New 'Glee' cast proud to be Pinoy

LOS ANGELES, California - He is "Glee's" latest breakout star and he is proudly Pinoy.

"My mom is Cebuano, she’s Spanish, Chinese. My father is very, very white. I’m not like full Filipino but definitely I have many parts of me that are. My family’s Filipino. My family’s in the Philippines. It's our culture and heritage that I've always been proud of, simply because it's such a cool place. And my friends who are Filipinos are the coolest," Criss said.

Criss's mom grew up in Cebu, and he said he's looking forward to spending time with his Filipino relatives when he visits Manila to play 2 shows this week.

"I'm very excited. I was there 2 years ago for my cousin's wedding in Makati and I'll be there playing some mall shows. I'm very, very excited and happy to be back," he said.

Criss won over critics and "Glee" fans alike with his cover of Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream," a song that he also performed during his 2 sold-out shows here last Saturday.

Criss said if he comes back to "Glee" next year, the chance to work with Charice is something he's looking forward to.

"I would hope to meet her, if not just to congratulate her in all her success. She's just fantastic. Strictly as a fan, hopefully I get to do something with her in some capacity, if it's just to shake her hand or sing with her, I'll take either," he said.

Performing is something that Criss has been doing since childhood. He plays a variety of musical instruments and writes his own songs.

Criss shot to fame last year when videos of his performance as Harry Potter on the musical parody "A Very Potter Musical" went viral.

He and his co-performers from “Team Starkid” staged "A Very Potter Sequel" early this year to great reviews. Criss wrote all the songs in the sequel.

Criss also released his own album called "Human" last summer. It's doing so well that he plans to release a studio album in the near future.

"I was already in the works to release my first studio album right before 'Glee' started. When I got 'Glee' that changed the game a little bit because of the scheduling… We'll see what 'Glee' will let me do. I certainly would love to, but at the same time, 'Glee' is a wonderful thing to be made busy by, but certainly, I'm planning on it," he said.
Criss said hat having instant fame is fun, but he said he intends to remain unchanged by it.

And unlike other stars who can't stop spilling every detail of their lives, Criss declined to talk about his personal life.

He said he wants his fans to focus on his work. "It's a definite change of pace but it's something I'm proud of and I'm very, very grateful for it."