Jennylyn Anne Pineda Mercado (born May 15, 1987) is a Filipino actress, singer, and songwriter. She was the winner of the first season of the reality talent competition StarStruck. Mercado garnered acclaim at a young age for her acting performances on television and film. She is known for starring in multiple box office successes, namely English Only, Please (2014), The Prenup (2015), Walang Forever (2015), and Just the 3 of Us (2016). She has released three albums from GMA Records and Viva Records which have several popular singles such as "Sa Aking Panaginip", "Moments Of Love" collaboration with Janno Gibbs, "Maybe This Time" and "Kahit Sandali". In 2017, she is set to topbill the Philippine remake of My Love from the Star.
Mercado's success in Philippine show business made her one of the top actresses in the country and established her status as the "Ultimate Star".
Jennylyn Mercado was born on May 15, 1987, to a mother who was a duty-free store beauty consultant. Mercado had opened up about her stepfather who abused her as a child. He burned her skin with cigarette butts. Her mother, who was working in Dubai at that time, immediately flew back to the Philippines not to help her daughter, but to bail out Mercado's stepfather, who was in jail for abusing his four-year-old daughter. After the incident, her aunt took her away from them and raised her, eventually adopting Jennylyn as her legal daughter.