How H.E.R. Is Just One Tony Away From EGOT Status

In case you live under a rock, here’s a public service announcement: Grammy-winning singer and proud Filipino performer H.E.R. was just announced as a producer for the Broadway musical Here Lies Love. The Fil-Am, whose full name is Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson, is the latest Filipino/Filipino-American to join the cast and crew of the highly-anticipated musical.

READ: The World Is a Much Better Place Now That Viola Davis Has Officially Achieved EGOT Status

Lea Salonga Is Making a Broadway Comeback as Ninoy Aquino's Mother in Here Lies Love

Here Lies Love tells the controversial life story of former Filipino First Lady Imelda Marcos, widow of the former president Ferdinand Marcos Sr. H.E.R., whose mother is Filipino-American and father is African-American, joins a host of other Filipinos and Filipino-Americans as part of the show. The biggest Filipino name joining the cast is Lea Salonga herself, who will star as Aurora Aquino for a limited period of time.

There’s a lot of buzz surrounding Here Lies Love, but one reason in particular is that the production could potentially give H.E.R. the much-coveted title of EGOT. As of 2023, the Filipino-American performer has won five Grammy awards for her hit songs “Best Part,” “I Can’t Breathe,” “Better Than I Imagined,” “Fight For You,” and her self-titled 2019 album. She also has one Oscar for Best Original Song for “Fight for You” from Judas and the Black Messiah; and one Emmy for We the People at the Children’s and Family Emmy Awards.

With five Grammys, one Oscar, and one Emmy, that just makes H.E.R. one Tony away from becoming a fully-fledged EGOT, which is pretty much as successful as you can get in entertainment.     

If Here Lies Love does prove successful on opening night, H.E.R. could become the youngest EGOT in history by the time the next Tony Awards roll around. The show might have not debuted yet, but isn’t too far-fetched to assume it’ll be a hit with the Tonys. After all, Here Lies Love’s co-creator David Byrne won a Special Tony Award in 2020 for American Utopia.

So, if by some chance Here Lies Love wins a Tony, H.E.R. would become an EGOT at just  26 years old, beating composer Robert Lopez for the title of youngest EGOT winner ever. But even if she doesn’t, then the title of youngest EGOT winner still stays with a Filipino-American. Because, go figure, Robert Lopez is also a Filipino-American, and he also happens to hold the title of the only two-time EGOT winner ever.

Clearly, Filipinos were made for show business.

Here Lies Love is based on David Byrne and Fatboy Slim’s 2010 studio album, which was later made into a theatrical show at The Public Theater in New York in 2013. Jose Liana will be playing Ferdinand Marcos, Arielle Jacobs will be playing Imelda Marcos, and Conrad Ricamora will be playing Ninoy Aquino.

Here Lies Love’s preview performances will begin on June 17 while the opening night is scheduled for July 20.

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