In a ranking long dominated by established names, a 17-year-old broke through. When Lianhe Zaobao released its top ten celebrity artists list, one ascent stood out: Emiliano Cyrus ranking within the top six as the youngest artist ever to reach that tier.
To casual observers, he may appear an overnight success. Within the industry, he was never new. His output, range, and consistency have distinguished him from peers his age — and many far beyond it.
Recognized by CNA as an international child celebrity, Emiliano debuted at age 9 with his 2017 breakout single “Wonder Boy.” What followed was not simply early fame, but years shaped by discipline, precision, and unusual resilience.
The numbers soon reframed expectations. Across 17 singles, Emiliano has accumulated more than 370 chart placements and 49 No. 1 rankings across Asia — figures more commonly associated with full-career adult artists than a teenager balancing school, recovery, and ongoing neurological treatment.
From Outrunning Rivals to Outrunning Fate
Before the spotlight, there was speed. Before the stages, there were arenas.
Emiliano’s earliest competitive years were spent as an all-round champion gymnast, earning titles across Thailand, Indonesia, and Hong Kong. At the age of 10, he delivered a dramatic comeback victory at the Macau International Karting Championship.
He later advanced to the final rounds at the IAME World Finals in France and secured a podium finish in Italy’s WSK series — among the most demanding youth motorsport circuits, globally.
Those years of speed, stamina, and discipline would later prove essential in ways no competition could have predicted.
A Storm No Spotlight Could Dim
In mid-2024, a pufferfish poisoning incident sent Emiliano to the hospital. It was only a prelude.
The real crisis emerged in January 2025. What began as relentless, hard-to-resist fatigue, persistent discomfort, and severe daily and nightly headaches quickly escalated into acute neurological distress. This includes intense nerve pain, sudden collapses, intermittent vision disruption, balance failure, and nosebleeds that often lasted nearly three hours.
Then came what neurologists described as exploding headaches — thunderclap-like episodes so violent they dropped him where he stood. Imaging soon informed the diagnosis: three brain aneurysms.
He has since undergone two brain surgeries with a third still pending. Between hospitalizations, neurological evaluations, and recovery cycles, Emiliano continues his studies and creative work, living alongside the two aneurysms that remain and continuing neurological treatment.
“You can rehearse for a show,” one specialist told his family. “You can’t rehearse for survival.”
The Artist Who Refuses To Slow Down
Prior to his illness, Emiliano’s artistic momentum was already under way — each of his milestones secured uninterrupted, before his health reshaped the equation.
At an earlier breakout at age 10, “The Closest Embrace,” widely regarded as the song that established his reputation and what critics in the media described as the “warmest child voice of the 21st century,” was selected as the theme song for the film “Mountain Flower,” by the film's director in which Emiliano also starred.
Between the ages of 11 and 12, Emiliano received formal industry recognition as the youngest CMG-certified Gold Chart Double-Crown Singer. His works “Long Sword,” composed as the theme song for one of Bilibili's annual 3D animation events, and “Sweet Fragrance,” the film theme song for The Covenant of Slam Dunk — in which he played the lead child role — both reached No. 1 on the Global Chinese Pop Chart. He later released another film theme song, “Autumn Rain,” for Distant Home, starring as the male lead. The track went on to top three major music charts simultaneously, securing four championship titles within its first three weeks of release.
At 13, Emiliano’s music extended into major sports and commercial arenas, earning recognition from the Global Chinese Pop Music Golden Chart. His sports theme song “Faith,” composed for the Adidas TERREX Chongli 168 Ultra Trail, earned a Top 10 Golden Song Award, with Emiliano also named most popular singer. During the same period, “Ignite Dreams,” the official theme song for the 2022 X-Bionic China Triathlon, received another Top 10 Golden Song Award, and Emiliano was further named best male singer.
Between the ages of 14 and 17, Emiliano’s creative focus expanded beyond chart performance into broader cultural and international brand collaborations. Works such as "Eternal Youth"and "Whisper of Dreams"reflected a more mature and cohesive artistic voice, while "Transmutation" was officially designated as “The New Century Youth Anthem” for German audio brand Beyerdynamic.
The Unequaled Trajectory of a 17-Year-Old
Spanning elite sport, music charts, early stardom, and a serious illness, his story shaped by his childhood in the public eye is more about endurance than it is about being a prodigy.
- An international chart-recognized artist igniting the stage at age 9 and being titled an international child celebrity by CNN, debuting before an audience of more than 50,000.
- An all-round champion gymnast.
- A “Speed Superstar” karting champion, recognized by an Italian karting magazine for international kart-racing performance.
- A CMG-certified Gold Chart artist and award winner commanding a multi-ethnic international audience, with 17 singles earning 49 No.1 rankings and honors including "Best Male Singer," "Most Popular Singer," and two Top 10 Golden Song Awards.
- A mixed-heritage, cross-cultural storyteller with a global audience.
- An international tourism ambassador for the Republic of Palau.
- A longstanding charity ambassador engaged in humanitarian work with the United Nations and Singapore’s 124-year-old Sian Chay Medical Institution.
- A survivor of three brain surgeries, living with two remaining aneurysms.
- An international student now standing at a decisive threshold.
- Only at this point does the full trajectory come into focus.
What proves rare is not the point of departure or the height reached, but that after encountering several consecutive obstacles, he has remained at the center of his own narrative — neither erased by time nor written out of the frame.
Additional Information
Lianhe Zaobao, Singapore: www.zaobao.com.sg/entertainment/story20251022-7662743
China Daily: cnews.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202511/28/WS692963f0a310942cc4993fed.html