Angelo Troy Rivera (born April 18, 2001) is a Filipino singer-songwriter, rapper, actor, and dancer. He is the leader of the Filipino boy group BGYO, under Star Music.
Prior to his music career, Rivera was a part of the Philippines hip-hop dance crew named A-Team, competing locally and internationally.
Born in Pasay, Rivera began his acting career in 2025 when he became part of the film adaptation of the Wattpad story, The Four Bad Boys and Me, and in 2026, on ABS-CBN Studios' first vertical drama series, The Chambermaid's Daughter. Rivera has also been active in fashion, making his runway debut in 2023 at .ARCHIVES' ARC 02: Digital Oasis fashion show and later appearing in fashion publications and events.
Early life Angelo Troy Rivera was born on the 18th of April 2001, in Pasay City, Philippines. He grew up listening to Ne-Yo, Usher and Chris Brown. While studying, Rivera trained in hip-hop and dance sport, and later became part of the A-Team. He initially thought Star Hunt Academy (SHA) was a dance-related project, but accepted the opportunity after learning more about its concept.
Career 2018–2022: Career Beginnings, Star Hunt Academy and debut with BGYO
In 2018, Rivera was preparing to travel to Arizona, United States for a hip hop dance competition when he was scouted by a Star Hunt Academy coach and invited to audition for the program alongside JL Toreliza. He later became part of the "SHA Boys". Rivera and his four future BGYO members trained for two years under Filipino and South Korean mentors from MU Doctor Academy, as well as vocal coach Kitchy Molina and dance coach Mickey Perz. In an interview with Koukyouzen, Gelo said he developed his rap skills during the training period. The trainees were introduced during the pre-show of the PBB Otso Big Night on August 3, 2019. Gelo debuted as a member of BGYO on January 29, 2021.
2023–Present: Music Collaborations and acting career In 2023, Rivera collaborated to Janine Berdin and Maris Racal where he played the leading man in the music video of "Bagay Nga Tayo Pero" and "Carelessly", respectively.
The following year, Rivera contributed to the High Street (Original Soundtrack), performing "Kalma Kahit Magulo - Reprise" alongside Maymay Entrata and fellow BGYO member Mikki Claver.
Rivera made his acting debut in the 2025 digital film adaptation of the Wattpad story The Four Bad Boys and Me, portraying Jeydon Lopez opposite Anji Salvacion. In 2026, he starred opposite Alexa Ilacad in the Filipino vertical microdrama series The Chambermaid's Daughter, portraying Daniel Jeon. Their on-screen pairing became known as GeLex. Citations about the on-screen partnership "GeLex": The pair later reprised their roles in the series' second season, establishing Rivera and Ilacad as an emerging on-screen partnership.
Also in 2026, Rivera released the collaboration single Zealous (Gã Săn Mồi) with Vietnamese singer Vũ Thảo My.
Other ventures Fashion In 2022, Rivera and his fellow BGYO members modelled for the collaboration between H&M and Filipino streetwear label "Don't Blame the Kids (DBTK)". In 2023, he made his runway debut at .ARCHIVES' ARC 02: Digital Oasis fashion show.
Rivera has also appeared in fashion-related publications and events. In a 2022 interview with Teen Vogue, he described his approach to fashion as experimental and cited Korean drama actors, old Western films and NCT's Taeyong among his styles influences. In November 2023, he attended a Tommy Hilfiger event in Bangkok celebrating the brand's Fall 2023 collection and discussed his personal style with Esquire Philippines. In June 2024, Rivera and the other members of BGYO walked the runway for Filipino designer Bang Pineda's State of Bang fashion show. Later that year, he appeared with BGYO at Los Angeles Fashion Week, where the group performed. In December 2025, he was featured on the cover of VMAN Southeast Asia in a fashion editorial incorporating archival looks.
Journalism In 2024, Gelo appeared as a guest entertainment anchor on ABS-CBN's flagship news program, TV Patrol.
Artistry Rivera have cited BTS, Exo, GOT7, Wanna One, Seventeen, NCT, Twice, WayV, Stray Kids, TXT, Treasure, and Big Bang as musical inspirations. In an interview with Myx Global, Rivera have also cited Jabbawockeez as an influence.For citations that Gelo Rivera considers Jabbawockeez as an influence.
