Meet Mulan and Aladdin star Lea Salonga's trans son Nic Chien: at 19, he's following his mum into musical theatre and will appear alongside Salonga in Into the Woods
Broadway legend Lea Salonga is opening up about her relationship with her trans son Nic Chien, 19, who she shares with husband Robert Chien. Speaking to People, the
Filipina star got candid about Nic's transition journey, advising parents to 'meet your kid where they are'. Nic was assigned female at birth, came out as transmasculine at 14, and began taking testosterone in January. Throughout the process, Salonga was a pillar of support for her child, although she at first thought he might be non-binary. Calling this response an 'OK reaction', Nic shared that because his family is 'very accepting', he wasn't 'super afraid' to come out.
Lea Salonga at the opening night last April of Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends, in New York. via AFP
Meanwhile, Salonga – who provided the singing voice for Jasmine in the original Aladdin (1992), and for the titular character in Mulan (1998) and Mulan II (2004) – is back on Broadway with Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends. The revue features several numbers dedicated to the late musical theatre icon, but the Miss Saigon star has made one her own. 'Loving You', she says, reminds her of her son, and she dresses in a purple jacket for the performance as a nod to Nic's favourite colour.
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So what else do we know about Lea Salonga's son, Nic Chien?
Lea Salonga originally wanted to raise him in the Philippines
Nic Chien is Lea Salonga's only child. Photo: @nicchien_official/Instagram
Salonga originally wanted to raise her child in her home country of the Philippines, as she explained in a 2007 interview with GMA News. 'There's just our fear that [he'll] be growing up too fast,' she said. 'I think here [in the Philippines], people hold on to their childhood for so much longer, it seems. And I'd like for [Nic] to be a kid at least for as long as I was,' she added. Nic attended high school in New York, per People.
Nic Chien has always loved performing
Lea Salonga's son Nic showed an affinity for performing from a very young age. Photo: @msleasalonga/Instagram
Salonga revealed to GMA News in 2008 that Nic had taken to performing from a very young age. At less than two years old, he was already singing and dancing like a 'star', shared the proud mum. By the age of five, he was taking part in school performances. In 2014, Nic sang during his mum's Playlist concert in Manila, per the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
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