Billy Crawford | |
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.jpg) Billy Crawford, in 2018 | |
| Born | Billy Joe Ledesma Crawford (1982-05-16)May 16, 1982 (age 43) Manila, Philippines |
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| Years active | 1986–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Musical career | |
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Musical artist | |
Billy Joe Ledesma Crawford (born May 16, 1982) is a Filipino actor and singer. Crawford is a recipient of aNRJ Music Awards, aFAMAS Award and a special Aning Dangal award from theNational Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).
Crawford made his television debut as a child performer on the variety showThat's Entertainment. As a child actor, he received repeated acclaim for his performances in films such asLost Command andSandakot Na Bala (both 1988) and television programs such asLovingly Yours, Helen. In 1994, at age 12, Crawford left the Philippines for theU.S., enrolling at theProfessional Performing Arts School,New York City; less than one year later, he was chosen to be one ofMichael Jackson's back-up dancers for a performance at the1995 MTV Video Music Awards.
Following his eventual graduation from performing arts high school, and subsequent return to the Philippines,Billy Crawford: It's Time was staged at theAraneta Coliseum as his homecoming special. In 2022, he was announced as the grand winner of theFrench dance competition program,Danse avec les Stars (English: ‘dance with the stars’).[1]
Having sold an estimated 2 million records worldwide, Crawford is among the best-selling Filipino artists of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.[2][3] He released three studio albums underV2 Records, the first being his self-titled debut album. In 2002, he released his second albumRide. It was a commercial success, being certified Gold inSwitzerland by theIFPI and Platinum in France by theSNEP. It produced his most successful single, "Trackin", which was a massive chart success across Europe. It reached No. 1 in theNetherlands, peaked at No. 11 on theEuropean Hot 100 Singles and sold 500,000 units in France.[2]
Billy Joe Ledesma Crawford was born in Manila, Philippines, to a Filipino mother fromJaro, Iloilo City named Mayette Ledesma and an American father named Jack Crawford. He has two half-brothers.
Crawford was discovered at the early age of 3 years, singing at a bowling alley that his mother often visited. He became a series regular on an afternoonGMA Network television show calledThat's Entertainment under the nameBilly Joe. Afterwards, he acted in various screen works such as the filmsLost Command andSandakot Na Bala and the anthology drama seriesLovingly Yours, Helen, with his performances being consistently acclaimed.[4][5][6] For his performance in the latter's episode "My Brother, My Friend" in 1988, Meg Mendoza of theManila Standard stated that Crawford was "the most natural child actor we've seen afterJay Ilagan", though she noted that hisTagalog can be improved upon.[6]
He attended the Imus Unida Christian School in the Philippines until his departure for the US when he was 12 and balanced both his professional acting and his studies. In the United States, he started a music career, performing mostly in the United Kingdom and France, as well as in Asia. His early career started inDallas,Texas, where he lived and performed his singing and then moved toNew York City. During this time, he legally changed his stage name toBilly Crawford. He first went to P.S./I.S. 217 Roosevelt Island Public School and then toProfessional Performing Arts School in New York City with other famous professional children, such asLee Thompson Young,Mandy Moore andNina Sky.
In 1995, when he was 13, he landed his first professional gig as a backup dancer forMichael Jackson for his performance ofDangerous at the1995 MTV Video Music Awards.
Crawford recorded his self-titled first albumBilly Crawford (which included hits such as "Urgently in Love" and "Mary Lopez") when he was 15 years old.
In 2001, "Trackin'" was the firstsingle from the albumRide and can be deemed as the singer's most successful hit single: it peaked at number five for five weeks in France and was certified platinum. As of August 2014, it was the 74th best-selling single of the 21st century in France, with 343,000 units sold.[7] The song reached No. 1 in the Netherlands, No. 2 in Belgium, No. 3 in Switzerland and No. 20 in Germany. In the UK, the song was released as the third single after "You Didn't Expect That" in August 2003 and reached No. 32 on theUK chart.
