Jennylyn Anne Pineda Mercado also known as Jennylyn Mercado is a Filipina actress and singer. She was the winner of the first season of StarStruck, a reality-based talent search show of GMA Network in the Philippines.
Mercado studied at Augustinian Abbey in Las Piñas from Prep to 4th year High School. On the April 3, 2004 episode of Startalk, a Philippines-based talk show, Jennylyn admitted that she suffers from a heart ailment which prohibits her from becoming too tired, overly excited, or angry.
Jennylyn started out as a recording artist, in 1999, with Alpha Records through the recommendation of her voice coach Susanna Pichay. She was with the singing group G4 of Nonoy Tan. Unfortunately, two of the co-members did not continue on so the group and the planned album was scrapped. But the group was able to record two songs. After G4, she went into modeling and landed an endorsing stint with Bambini cologne and a Ponds television advertisement. She also made it to the elite Circle of 10 modeling search along with fellow Starstruck member, Dion Ignacio winning the Ms. Photogenic title. Prior to joining Starstruck, she has appeared in soap operas Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay with Lorna Tolentino in , Ang Iibigin Ay Ikaw and Nagmamahal, Manay Gina, where she appeared three times.
In 2003, Mercado joined the reality show Starstruck and together with Mark Herras were proclaimed the winners of the show. Each of them received one million pesos plus exclusive contracts from GMA Network. After winning Starstruck, she has appeared in several films including So Happy Together and the teen-flick Let the Love Begin. In television, she has appeared in the fantasy soap opera Encantadia, I Luv NY, Now and Forever, entitled Dangal and Super Twins.
