Charice Pempengco

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Charice Pempengco
Charice Pempengco singing at the U.S.-Philippine Expo in Pomona, California
Charice Pempengco singing at the U.S.-Philippine Expo in Pomona, California
Background information
Birth name Charmaine Clarice Relucio Pempengco
Born May 10, 1992 (1992-05-10) (age 17)
Origin Laguna, Philippines
Genre(s) Pop, R&B, Soul
Occupation(s) Singer
Instrument(s) Vocals
Years active 2007 - present
Label(s) 143/Reprise
Website Official Website

Charmaine Clarice Relucio Pempengco (born May 10, 1992), best known mononymously as Charice (a portmanteau of her first two names), is an international Filipina singer who rose to popularity through YouTube.[1]

She is reportedly recording her U.S. debut album in the fall of 2009. It will be released under Warner Bros. Records and will be produced by her mentor, David Foster.[2]

Contents

[edit] Early life

Pempengco was born in San Pedro, Laguna, Philippines.[1] She and her younger brother, Carl, were raised single-handedly by their mother, Raquel, after they left their father due to domestic violence when Pempengco was only three years old. [3][4]

To help support the family, she began competing in amateur singing contests at age seven, from town fiestas in their province of Laguna to several vocal competitions on TV. She is said to have joined over 80 singing contests.[3]

In 2005, Pempengco joined ABS-CBN's Little Big Star, a talent show in the Philippines loosely patterned after American Idol. Eliminated after her first performance, she was later called back as a wildcard contender and eventually became a finalist. Although she was a consistent top scorer in the final rounds, she only finished in third place via text voting.[1][5]

Pempengco made minor appearances in local television shows and commercials, but had essentially fallen off the radar after her stint at Little Big Star. It was not until 2007 that Pempengco gained worldwide recognition after an avid supporter called 'FalseVoice' started posting videos of her onto YouTube. The videos garnered millions of hits making Pempengco an internet phenomenon.[1]

[edit] Career

[edit] 2007-2008

In June 2007, Pempengco was invited to do a demo-recording for Ten Songs/Productions, a music publishing company in Stockholm, Sweden. She recorded seven songs - six covers and an original song entitled "Amazing".[6] A few of these songs were rerecorded for her self-titled Philippine album, Charice.[5]

After a video of her performing the Dreamgirls anthem "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" became a hit on a Korean video sharing website, Pempengco was invited to the South Korean talent show Star King. On the October 13, 2007 edition of the show, she performed "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" and "A Whole New World" with Kyuhyun from Super Junior .[1]

After seeing her Star King performance on YouTube, Ellen Degeneres extended an on-air invitation for Pempengco be a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Pempengco flew to the United States for the first time and performed two songs on the December 19, 2007 episode of the show - "I Will Always Love You" and "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going".[7][8][9]

After her appearance on Ellen, Pempengco made a second appearance on South Korea's Star King as the "Most Requested Foreign Act" on the December 28 edition of the show. She performed Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" and had a duet with singer Lena Park.[1]

For bringing honor to her home country, Pempengco was invited to the Malacañang Palace in January 2008 where she met and performed for Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.[10] She returned to the international scene in 2008 when she guested at the April 8 episode of the The Paul O'Grady Show in London, England.[11]

Her self-titled Philippine debut album Charice was released in May 2008. The mini album, consisting of six songs and six backing tracks, was awarded gold certification in the Philippines in October 2008.[12] The album was eventually recognized to have achieved platinum status in 2009.[13]

Pempengco appeared on the May 12 edition of The Oprah Winfrey Show in an episode entitled the "World's Smartest Kids", in which she performed Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing".[14] It was through the recommendation of Oprah Winfrey that legendary music producer David Foster took Pempengco under his wing.[3][15] She performed with Foster for the first time as one of the entertainers on the May 17 opening of MGM Grand at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard, Connecticut.[16]