By April 2002, Crawford was back on the scene with his second album,Ride. This was certified gold in France (selling 100,000 copies) within just a few weeks and gold in Switzerland. The album went on to achieve platinum status in the French market (selling 300,000 copies) and a total of 600,000 copies has been sold to date. As for singles, following the success of the second track, "When You Think About Me" (over 250,000 copies sold in France), Crawford returned in September 2002 with a third single from theRide album, "You Didn't Expect That", which went directly into the top 5 and was certified gold in December, having sold more than 250,000 copies in just a few weeks. After this grand success, he returned in 2003 with two versions of a previously unreleased track: the English version of "Someone Like You" and a special Franco-English version for France, "Me passer de toi", which stayed in the singles charts for some weeks.
The albumBig City was produced by some of the best producers in the American music industry such asKovas (Ghettobeat Production),J Que (from "The Clutch"),Tricky Stewart andLaney Stewart (RedZone Entertainment), The CornaBoyz, Pale Face,Desmond Child andStargate. He left his old company, V2 records, wanting to expand his career into something bigger.
Big City Tour Live is the live release DVD album from Crawford. The DVD was released in France in 2005. It was directed by Michel Jankielewicz, produced by Yves El-Baze and distributed byUMG (2005) (worldwide) (DVD). The budget of this album was €150,000 (estimated).
It's Time is the fourth studio album by Crawford. It was released in 2007 with its first single, "Like That".
Groove is the fifth studio album by Crawford. It contains re-workings of classic hits from the 1970s and 1980s.
Sky Is the Limit is the first EP (and sixth release) by Crawford. It features five new tracks as well as one remix and one instrumental. It was released through the independent label, Jackpot Records.
In 2019, Crawford released the single "Filipina Girl" as the carrier single from the albumWork in Progress. It consists of ten tracks with a bonus track featuring Marcus Davis Jr. who produced the album. He once said that the album is dedicated to his wifeColeen García who motivated him to go back to music.Work in Progress was released March 22, 2019 underViva Records.
Crawford had major chart success in France and other parts of Europe but did not repeat this success in the United Kingdom and the United States, although his single "You Didn't Expect That" did make the lower reaches of the UK Top 40, peaking at number 35. He also contributed a cover of the originalPokémon TV seriestheme song forPokémon: The First Movie.[8] In 2002, Crawford also appeared at a popular Filipino-American event called "Fiesta Filipina", held inSan Francisco,California.
Crawford's albumBig City was released in 2004 in France and Asia only. The single "Bright Lights" was unable to break into any Top 10 charts. The second single "Steamy Nights", produced byKovas – Ghetto Beat, fared better, making the Top 40, and was featured on 7 compilations across Europe and was the first single in Germany. Crawford's music video for "Steamy Nights" was shot in Los Angeles, California, and was produced with the same people who worked on theDestiny's Child single "Lose My Breath". ActressJenna Dewan, who was one of the main characters in the popular 2006 filmStep Up, was featured as Crawford's dance partner.
Another song from the album, "Candy Store", was leaked from the album and received airplay on London radio. Thought to be a duet with Ginuwine, it is featured on theBig City album. After doing the first-ever online reality showThe MSN Dance Show, his third single from the album, "3 Wishes", was canceled by his label. Crawford felt that it was time for something new and decided not to re-sign his contract with V2 Records. The same year, he voiced Dean in the 1st episode from the 3rd season of the animated TV showTotally Spies!.[9]
In 2006, Crawford began recording a new album which was expected to be released in 2007. In 2006, he toured during the summer with the groupL5 in France and in November he was scheduled to return to his home country to shoot a film. That same year, he was recorded a cover ofSuper Freak byRick James from the French animated filmAsterix and the Vikings.[10]
In 2007, Billy Crawford returned to the Philippines to host the dance reality show "MOVE: The Search for Billy Crawford's Pinoy Dancers" onGMA Network. The program aimed to select six backup dancers, known as The Movers, for his inaugural Philippine concert, 'Billy Crawford: It's Time,' held at theAraneta Coliseum. The show's main judge, known as the Move Master, wasMarie Courchinoux, also called 'Maryss from Paris.' Initially, six Movers were chosen, with a seventh later added to complete the crew. The official dancers for Crawford included Darcy Godoy, JM Vergara, Aizel Moñeva, AJ Sarate, Jobel Dayrit, Daniel Agbisit, and Mich Garong. Following the successful concert, Crawford returned to the United States to pursue various projects and fulfill commitments.[citation needed]
In 2008, upon his return to the Philippines, Crawford signed withABS-CBN as an exclusive artist. He became a regular on the Sunday variety showASAP and later hostedPinoy Dream Academy Überture, a reality search that involves the skill of singing.