Rivera has co-written several songs released by BGYO: "The Light" (2021), "Runnin'" (2021) and "The Baddest" (2021).For citations about "The Baddest" as co-written by Gelo. He has said that, as a BGYO member, he hopes to inspire younger listeners through the group's music.
Impact and influence As the oldest member of BGYO, Rivera has been referred to as the group's "kuya", a Filipino term meaning older brother.
In February 2023, a 2x2 identification photograph of Rivera attracted widespread attention on social media. The image, showing him against a white background in a black suit and tie, resurfaced on Twitter on February 26 after a user asked whether Rivera was the person pictured. By March 1, the post had received more than 1.8 million views. PEP.ph similarly reported that the photograph had gone viral, recording more than 1.6 million views earlier that day.
Rivera later explained that the viral 2x2 photograph had originally been taken for the group's United States visa application. He said that the members became aware of its popularity after they began receiving numerous tags on social media, and expressed appreciation that the photographs had also attracted attention from people outside BGYO's established fan base. As the photograph circulated, Star Music released identification photographs of the other BGYO members, while members of Bini also joined the online trend.
The photograph continued to receive media attention following its initial virality. In April 2023, NYLON Manila included Rivera among celebrities recognised for their identification photographs, describing his image as the "2×2 pic that shook social media".
Personal life Gelo has cited R&B and K-pop among his musical influences, and has named Taeyong of NCT and Jungkook of BTS as artists he admires. He has expressed interest in collaborating with choreographers and local artists, including Keone Madrid, Sienna Lalau, Parris Goebel. Aside from dancing, he has expressed interest in theatre, visual art, cooking, badminton and volleyball. He later joined the badminton team at the Star Magic All-Star Games.
Discography
Collaborations +List of official collaboration singles showing year released and album nameTitleYearAlbum "Gã Săn Mồi (Zealous) - Vietnamese Version" 2026Zealous (Gã Săn Mồi) - Single Gelo Rivera on "Zealous (Gã Săn Mồi)""Zealous (Gã Săn Mồi) - English Version"
Soundtracks +List of official soundtrack singles showing year released and album nameTitleYearAlbum "Kalma Kahit Magulo - Reprise" "2024 High Street (Original Soundtrack)
Songwriting and Production credits All song credits are adapted from the Tidal, unless otherwise noted.
Rivera's Songwriting and Production Credits Year Artist(s) Song Album Lyricist Composer Credited With Credited With2021 BGYO "The Light" The Light - Single The Light BGYO Keiko Necesario "Runnin'" Runnin' - Single BGYO "The Baddest" The Baddest - Single The Light
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 2025 The Four Bad Boys and Me Jeydon Lopez
Series Year Title Role Notes 2021 ONE DREAM: The Bini - BGYO Journey Himself 9 episodes telecast worldwide via MYX Global's Myx TV and on-demand via iWantTFC 2026 The Chambermaid's Daughter Daniel Jeon / Kpaps 30 episodes available on-demand via iWantTFC The Chambermaid's Daughter - Part 2 Citations about the 2nd Chapter of "The Chambermaid's Daughter":
Television Year Title Role Notes 2020-present ASAP Himself Performer Citations about Gelo as a regular performer in ASAP: 2025 Your Face Sounds Familiar (season 4) Performer as Kevin Richardson of the Backstreet Boys Round 6 guest appearance during Akira Morishita's performance as Nick Carter 2026 Born To Shine Himself Guest cast
Music video appearances Year Title Performer Director 2023 Bagay Nga Tayo Pero Janine Berdin Ken Tan Gelo Rivera on "Bagay Nga Tayo Pero" MV Carelessly Maris Racal Amiel Kirby Balagtas Gelo Rivera on "Carelessly" MV
Webcast Year Title Role Network Note(s) 2020 SHA Trainees on Kumu Live Himself Kumu 3 episodes per week 2021 ONE DREAM: Virtual Hangout iWantTFC YouTube Channel 9 episodes 2022 BGYO Gelo on Kumu Live Kumu 3 episodes per week
Notes
References
External links