Pilipino Cinderella: The Story of Charice Pempengco

Rising Pilipina Charice Pempengco
May 11, 2010
Entertainment

"Kapag nakakakita tayo ng mga tao ng tatagumpay (When we see people succeed), we admire them for the greatness they have achieved."

No truer words can be spoken about rising Pilipina singer Charice Pempengco than those. They were the opening words spoken by ABS-CBN President Charo Santos on the drama anthology series Maalaala Mo Kaya (MMK) in the episode entitled "Ice Cream," Charice's biopic of her childhood.

On May 11, 2010, eighteen-year-old Charice made her fourth appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show to release her debut U.S. self-titled album, almost two years to the day of her first appearance - when she brought the vibrant talk show host to tears. In that first appearance, Charice sang vocal powerhouse classics like Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing," showcasing her "profound, rich and soaring 10 decibel voice from every inch of her 5'1" body" (source). This voice - honed under the tutelage of her mom Raquel, also a singer - moved Oprah so much that she raved, "You are a force to be reckoned with. That voice comes from something bigger than yourself."

From Cinderella rags...
As seen in her interview with Oprah and the accompanying video segment that followed Charice to the Philippines, Charice is truly a Cinderella story. Walking down the streets where she used to live, a tearful Charice is shown remembering her lowly beginnings.

"I couldn't believe that my dad was actually holding a shotgun toward my mom," said Charice in her light but still noticeable Pilipino accent.

Leaving her father, Charice's mom, Raquel, took Charice and her brother to live with their grandmother. At age 4, Raquel discovered Charice's talent. By age 7, Charice began to "literally sing for [their] supper," entering several local contests. She didn't always place, she didn't always win, and sometimes she was even passed over for not having "the look" that the pre-judges were looking for.

Charice finally caught a break when she appeared on the Philippine talent show Little Big Star in 2005. At first she was eliminated but was brought back as the wild card contender. Though she was commended for her knack of choosing the best songs to showcase her voice, Charice only placed third in the competition.

One of the songs she sang on the Little Big Star show was the Whitney Houston classic, "I Will Always Love You." It was this video back in 2007 that introduced me to the amazing raw talent that is Charice, thanks to the "good techie Samaritan" YouTube user known as FaIseVoice. FaIseVoice began posting Charice's appearances on Little Big Star and the South Korean talent show "Star King" as well as other performances on his YouTube account, making her an internet sensation. Charice eventually met and became friends with FaIseVoice (whose name is Dave, according to Charice's MMK episode), and is very thankful of what he's done for her. Biographies on his YouTube channel include, "All the attention would not have been possible", Charice says, "without the single-handed stroke of genius FalseVoice of YouTube" and "Charice had lost her confidence once but FalseVoice not only found it back but also made her a national pride."

Thanks to FaIseVoice, Charice got calls from a music publishing company in Sweden and the Star King show in Korea, and in 2007 she got a call from comedienne and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres herself (a call that the MMK episode humors with Charice and her mom thinking it's a prank call, having not heard of Ellen). Ellen has called Charice "the most incredible gift of all the stuff we're giving you today." On May 12, 2008, Charice would then make her first appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show on the episode entitled "World's Smartest Kids."

...to Midas riches
Fast-forward to May 11, 2010 to Charice's fourth appearance on Oprah's show on the episode "Oprah's Search for the Most Talented Kids." A genuinely happy and bubbly Charice is all smiles as she says that she's "singing for pure joy" now and is very happy with the release of her first pop/R&B album where she sings her own songs instead of others'. She also says she's very thankful for all the things that are happening to her right now, and she knows who she has to thank: for Mother's Day, Charice gave her mom a key, the key to her mom's dream house.

When asked what was the best advice that her mentor and producer - and now Ninong - David Foster gave her, Charice said, "'It has to be great.'" (His words were, "Good is the enemy of great; it applies to anything in life."). Foster has had nothing but good things to say about Charice ever since he took her under his wing. In this episode of Oprah, Foster said, "Charice is like a laser beam. You tell her once and she gets it." In an ABC News interview, Foster said that Charice's "ability to mimic other people's voices...is a characteristic of good singers."

In Charice's performances of "Pyramid" with Iyaz and "In This Song" (which she dedicated to Oprah), her stage presence is strong: you can tell that she's having fun and that she knows how to make her voice embody the lyrics and the feeling. She belts and sings her runs flawlessly, showcasing the vocal prowess that we fell in love with.

Charice's debut self-titled albumCharice's debut self-titled albumAt the young age of eighteen but with the voice of an experienced powerhouse diva (and managers like Oprah and David Foster!), Charice Pempengco has achieved so much and can and will continue to do great things, things that her fellow Pilipinos endlessly admire and support. You can continue to support Charice by buying her debut album, "Charice," in stores and available online now.




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