She made her debut on the international concert stage on Foster's May 23 tribute concert, Hitman: David Foster and Friends, at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. She performed a medley of songs from The Bodyguard as well as her standard, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going".[4] A CD/DVD of the concert, which included Pempengco's The Bodyguard medley, was released on November 11, 2008. The show was aired several times on PBS and other public television networks starting in December 2008 under the Great Performances banner.[17]

One of the other performers at the concert was Pempengco's idol, Andrea Bocelli.[18] Bocelli subsequently expressed interest in performing a duet with Pempengco[19] and personally invited her to be a guest on his birthday concert "The Cinema Tribute" held on July 20 at the Teatro del Silenzio in his hometown of Lajatico, Tuscany, Italy. Aside from her solo performances, she also did a duet of the song "The Prayer" with the famous tenor in front of more than 8,000 people.[3][20][21][22]

Pempengco was invited to perform for the Feyenoord's Centennial Anniversary in the Netherlands held on September 26. Before a crowd of about 50,000 football (soccer) fans she sang one of the team's anthem, "You'll Never Walk Alone."[23]

Pempengco made a second appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show on the September 9 "Dreams Come True" episode, in which Oprah referred to her as "The Most Talented Girl in the World." She sang Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" with David Foster on piano, then Oprah went on to surprise her with an appearance by Celine Dion via satellite, who invited her to sing a special duet at Madison Square Garden as part of Dion's Taking Chances Tour.[3][24]

She performed her promised duet with Celine Dion at Madison Square Garden in New York City on September 15. They sang "Because You Loved Me," which was dedicated to Pempengco's mother. The performance received rave reviews in The New York Post and The New York Times.[25][26][27] The duet was eventually featured on the September 19 episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show.[28]

Pempengco would then perform at the October 11 Andre Agassi Grand Slam for Children Benefit Concert at Wynn Las Vegas. It was at this event that she met one of her musical influences, Mariah Carey.[29][30]

In November, she appeared on Good Morning America with David Foster to promote David Foster's tribute album, Hitman: David Foster and Friends. She performed The Bodyguard medley and "I Will Survive."[31][32] At the end of the month, she performed "Because You Loved Me" on the Good Housekeeping Showboat float at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.[33][34]

[edit] 2009

In January 2009, Pempengco performed at two presidential pre-inaugural events in Washington, D.C., namely the Martin Luther King Jr Realizing The Dream Gala at the Hyatt Regency Hotel and at the Pearl Presidential Inaugural Gala at the Mandarin Hotel.[35][36][37][38]

In February, she performed at two post-Oscar award events, Oscar Night at Mr. Chow's and Oprah's Oscar After Party.[39][40][41] She debuted a new original song entitled "Fingerprint", which was written by Robbie Nevil and produced by David Foster.[42]

In April, Pempengco appeared as one of the guests in the season premiere of Ti lascio una canzone, an Italian musical variety show televised from Teatro Ariston in the city of Sanremo.[43] She performed "I Will Always Love You", "I Have Nothing", "The Prayer", and "Listen".[44] Later that same month, she would go on to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" in front of about 57,000 baseball fans during the Los Angeles Dodgers 52nd season home opener at Dodger Stadium.[45][46]

In May, Pempengco released her Philippine sophomore album entitled My Inspiration, an inspirational album with a Mother's Day theme. The album consisted of 12 tracks, including an original composition by Jonathan Manalo entitled "Always You" and a cover of Helen Reddy's "You and Me Against the World" performed as a duet with her mother, Raquel.[47] The album was certified gold in the Philippines about two months after release.[48] Also in May, she would again perform at a David Foster and Friends concert held at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.[49]

For the third time, Pempengco made an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show on the May 18 "Finale: Oprah's Search for the World's Most Talented Kids" episode. She debuted her first internationally released single "Note to God", which was written by Diane Warren and produced by David Foster. The single was also made available for digital download on the same day and debuted at #24 on Billboard's Hot Digital Songs chart, #44 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, #9 on the Hot Canadian Digital Singles chart and #35 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart.[50][51][52] Later that same month, she was again invited to guest at Ti lascio una canzone for their May 23 finale episode and the May 30 gala episode.[53][54]

