At Medusa at The Palace, beneath gilded lights and velvet shadows, Belle Mariano looks like she’s stepped out of a reverie. Draped in dreamy gowns that skim the floor and shimmer under the chandeliers, she moves languidly with an unstudied grace, a portrait of romance and drama.
Yet, just before the cameras clicked on, the young woman was curled up in her makeup chair, bright lights on her tiny frame, curlers in her thick, long hair, and she was alert, thoughtful, and with a penetrating gaze. She was also very honest.
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Belle at 23 is not just a young star poised for the next big project. She is stepping into a larger stage—alone. When we tell her that she is in her era of becoming, she laughs softly. She is bemused. Finally, with a glance at her perfectly manicured nails and then a thoughtful look at her brightly lit reflection in the mirror, she agrees.
“Era of becoming…” she reflects. “I’m entering adulthood. It’s time for me to discover what I want, who I am, and my voice. Whether that may be personal or in terms of my relationships in life or in the industry, it’s an era of growth. And thus, I could say it’s an era of becoming.”
This season in Belle’s career is marked by new directions. For five years, she’s been one half of DonBelle, one of the country’s most beloved love teams with Donny Pangilinan. She’s delicate and pretty, he’s tall and handsome, and in the space between them sparks a chemistry that gives viewers an undeniable kilig. Together, they looked amazing on- and off-screen, and fans couldn’t get enough of them starring in popular drama series He’s Into Her (2021–2022), Can’t Buy Me Love (2023–2024), and currently How to Spot a Red Flag on Viu, and films Love is Color Blind (2021), He’s Into Her: The Movie Cut (2021), and An Inconvenient Love (2022). Bankable as a love team, they are nevertheless ready to try the spotlight alone.
Belle is excited to explore projects on her own. But she’s quick to stress: this is not a separation from Donny, but a widening of horizons. “We’re very supportive of each other and we both have been very vocal about it,” she emphasizes. “This journey is what’s going to help us grow. And it doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re no longer working with each other.”
It’s a delicate balancing act, nurturing the magic of a partnership while embracing the necessity of standing alone. But she’s not afraid. “I have a very good support system. I know I’m backed by great management and I know they all want the best for me and the best for us.”
She explains that she may have more control in her career decisions, “but I also need guidance,” she admits. “I’m also learning from them, the people who have more experience in terms of making big decisions or maybe roles. But I do have a stronger voice now. To voice out if I’m comfortable doing this type of role or making this big decision. And they’re very considerate—my team, my family, my mom. They all want the best for me. So, I’m very lucky. I’m very lucky to have them in my life.”
Belle is also quick to point out that she’s ready to strike out on her own because of her devoted fans. “I’m so grateful for them,” she says sincerely. “They’re not controlling of who I am. They’re very supportive, no matter where I am or where I go. I always see them there and it makes me so happy because they’re more than just supporters. I would say, somehow, we’ve become a family. I think we grew together.”
Belle says that her support system is the reason she’s remained strikingly grounded. Her team and her fans have never caged her into being anything but herself. That authenticity, she believes, is what makes her a role model—though she hesitates to claim the label. “Anyone can be a role model,” she says, “but what matters is your intentions, your authenticity.”
And she walks the talk. After all, Belle could not have taken home the Outstanding Asian Star at the Seoul International Drama Awards 2022 for her role in He’s Into Her—the first Filipina to do so—if her sincerity didn’t shine through.
That authenticity isn’t just obvious on the screen, but also in her events, her projects, and her social media. Her Instagram account, @belle_mariano, has almost 4 million followers, a feat she does not take lightly. “I think that’s the beauty of having a platform. You’re able to inspire people through your voice.”
Music is one of the ways Belle is discovering her voice. As if she weren’t enchanting enough, the universe also gifted her with a soft, velvety tone that can cradle emotion and release it like a sigh. Thankfully, she decided early on that she could be both an actor and a singer. In just a few years, she has released Daylight (2021), Somber (2023), Solemn (2024), and BELIEVE (2024), along with three sold-out concerts—Daylight: The Concert (2022), Beloved (2023), and BELIEVE: The Belle Maria- no Birthday Concert (2024). She also won Female Pop Artist of the Year at the 15th PMPC Star Awards for Music.
But when the conversation turns to songwriting, her careful, measured tone shifts into something brighter, almost childlike in its excitement.
“I’ve only written two so far,” she admits, shyly but with a flicker of pride. One is ‘Roadtrip’, a bittersweet journey from falling in love to heartbreak, and the other is ‘Somber & Solemn,’ a song about finding peace in the midst of searching for oneself.