In 2009, he returned to acting viaYour Song Presents with his partner and fellow singerNikki Gil. He also released his fifth studio albumGroove in the Philippines as well as worldwide digital services later that year. He also hosted a former talent show,Showtime.
In 2010, he hostedPilipinas Got Talent with fellow co-hostLuis Manzano. Both of them won as Best Talent Search Program Hosts at the 24th PMPC Star Awards for TV.
From 2011 to 2020, Crawford hosted withVhong Navarro and other hosts in the weekday variety showIt's Showtime.
In 2013, he launched his initial EP,"Sky Is the Limit," under the independent label Jackpot Records, marking his return to music since 2009. On April 4, 2014, he extended his contract withUniversal Records and announced plans to release a new album later that year. In 2017, during the promotion of a Soul Brothers concert featuring him, he performed his latest single, "Future," dedicated to his wife,Coleen García.[11]
In September 2020, Crawford transferred toTV5 Network, as he hosted thePhilippine version ofThe Masked Singer and the noontime variety showLunch Out Loud, which later reformatted toTropang LOL and simulcasted toKapamilya Channel andA2Z in 2022 until its conclusion in 2023. He began hosting game showThe Wall Philippines in 2021. as the latter moved to GMA Network for itssecond season in 2022, it also marked Crawford's return to his home network after 15 years.[12]
He participated in the French television dance competition "Danse avec les stars" and won the competition with his partner,Fauve Hautot.
Crawford became part of GMA Network's adaptation ofThe Voice franchise in the country, as one of the coaches inThe Voice Generations (2023),[13] andThe Voice Kids (2024).[14]
In September 2014, Crawford was involved in an incident at aBonifacio Global City police precinct where he allegedly flew into a drunken rage, injuring a desk officer and damaging the precinct's glass door in the ensuing scuffle.[15]
Crawford, who had no prior history of legal incidents, has since issued an apology to his fans and to the officers whom he crossed paths with,[16][17] though mischief and assault charges have been filed against him.[18]
In 2014, Crawford began dating his co-hostColeen García fromIt's Showtime!.[19] The two became engaged on December 20, 2016,[20] and married on April 20, 2018.[21] On September 10, 2020, they welcomed their son, Amari.[22] On April 13, 2025, Garcia announced onInstagram that she and Crawford were expecting their second child.[23]
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales | Certifications | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEL [24] | FRA [25] | GER [26] | NL [27] | SWI [28] | ||||
| 1999 | Billy Crawford
| — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002 | Ride
| 22 | 7 | 73 | 53 | 17 | ||
| 2005 | Big City
| 32 | 12 | — | — | 84 | ||
| 2007 | It's Time
| — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009 | Groove[C]
| — | — | — | — | — |
| |
| 2019 | Work in Progress
| — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that country. | ||||||||
| Year | EP details |
|---|---|
| 2013 | Sky Is the Limit
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| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Sales | Certifications | Album | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUT [34] | BEL [24] | FRA [25] | GER [35] | NL [27] | NZ [36] | SWE [37] | SWI [28] | UK [38][39] | |||||
| 1998 | "Urgently in Love" | — | — | 64 | 94 | 90 | 12 | 28 | — | 48 | Billy Crawford | ||
| 1999 | "Supernatural" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 124 | |||
| "Mary Lopez" | — | — | — | — | — | — | 15 | — | 82 | ||||