Pempengco staged her first major solo concert dubbed Charice: The Journey Begins on June 30 at the SMX Convention Center, SM Mall of Asia, Philippines to a sold-out crowd.[48] Her guests included Christian Bautista, Kuh Ledesma (a last minute substitution for one of the main guests and one of Pempengco's musical influences, Regine Velasquez, who was hospitalized right before the show) and Little Big Star finalists.[55]

[edit] Voice

Pempengco was vocally trained by her mother and was said to have never received any formal training.[4] The New York Post once called her a vocal prodigy for being able to sing 'big songs' even in her tender age.[26]

During their appearance at Good Morning America, David Foster mentioned in his interview that Pempengco has the capability of mimicking others voices, which he said is a good characteristic of a better singer. Also, Josh Groban said that Charice's voice is one of the most beautiful voices he has heard in a long time.[56]

Her vocal range is said to be that of a mezzo-soprano, though her upper register can also be categorized as a dramatic soprano.[citation needed] Her voice has been compared to Whitney Houston and Celine Dion.[31] In addition to Houston and Dion, she has cited Mariah Carey and Regine Velasquez as her musical influences.[57]

To date, one of her highest belted notes is a G#5 in her live performance of "One Moment In Time".[citation needed]

[edit] Philanthropy

Under the guidance of her mentor, David Foster, Pempengco performed for many charity events that included Barbara Davis' Carousel of Hope Gala (October 2008),[58][59] Big Brothers Big Sisters Rising Stars Gala (October 2008),[60] Harmony with David Foster & Friends Gala and Concert (September 2008),[61][62] Friends of the Israel Defense Forces Gala (December 2008),[63] Muhammad Ali's Celebrity Fight Night XV (March 2009),[64] The Heart Foundation (May 2009),[65] and The Songs of Our Lives Volume II Benefit Concert (June 2009).[66]

Pempengco also sponsors the education of seven children through World Vision Philippines[67][68] and is a supporter of Bantay Bata.[69] Along with other Filipino celebrities, she also appeared in a Philippine-based commercial for "Ako Mismo" (translated to "I, Myself"), a non-political movement that encourages youths to participate in socio-civic activities.[70] She was instrumental in the launch of an environmental awareness campaign with Hewlett Packard Philippines under their "My Backyard" intiative, even lending her voice for the campaign theme song written by the Center of Excellence (CENTEX) students.[71]

[edit] Awards and recognitions

[edit] Discography

[edit] Singles

Single Release date Label Notes
Note to God May 18, 2009 143/Reprise Digitally-released

[edit] Philippine released studio albums

Album Release date Label Notes
Charice
(CD-lite)		 May 2008 Star Records Platinum certification[13]
My Inspiration May 2009 Star Records Gold certification[79]

[edit] Songs featured on CD releases with other artists

Album Release date Label Track Listing Notes
Little Big Star
(Little Big Star Season 1 Finalists)		 May 2006 Star Records 8. I'll Be There - Charice Pempengco 2 Discs
Disc One: Music CD
Disc Two: VCD with music videos
Little Big Deeds
(Little Big Star Season 1 Finalists)		 May 2006 Star Records 1. Awit ng Kabutihang Asal - LBS Finalists

5. Handang Tumulong - Charice Pempengco
7. Sana - LBS Finalists

 VCD (songs & stories)
H.O.P.E.
(Healing of Pain and Enlightenment)		 December 2007 Star Records 8. Smile - Charice Pempengco Compilation album of various artists to benefit cancer support organizations[80]
Love Life
(Life Songs & Life Stories of Boy Abunda)		 January 2008 Star Records 16. A Song For Mama - Charice Pempengco Compilation album of various artists
Hit Man:
David Foster & Friends		 November 2008 Warner Bros. Records 3. The Bodyguard Medley (I Have Nothing/I Will Always Love You) - Charice CD & DVD (live performances)
OPM Number 1's April 2009 Star Records 4. And I am Telling You (I'm Not Going) - Charice Compilation album of various artists[81]
I Move. I Give. I Love. June 2009 Star Records It Can Only Get Better - Charice Compilation album of various artists for the Philippine National Red Cross 150th Anniversary[82]
NOW That's What I Call Music, Vol 31 June 2009 Sony Legacy 20. Note to God - Charice [83]

