Lea Salonga has officially received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, becoming the first-ever Filipina to receive the honor.The Broadway icon was celebrated on Friday, Sept. 4, during a ceremony on Hollywood Boulevard, where her star became the 2,855th on the famous walkway. It is located in front of the Pantages Theatre.Lea Salonga is widely known for providing the singing voices of Princess Jasmine in Disney’s Aladdin and Mulan in Mulan. She also made history in 1991 when she became the first Asian woman to win a Tony Award for her performance in Miss Saigon.Lea Salonga Honored With Star On Hollywood Walk Of Fame - Source: GettyBefore her speech, the songstress was met with loud cheers from the audience, a moment that Lea Salonga described as “surreal.” She began her message with a joke that incited laughter among the spectators.“I have walked down this street many times. I’ve stepped on a lot of famous people. And now, people get to step on me, which feels strangely appropriate for show business. I love a full-circle moment.”The singer-actress went on to talk about her humble beginnings in her homeland, long before she became a Broadway star.“But truly, to see my name here, to know that it will be here forever, is something I’m still trying to wrap my head around. Because long before Hollywood, long before Broadway, there was Manila. If you had told seven-year-old Lea Salonga, making her stage debut in the production of ‘The King and I’ in the Philippines, that nearly fifty years later she would be standing on Hollywood Boulevard, in front of this iconic theater, surrounded by so many wonderful friends, family, and colleagues, receiving a star on the Walk of Fame, she would have said, ‘Ha? What’s that?’”She spoke the last part in a recognizable Filipino accent that once again elicited laughter among the crowd of fans.Lea Salonga honors family, colleagues, and fans as she receives Hollywood Walk of Fame starLea Salonga continued, revealing that she started working when she was “very young” as she had always loved singing and performing, although she admitted that she never had a “grand plan” for her future.The celebrity added, discussing how her career had taken her to “places I never imagined I would go,” led her to meet “extraordinary people,” and allowed her to “keep doing what I love.”With this new milestone, Lea Salonga also credited her family: her mother, “who was there from the very beginning”; her brother, who was her “first duet partner”; and her son, who has just started his career in acting and entertainment.She also thanked her supporters who had loved and shown up for her, her teachers, directors, composers, musicians, actors, lyricists, and many more.Lea Salonga Honored With Star On Hollywood Walk Of Fame - Source: GettyBefore concluding her speech, Lea Salonga expressed her hope that her accomplishment has inspired young Filipinos to follow the same path."I hope that someday a young Filipino kid comes to Hollywood, sees my name and thinks, ‘Oh, maybe I can get here too.’"Several performers joined Salonga to celebrate the milestone. Brandy, who played Cinderella in the 1997 television film, praised Salonga for the impact of her voice and her work as Jasmine and Mulan.Ming-Na Wen, who voiced Mulan in the 1998 animated film, also honored Salonga. She described her as fierce, determined and deeply sincere in her performances.Darren Criss was another guest speaker at the event. The actor and singer, who is half-Filipino, recalled growing up with Disney films and described his friendship with Salonga as a dream come true.Salonga has built a career across Broadway, film, television and concert stages. Her performances have earned international recognition while also making her an important figure for Filipino and Asian representation in entertainment.