“I hope for the next album that I’ll be releasing, I’ll get to write more,” she says, her big brown eyes going dreamy. “Most of the songs that I write, sometimes I take inspiration from others, sometimes it’s from personal experience. And that’s the beauty of it—you get to communicate emotions through music.”
She may sound like she’s got it down pat, but Belle quickly admits that she’s very much a newbie. “At first, it was hard for me to find my voice in the music industry. Because I struggle to finish [writing] a song. How do I finish this? But then, as I grew in the music industry, and as I was able to interact with other amazing composers, as well as songwriters, it was beautiful. So beautiful!”
Clearly, Belle is invested in her music career, especially as a songwriter. While she gets her hair and makeup done, she sings softly to the songs playing in the background. She utters random remarks like, “That saxophone is good! Do you hear it?”
“Music is so much more than how you listen to it,” she explains. “It’s able to communicate emotions. Whether you’re taking inspiration from your friend, yourself, or whatever it is you’re feeling.” She has one prevailing purpose: “I’m able to transcend the emotions that I put into the music I write. Hopefully, whenever I write music, they feel it, too.”
But for now, the songwriter gives way to the actress. Belle is shooting a new movie, slipping back into the world of scripts and cameras. “I want to do so much more! I’ve never done horror, I’ve never done a bida-kontrabida, which I’ve always wanted to do,” she says with a spark of excitement. “I want to do different roles that can challenge me as an actor. That’s the beauty of acting. You get to be different people. You get to live their lives. And you know, whatever you did as that character, you can apply what you learned from them. It’s so nice that you’re able to learn from these characters that you portray.”
In the same breath, she reveals another goal she’s set her eyes on: directing. Belle’s calm, thoughtful demeanor sharpens with resolve as she talks about the possibility of telling stories from behind the camera. “It’s always been my dream. Directing.” For a young woman who has spent much of her life in front of it, the idea of taking control of the narrative clearly excites her.
This hunger to grow—to keep stretching beyond the comfort of what is familiar—runs through everything she says. “I know there’s fear when it comes to getting out of your comfort zone. But then, that’s also where growth is rooted. When you tap into your uncomfortable zone, that’s when you grow.”
It’s a message she carries not just for herself but for her peers, especially young women who were raised to believe they were princesses in fairy tales waiting for their Prince Charming to rescue them from their tower. Belle sees her generation of girls and young women learning to define themselves in a world full of expectations. “Anyone could be anything. And as a woman, you can be everything. That’s something I want to share out there, most especially with my generation. To those who are feeling down or lost, I want to say—we’re so lucky that nowadays, anyone could be anything and everything.”
Her words linger, almost like a mantra.
Belle Mariano is no longer just the dreamer chasing stardom. She is deliberate with her choices, thoughtful with her voice, and fearless in owning her narrative. She is not only a muse but also a mirror for her generation—one that sees strength in authenticity and power in becoming.
Back at Medusa, the lights shift once more, and Belle glides across the room of plush and posh, sequins catching the light in flashes like stardust. She is radiant, yes, but also grounded, composed, and entirely in control. The reverie is no longer something she’s stepped into. It’s something she’s creating, one choice at a time.
Belle Mariano is carving her own pace—measured, thoughtful, luminous. She is in no rush. She is in no panic. She’s on the rise right before our eyes, about to take flight. She is in her era of becoming. And in becoming herself, she just might give her generation of women rising permission to do the same.
Photographed by PAOLO PINEDA. Creative Direction by PATRICK TY. Sittings Editor PEEWEE REYES-ISIDRO. Art Direction by CLARE MAGNO. Beauty Direction by AGOO AZCUNA-BENGZON and MARA GO. Styling by ELDZ MEJIA. Makeup by JAKE GALVEZ. Hair by RJ DELA CRUZ. Multimedia Artist TROY NONATO. Producer THESSMAR LECTURA. Nails JENNIFER PASCUAL of TRIPLE LUCK BROW & NAILS SALON. Production Design ROCKETSETS. Photographer Assistants CESAR SALVE, ISIDRO PEJOTO, and HULES DIOKINO. Stylist Assistants CARL ALBERTO, MIGS LEGUERA, BEA HILADO, and REGELINE UCHI. Makeup Assistants JERICHO MESOLANIA. Hairstylist Assistant RIZZ DE GUIA SANTIAGO. Special Thanks to DIREK LAUREN DYOGI, EDITH FARINAS, YANIE CAMANTE, THESS GUBI, and FRANCES JOSON of STAR MAGIC, MAI MORATO and ZOIE GARCIA of MEDUSA AT THE PALACE