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Notable television guestings

[edit] Acting

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Official Website Biography at charicepempengco.com. Retrieved on 19-February-2009
  2. ^ The Big 9 in 09 at asianjournal.com
  3. ^ a b c d e Teen Singing Sensation at oprah.com. Retrieved on 19-February-2009
  4. ^ a b c Voice of the Future at thenational.ae. Retrieved on 19-February-2009
  5. ^ a b Triumph of the Spirit: My Interview with FalseVoice at bolstablog.wordpress.com. Retrieved on 22-February-2009
  6. ^ Charice gets recording contract via youtube at pep.ph
  7. ^ Charice Invited in Ellen at pep.ph
  8. ^ Charice wows Americans in Ellen at pep.ph
  9. ^ The Ellen DeGeneres Show - I Am Telling You To Watch This at ellen.warnerbros.com
  10. ^ Charice Pemepengco pays courtesy call to President GMA today - January 4 at pep.ph. Retrieved on 17-April-2009
  11. ^ FIL-AM COMMUNITY NEWS - What's in store for Charice at philfortune.com. Retrieved on 18-March-2009
  12. ^ Charice Debut Album Reaches Gold Status at abs-cbnnews.com
  13. ^ a b Charice dedicates her second album to her mother Raquel at pep.ph. Retrieved on 06-May-2009
  14. ^ The Oprah Winfrey Show World's Smartest Kids at oprah.com
  15. ^ Charice does New York at manilastandardtoday.com. Retrieved on 19-September-2008
  16. ^ Charice with David Foster at Foxwoods at teampilipinas.info. Retrieved on 18-March-2009
  17. ^ Hitman: David Foster and Friends at davidfoster.com
  18. ^ Charice in the David Foster and Friends Concert at asianjournal.com
  19. ^ Bocelli: "Verdi, il mio canto patriottico nell'Italia della riconciliazione" (Italian) at ilgiornale.it
  20. ^ Charice Pempengco sings ‘The Prayer’ with Andrea Bocelli at showbizandstyle.inquirer.net
  21. ^ Bocelli al Teatro del Silenzio di Lajatico con Noa e Charice (Italian) at intoscana.it
  22. ^ live concert2008/3 at bocelli.de
  23. ^ Wereldgroot aankomend talent zingt op Eeuwfees at feyenoordnet.nl. Retrieved on 18-March-2009
  24. ^ OPRAH - Singing Sensation Charice Returns at about.com
  25. ^ Charice earns rave reviews from NYTimes, NY Post at ABS-CBNNews.com
  26. ^ a b Celine There, Dion That at nypost.com. Retrieved on 19-September-2008
  27. ^ Emotions With Exclamation Point at nytimes.com. Retrieved on 16-September-2008
  28. ^ OPRAH - Charice and Celine Dion Sing "Because You Love Me" at oprah.com
  29. ^ Big Names Turn Out for Andre Agassi's Foundation at lasvegasnow.com
  30. ^ Singer Charice performs during the 13th Annual Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation's Grand Slam for Children benefit concert at celebritywonder.com
  31. ^ a b Meet Charice: Teen With the Big Voice - Girl Has Wowed Audiences With Her Singing at abcnews.go.com
  32. ^ It's Time to Fall for Your Favorite Music Again - David Foster and child prodigy, Charice at abcnews.go.com
  33. ^ Marion-Carol Showboat Good HouseKeeping Seal at macysinc.com
  34. ^ "Cherish" - Charice relishes her Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade experience at asianjournal.com
  35. ^ Asian Americans Share Center Stage at asianfortunenews.com
