread their wings in the industry, but we feel these following stars all have the potential to have a big year and continue their momentum from 2023. As we look forward to what this year has in store for the world of acting, music, social media, and everything in between, keep these stars on your radar. Who knows, some of them might become your next fave.
ABRAHAM LAWYER
INSTAGRAM/ABELAWYER
Michelle Dee wasn’t the only Filipino to win big at Miss Universe 2023. So too did her younger brother, Abraham Lawyer, after videos of him in El Salvador went viral on social media. Many netizens were smitten by his good looks that scream movie star. But more than just his charm, Abraham is looking to make waves in the industry in 2024 as both a model and burgeoning actor. In fact, he’s reportedly set to make his acting debut in GMA’s highly ambitious new series, Pulang Araw. Considering how he and Michelle share the mindset of taking opportunities when they present themselves, he might just go far.
ANTHONY JENNINGS
INSTAGRAM/ANTHONYJENNINGS
While Anthony made his big screen debut on 2019’s Hello, Love, Goodbye, the actor has only recently been making waves. Particularly, his role as Snoop Manansala on Can’t Buy Me Love has been getting rave reviews for his effortless charm and comedic timing, not to mention the unexpected but welcome chemistry with Maris Racal’s Irene Tiu. From comedy, drama, action, and more, Anthony has proven he can take them on, and 2024 may be the year this young actor gets the spotlight he deserves.
ASIANA DOESNT
INSTAGRAM/ASIANADOESNT
While most know Asiana as the daughter of Wilma Doesnt, the young model is on a path to success on her own merits. Asiana is a stunning beauty who has been making waves in the local fashion industry, as seen in, among other career highlights, her viral appearance at the BENCH Fashion Week. From gracing the pages of the hottest magazines to walking the runways for the biggest designers, Asiana is that morena stunner to watch out for.
ATASHA MUHLACH
INSTAGRM/ATASHAMUHLACH_
Atasha is no stranger to the spotlight given who her parents are. After all, she’s been doing commercials since she was a kid. But 2023 was a big year for the Gen Z star as she officially made her showbiz debut. Already, she hit the ground running, by, among other things, being a host on E.A.T, releasing her solo music, being a PBA muse, and even a potential stint as a beauty queen in the future. Oh, and she did all that this year while graduating with honors and a Bachelor of Arts in Business from Nottingham Trent University in the United Kingdom last July. Atasha has It-Girl energy radiating all over her.
CRIZA TAA
INSTAGRAM/MSCRIZATAA
Actress and former PBB housemate Criza Taa took over social media in 2023 as the queen of GRWM videos, TikTok transitions, style inspos, and general baddie behavior. In 2024, we hope to see Criza continue her hot streak as a Gen Z social media powerhouse, but also further flex her talents in the acting world. If you’ve seen the series adaptation of He’s Into Her, you’d know that Criza’s Naih was lowkey one of the best characters on the show. Acting projects were few and far between for the young star this year, so we’re crossing our fingers that we get to see more of Criza on the small and big screen.
DENISE JULIA
INSTAGRAM/DENISEJVLIA
There’s a reason why Denise Julia can count Bretman Rock and aespa’s Giselle among her fans. She stormed the charts with her debut album, Sweet Nothings (Chapter 1), which had bangers like B.A.D and Lackin’. Denise is entering 2024 with momentum on her side, and we can already tell chapter 2 is going to devour once she drops the full album. And aside from being our new favorite R&B diva, Denise is going to continue to hold it down for all her bilatz (the name of her fandom) to be their unapologetic selves.
HORI7ON
The members of HORI7ON started 2023 as the winners of Dream Maker and ended the year by performing at and winning an award from the Asia Artist Awards 2023. In between that, the seven-member boy group made history as the first all-Filipino group to debut in South Korea as they proudly repped Pinoy talent on a global scale. With their debut era nearing its end, we’re excited to see what new music, videos, and projects these young men have in store for us.
JUAN KARLOS
Like many musicians, juan karlos turned the pain of a breakup into music, in this case, his album Sad Songs and Bullshit Part 1. But unlike most musicians, the album, and in particular the single ERE, became an unprecedented and record-breaking smash listened to by millions. Add to that his role in the teen drama series Senior High, it’s clear juan karlos has his bases down. And with a new year comes the promise of new music as the chart-topper is set to release part 2 of the album, this time focusing on healing and moving on.
KOTARO SHIMIZU
INSTAGRAM/_KOTAROSHIMIZU
Given that his mom is Jean Garcia and his older sister Jennica Garcia, Kotaro Shimizu has talent running in his veins. But aside from having a famous family, the Filipino-Japanese personality is also proving his worth as a performer with dreams of entering the international music scene. A scroll on his social media accounts shows that he has what it takes with his dancing videos and idol-worthy visuals that have many comparing him to BTS’ V. In a year that saw success stories of Filipinos in the global music scene, Kotaro might just be the next big thing to watch out for.
SASSA GURL
INSTAGRAM/ITSSASSAGURL
Sassa Gurl will always be one of our favorite content creators on TikTok. But 2023 had many stanning Sassa for a different reason, her music. Many were bopping to her hit track Maria Hiwaga. The TikTok star tapped into her Sassa Boi persona as she gave us a vibey R&B and rap banger that was comedic, satirical, and plain good. 28 million streams on Spotify and 11 million views on YouTube later, Maria Hiwaga is one of the year’s unexpected hits.
More importantly, Sassa did well in a genre where women and queer artists have faced barriers to success, which is why we hope to see more of Sassa Boi in 2024 and give Pinoy R&B and rap some needed trans representation.
Continue Reading: 5 Reasons Why Kaila Estrada Is On Our It-Girl Radar
