# Carol Banawa

Carol Claire Aguilar Banawa-Crisostomo (born March 4, 1981), better known in the Philippines as Carol Banawa, is a Filipina singer-songwriter, actress, and nurse currently based in United States. She is a Star Magic Batch 4 alumna.

## Early life and career

Raised in Batangas, she has two siblings, Alexander and Cherry. Banawa started singing when she was a little girl while her family lived in Saudi Arabia. Her family then moved back to the Philippines. There, she was invited to join the new roster of ABS-CBN stars through the children-oriented show Ang TV.
She has performed at the Madison Square Garden in New York City at the 2003 New York Music Festival.
In 2004, Pinoyvision Records Released: her Platinum Hits Collection album, a compilation of her songs. The album also comes with a VCD of Banawa's hit music videos such as "Stay", "Ocean Deep" and "Noon at Ngayon".
In 2010, she made her comeback in the music industry, and starred in the hit Philippine TV series, Mara Clara, where she sang the opening song of the said TV series. She also covered Till My Heartaches End, the theme song of the 2010 film of the same name.
In 2016, her song "Bakit 'Di Totohanin" was featured in one of the scenes of the U.S. drama series The Vampire Diaries.

## Discography
### Studio albums

| Title | Album details | Certification / Sales |
| Carol | Released: 1997 Label: Star Music Format: CD, cassette, digital download | Gold |
| Carol: Repackaged | Released: 2000 Label: Star Music Format: CD, cassette Track listing "Iingatan Ka" "Saan Ka Man Naroroon" "Only World" "Bakit 'Di Totohanin" "Kailan Nga Ba" "Till It's Time" "With This Song" "Wait and Understand" "Kanino Ba" "'Pag Puso'y Nakialam" "What Life Is All About" "Sana'y 'Di Ko Na Nakita" "I'll Be There" | PARI: 3× Platinum |
| Transition | Released: 2001 Label: Star Music Format: CD, cassette | PARI: Platinum |
| Follow Your Heart | Released: 2003 Label: Star Music Format: CD, cassette | PARI: Platinum |
| My Music, My Life | Released: November 14, 2010 Label: Star Music/Black Bird Music Format: CD, digital download | |

### Other appearances
#### Compilation appearances

| Title | Details |
| Sa Araw ng Pasko | Released: 1998 Label: Star Music Singles "Soon It's Christmas" |
| Anak | Released: 2000 Label: Star Music Singles "Awit Kay Inay" |
| Tanging Yaman (Inspirational album) | Released: 2000 Label: Star Music Singles "Iingatan Ka" |
| Only Selfless Love | Released: 2002 Label: Star Music Singles "We Are One" |
| Mysteria Lucis: Mysteries of Light | Released: 2003 Label: Star Music Singles "Awit sa Ina ng Santo Rosaryo" |
| The Brightest Stars of Christmas | Released: 2003 Label: Star Music Singles "Nakaraang Pasko" |

## Filmography
### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1994 | Ang TV | Herself | |
| 1995–2003 | ASAP | Herself / Performer / Co-host | Later became a guest performer in 2006 and again in 2010. |
| 1996 | Calvento Files | Rosalie | Episode: "Rosalie" |
| 1996 | Calvento Files | Cindy | Episode: "33 Feet Under" |
| 1997 | Kaybol: Ang Bagong TV | Herself | |
| 2000 | Tabing Ilog | Andoy | |
| 2001 | Sa Dulo Ng Walang Hanggan | Minerva | |
| 2002 | Bituin | Melody Sandoval | |
| 2002 | Wansapanataym | | Episode: "Rapunzel" |
| 2006 | American Idol | Herself | Auditioned for the 5th season. |
| 2006 | Wowowee | Herself, Guest | |
| 2006 | Little Big Star | Herself, Guest | |
| 2010 | Music Uplate Live | Herself, Performer, Guest | |

### Film

| Year | Title | Role |
| 1996 | Ang TV The Movie: The Adarna Adventure | King's niece |
| 1997 | Calvento Files: The Movie | Cindy |
| 1998 | Nagbibinata | Carol |
| 1998 | Hiling | Rowena |
| 2000 | Tanging Yaman | Chona |

### Theater

| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
| 2000 | Little Mermaid | Jewel | | |

## Awards and nominations

Name of the award ceremony, year presented, type of award, category of the award, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination :
| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Work | Result |
| Metropop Song Festival | 1998 | — | — | 3 |
| Munting Mutya | 1998 | — | — | Finalist |
| Shanghai Song Festival | 1999 | Asia New Singer Competition | — | Silver |
| | 1999 | Gold Record Award | Carol | — |
| 5th Katha Music Awards | 1999 | Best Pop Female Vocal Performance | — | Won |
| Awit Awards | 2001 | Record of the Year | "Iingatan Ka" (from Tanging Yaman – Inspirational Album) | Won |
| | 2001 | Platinum Award | Carol | Won |
| Asian Songfest | 2001 | Special citation | Philippines representative | — |
| People's Choice Awards | 2001 | — | Most Promising Host Entertainer Awardee | — |
| | 2002 | Gold Record Award | Transition | Won |
| | 2002 | Multi-Platinum Status | Carol | Won |
| New York Music Festival | 2003 | Special Award | — | Won |
| | 2003 | Gold certification | Follow Your Heart | Won |
| | 2003 | Platinum Record Award | Transition | Won |
| Awit Awards | 2003 | Best Pop Female Vocal Performance | "Stay" | — |
| MTV Pilipinas Awards | 2003 | Favorite Female Artist | — | Won |
| - | 2004 | Platinum Record Award | Follow Your Heart | Won |
| Awit Awards | 2004 | — | "Awit sa Ina ng Santo Rosaryo" | Nominated |
| 3rd Star Awards | 2011 | Female Pop Artist Of The Year | — | Nominated |
| ASAP Pop Viewers Choice | 2011 | Pop Movie Themesong | — | Won |

## Personal life
### Hiatus and nursing career

Banawa took a break from the Philippine music scene in August 2003 to attend to the treatment of her father who was exposed to lethal levels of carbon monoxide. She is married to Ryan Crisostomo and they have three children together. She obtained an associate degree in nursing and graduated summa cum laude from the Northern Virginia Community College, Washington, D.C. in 2018. She later obtained a bachelor's degree in nursing from Grand Canyon University in 2020. Presently, she is an OR registered nurse based in the United States.