Born to Jolan Alexander Licauco and Eden Sy Licauco with
Chinese Filipino ancestry, he is the second eldest among his siblings. His siblings are Elan Alyssandra, Jean Arianne May, and James Daniel; the latter two are both collegiate volleyball players and play for the
Ateneo Blue Eagles. He is one of the grandchildren of Jaime Licauco, an internationally known
parapsychologist, newspaper columnist, author, lecturer, hypnotherapist, and consultant.[5] In 2014, he started his career as a model after he won 1st runner-up in Mr. and Ms. Chinatown.[6]
Licauco told
24 Oras-April 23, 2024, that "his surgery will take place later this month, for his
sleep apnea" he suffered since July 2023. [7]
Prior to becoming a TV actor and a professional model, Licauco started modelling inside the campus for several school event posters.[8] His modelling flair was discovered in the shores of
Boracay.[9] He then landed a modelling job via Mr. and Ms. Chinatown on
ABS-CBN which opened him opportunities in modelling and acting.[10] In the succeeding months, he walked for several fashion shows such as those of Cosmopolitan,
Coca-Cola, and
Bench,[11] and graced magazine covers including Candy Magazine, Chalk Magazine, and Garage Magazine.[12]
In all honesty, Licauco never dreamed of entering Philippine showbiz and becoming a star. In his March 2023 interview for GMANetwork.com's Kapuso Profiles, he admitted that growing up, he never considered himself "good-looking" enough to be in showbiz. "I was just an ordinary basketball player na tamad-tamad, so ’di ko lang talaga inisip talaga ’yon,”[15]
2017–2021: Rising popularity
In 2017, Licauco starred in the television
fantaseryeMulawin vs Ravena. After landing the role of Malik, Licauco's popularity skyrocketed, launching him into stardom. Because of this, he landed consecutive roles in the television series Kapag Nahati ang Puso and TODA One I Love.[16][17]
In 2021, Licauco received his first leading role in
GMA Network's romantic comedy series Heartful Café. It premiered on April 26, 2021, on the network's Telebabad line up.[18][19]
2022–present: Breakthrough
In 2022, Licauco received his breakthrough role in Maria Clara at Ibarra where he starred as Fidel de los Reyes, the mischievous friend of the character Crisostomo Ibarra (played by
Dennis Trillo) and potential love interest of Klay Infantes (
Barbie Forteza). His performance was tagged by various media outlets as the "New Philippine Superstar not for his boy-next-door looks, but on-point acting skills."[20] Licauco also sang the official theme song for the FiLay
love team in the show entitled "Kailangan Kita", which was released on December 23, 2022. The theme song is under
GMA Music and GMA Playlist.[21]
On November 22, 2022, Licauco renewed his contract with Sparkle GMA Artist Center.[22]