MANILA, Philippines – Filipino-American Darren Criss just received his first Grammy Award nomination and became two awards closer to the EGOT title, which refers to the elite group of performers who have won Emmy, Grammy, Oscars, and Tony honors.
In the 2026 Grammy Awards nominations announced Friday, November 7, another Filipino American, Marco Paguia, also cinched a nod from the awards body that recognizes excellence in the record industry.
Darren earned his first Grammy nod as a vocalist/performer in the Best Musical Theater Album category for the original Broadway cast recording of Maybe Happy Ending, the acclaimed six-time Tony Award-winning musical.
“Thank you to the @recordingacademy for recognizing our little light! It’s an honor to be nominated, especially alongside so many friends and colleagues working on Broadway. Very proud to be representing our industry at the Grammys!” Darren exclaimed in his official statement posted on social media.
Coming close to the coveted EGOT status, Darren won a Primetime Emmy Award in 2018 for his role as Andrew Cunanan in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. The son of a Cebuana, Cerina Bru Criss, and the late Charles William Criss Jr. nabbed his first Tony Award this past Broadway season for his lead role as Oliver in Maybe Happy Ending.
In 2019, Darren became the first Fil-Am to win the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television for his portrayal of Andrew Cunanan in Ryan Murphy’s drama on the assassination of designer Gianni Versace.
Following his nine-month leave of absence on Maybe Happy Ending, Darren returned on November 5 to the Broadway show that made him the first Filipino and Asian to win the Best Leading Actor in a Musical at the 2025 Tony Awards.
Maybe Happy Ending also grabbed a total of six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre, Best Book of a Musical, Best Scenic Design for a Musical, and Best Direction of a Musical.
The just announced Grammy Original Broadway Cast citation for Maybe Happy Ending goes to Marcus Choi, Darren Criss, Dez Duron, and Helen J Shen, principal vocalists; Deborah Abramson, Will Aronson, Ian Kagey, and Hue Park, producers; Hue Park, lyricist; Will Aronson, composer and lyricist.
In the same Grammy category, Marco Paguia, the son of Filipino immigrant parents, Victor and Ruby Paguia, was nominated for the Original Broadway Cast album of Buena Vista Social Club along with his fellow producers, Dean Sharenow and David Yazbek.
Last June, Marco made history as the first Filipino and Asian to win the Tony Awards’ Best Orchestrations and a special Tony as part of the Buena Vista Social Club band.
The other Best Musical Theater album nominees are Death Becomes Her Gypsy, and Just in Time.
Sophia Laforteza
Another Filipino performer, Sophia Laforteza, got her first Grammy recognition as a member of global girl group KATSEYE, which was nominated for Best New Artist and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. Sofia is the leader of the six-member group, comprised of Daniela, Lara, Manon, Megan, and Yoonchae.
Sophia was the only Filipina who vied for — and won — a spot in HYBE and Geffen Records’ search for its next global girl group featured in The Debut: Dream Academy reality show in 2023. She is the daughter of singer-actress Carla Guevara and Resort’s World executive chef Godfrey Laforteza.
KATSEYE officially debuted in June 2024 after being formed through Netflix’s reality competition series Dream Academy. The group is known for hits like “Debut,” “Gnarly,” “Touch,” “Gabriella,” and more. They won the 2025 VMA Push Performance of the Year. – Rappler.com