| "Pokémon Theme 2" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Pokémon: The First Movie Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture | |||
| 2001 | "When You're in Love with Someone"[A] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Ride | ||
| 2002 | "Trackin'" | 55 | 3 | 5 | 23 | 1 | — | 33 | 5 | 32 |
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| "When You Think About Me"[B] | — | 21 | 14 | 48 | 16 | — | — | 24 | — |
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| "You Didn't Expect That" | — | 13 | 6 | 82 | 56 | — | — | 23 | 35 |
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| 2003 | "Me passer de toi (Someone Like You)" | — | 36 | 11 | — | — | — | — | 28 | — |
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| 2004 | "Bright Lights" | — | 2 | 12 | — | — | — | — | 46 | — | Big City | ||
| 2005 | "Steamy Nights" | — | — | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2007 | "It's Time" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | It's Time | ||
| "Like That" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 2009 | "Steal Away"[C] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Groove | ||
| "Human Nature"[C] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 2010 | "You've Got a Friend"(featuringNikki Gil)[C] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2019 | "Filipina Girl"(featuring Marcus Davis Jr. andJames Reid) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Work in Progress | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that country. | |||||||||||||
Notes
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Lost Command | David | Credited as Billy Joe Crawford |
| Sandakot Na Bala | Jun Jun | ||
| 1989 | Pardina at ang Mga Duwende | Bambi | |
| Pahiram ng Isang Umaga | Chad | ||
| Bote, Dyaryo, Garapa | |||
| Everlasting Love | |||
| 1990 | Kasalanan ang Buhayin Ka | ||
| Dine Dinero | |||
| 1991 | Eh, Kasi Bata | Daryll | |
| 1993 | Taong Gubat | Billy Crawford's LastSeiko Films film | |
| 2005 | Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist | Cheche | |
| 2012 | Moron 5 and the Crying Lady | Isaac Estrada | Billy Crawford's 1stViva Films film |
| 2013 | Momzillas | Elwood del Valle | Billy Crawford's 1stStar Cinema film |
| 2014 | Moron 5.2: The Transformation | Isaac Estrada | |
| 2015 | A Second Chance | Pedro Gonzales | |
| That Thing Called Tanga Na | Baldo | ||
| 2020 | Mia | Noah |
In 2007, Crawford received an offer to do a dance film calledBack Down. He was also supposed to read for a film withWhoopi Goldberg, but these Hollywood productions were pushed back.[45] Crawford's life story has also been shown on the Philippine television drama showMaalaala Mo Kaya.[46]
| Award | Year | Category | Nominee(s)/work(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastwood City Walk of Fame | 2007 | Celebrity Inductee | Billy Crawford | Won | |
| Myx Music Award | 2008 | Favorite Urban Video | Like That | Won | [47] |
| NRJ Music Award | 2002 | Best Newcomer of the Year | Billy Crawford | Nominated | |
| 2003 | International Male Artist of the Year | Won | |||
| PMPC Star Awards in Music | 2019 | Male Recording Artist of the Year | Filipina Girl | Nominated | |
| PMPC Star Awards in Television | 2010 | Best Talent Program Host | (withLuis Manzano) forPilipinas Got Talent) | Won | |
| Wish Music Awards | 2018 | Wishclusive R&B Performance of the Year | Future | Nominated | [48] |
Isang mina rin ang nahukay ng pelikula sa katauhan ng batang gumanap na David. Si Billy Joe Crawford. Masyado siyang natural.
Best Child Actor... Billy Joe Crawford – Sandakot Na Bala
| Preceded by | Miss Earth Host 2008 | Succeeded by |
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