Nathania Ong on her journey from rejection to West End success

From singing in the shower to garnering a standing ovation from a 12,000-strong crowd, singer-actress Nathania Ong never imagined she would be performing professionally.

Having made history in 2021 as the first Singaporean to play the iconic Éponine in Les Misérables’ United Kingdom and Ireland tour, the 28-year-old’s career has been on an upward trajectory.

Her meteoric rise is even more impressive given that she was initially rejected by every drama school she applied to, only to book roles successively in leading productions since graduating from London’s Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in 2021.

“I was fully prepared to be a struggling actor for a good length of time,” she says, acutely aware of how competitive the industry is.

Instead, she has performed in multiple shows including a Singapore production of Into the Woods, her own charity concert in Singapore, Les Misérables across the world, and this year, she returns home for the first local staging of Legally Blonde – The Musical at the Esplanade Theatre.

“I feel incredibly inspired by Elle Woods as a character. She is someone who isn’t afraid of facing a challenge despite resistance – someone who is resilient, brilliant and thinks out of the box; overcoming obstacles with her own kind of flair,” she says, referring to the musical’s protagonist.

Nathania takes us through her extraordinary journey from child singer to West End performer.

Nathania has always had a natural affinity for the spotlight. She recalls her first ever performance at age five with her sister at a 2004 concert attended by former Singapore president SR Nathan.

It was an exhilarating moment for her to sing in front of an audience. Unfortunately, her sister did not share that same zeal. “I thought we both had the most amazing, incredible time, not realising that she didn’t sing and I did all the singing because I just loved it,” she laughs.

Recognising her talent, her parents enrolled her in extracurricular classes, though her love for acting truly ignited at 17 when she took a drama elective in school. It was a combination of passion and a lack of academic inclination that pushed her towards her career path: “I wasn’t very smart and my studies weren’t very good. And that love for performing never really went away.”

The dream faltered momentarily in 2018 when she was rejected from every drama school she applied to. Undeterred, she reapplied the following year and was accepted into Mountview, renowned for its musical theatre programme.

It was a testament to her undeniable talent that Nathania landed the role of Jenna Rolan in Be More Chill, making her West End debut, fresh out of school in 2021. Just two months later came the career-defining role in Les Misérables.

Her proudest achievement remains the standing ovation for her performance of “On My Own” as Éponine at the Big Night of Musicals in the Manchester AO Arena. She recalls: “I was so nervous the night before that I couldn’t sleep, so I just got on stage and sang my heart out.”

That year also saw her back in Singapore for a two-month stint as Cinderella in local company Pangdemonium’s Into the Woods.

Even as she made a name for herself in the industry, the proudest she has felt was when her family and friends came to see her perform. Nathania vividly recalls reuniting with her mother after a performance in Glasgow – their first meeting in two years due to pandemic travel restrictions. “When I saw her, I just wept,” she says.

Nathania’s ascent continued with a year-long contract as Eliza Hamilton in Hamilton at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London. Just as that chapter closed in 2025, the call came for her to reprise Éponine in Les Misérables The Arena Spectacular World Tour.

It took her to Taiwan, Japan and Shanghai – places that she had never visited and gladly took the chance to explore during her down time. Life on the road was punctuated by simple joys – fulfilling her sukiyaki craving in Tokyo, friends surprising her in her room for her birthday in Taiwan and an unexpected visit from her mother in Osaka on her day off.

After a three-week run in China for the annual The Leading Voices of Musicals, it was back to Singapore in March.

Barely a day after her arrival, she dove into the local leg of the Les Misérables tour. “The cherry on top is getting to come home and take on a role that has truly changed my life – and to share that with my friends, family and fellow Singaporeans,” she says.

Come July, she will transform into Elle Woods in Singapore Repertory Theatre’s (SRT) production of Legally Blonde – The Musical. Accepting this role, markedly different from the ones she has done before, was another step forward in her own growth journey. She says: “As a performer, I’m constantly trying to improve myself – and well, I haven’t been blonde yet!”

As she rewatched the movie and musical, it was the character’s growth journey that stayed with her. “It’s a funny show but there’s a reason it’s such a cult classic. This is a woman who appears airheaded, but you see a wonderful character growth. There’s something so empowering about the way she stays true to herself.”

She adds: “Audiences can look forward to a fantastic story, insanely catchy music and loads of colour!”

Meanwhile, she is also preparing for her solo concert, Honest, scheduled for 11–13 September 2026 at KC Arts Centre, where she will be singing her own versions of familiar songs and even an original one.

“You have seen me do these big roles; but I also love singing and performing and interacting with an audience. In this concert, I’m going to strip everything back; I want these songs to be sung in the way that I have always wanted to perform them,” she says.

Catch Legally Blonde – The Musical from 29 July 2026 at the Esplanade Theatre, with evening and weekend matinee performances. Tickets are available at srt.com.sg