  36. ^ Charice back in Manila after performing at Obama's pre-inauguration ball at pep.ph
  37. ^ Inauguration Events Schedule at huffingtonpost.com
  38. ^ Charice rocks Obama pre-inaugural balls at asianjournal.com
  39. ^ Leeza Gibbons Makes a Difference at hotspots.hollyscoop.com. Retrieved on 24-February-2009
  40. ^ Michael Buble and Charice Wow the Crowd at Mr. Chow's at hollywire.com. Retrieved on 25-February-2009
  41. ^ Oprah's Oscar After Party: Charice Sings "Fingerprint" at oprah.com. Retrieved on 28-February-2009
  42. ^ The Other Side of Charice at mb.com.ph. Retrieved on 16-March-2009
  43. ^ Charice, una voce da vera star (Italian) at tgcom.mediaset.it. Retrieved on 09-April-2009
  44. ^ Charice captures Italians' hearts anew at abs-cbnnews.com. Retrieved on 08-April-2009
  45. ^ The Manny Ramirez circus is getting an early start this season at latimes.com. Retrieved on 14-April-2009
  46. ^ Opening week at Dodger Stadium begins Monday at losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com. Retrieved on 14-April-2009
  47. ^ Charice draws musical ‘Inspiration’ from mom at showbizandstyle.inquirer.net. Retrieved on 01-May-2009
  48. ^ a b We are 1 album leads sales in Astrovision/Astroplus at pep.ph. Retrieved on 07-July-2007
  49. ^ Charice wows crowd in Las Vegas charity concert at abs-cbnnews.com. Retrieved on 15-May-2009
  50. ^ Finale: Oprah's Search for the World's Most Talented Kids on oprah.com. Retrieved on 18-May-2009
  51. ^ Charice Performs "Note to God" Video on oprah.com. Retrieved on 18-May-2009
  52. ^ The Billboard's Top 100 2009-06-06 at billboard.com. Retrieved on 28-May-2009
  53. ^ La stabiese Sonia Mosca questa sera all'Ariston di Sanremo (Italian) at stabiachannel.it. Retrieved on 25-May-2009
  54. ^ TI LASCIO UNA CANZONE/ Dopo Charice Pempengco, domani, 30 maggio la festa finale (Italian) at ilsussidiario.net. Retrieved on 03-Jun-2009
  55. ^ Charice would have been part of Michael Jackson's London concert at pep.ph. Retrieved on 03-July-2009
  56. ^ Fresh from Oscars after Party success, Charice to enthrall Dubai at gulfnews.com
  57. ^ Musical Influences Charice MySpace at myspace.com
  58. ^ The Carousel of Hope Ball at childrensdiabetesfdn.org. Retrieved on 17-April-2009
  59. ^ The 30th Anniversary Carousel Of Hope Ball - Show at wireimage.com. Retrieved on 17-April-2009
  60. ^ Celebrating Big Brothers Big Sisters at the Big Bash! at fashionwiredaily.com. Retrieved on 16-March-2009
  61. ^ Last chance to impress Foster at edmonton.ctv.ca. Retrieved on 16-March-2009
  62. ^ Auctioneer among the Stars at Foster Foundation Gala at canada.com. Retrieved on 19-September-2008
  63. ^ Friends of the IDF Gala Raises $2 Million in Honor of Israel's Soldiers at israelsoldiers.org. Retrieved on 16-March-2009
  64. ^ Spywitness: Fighting the good fight against Parkinson's with Muhammad Ali at pasadenastarnews.com. Retrieved on 04-April-2009
  65. ^ The Heart Foundation Honors Celebrity Chef Wolfgang Puck at wireimage.com] Retrieved on 07-June-2009
  66. ^ The Songs of Our Lives, Volume II at filmmusicsociety.org. Retrieved on 09-June-2009
  67. ^ Charice Sponsors Seven Children through World Vision at charicemania.com
  68. ^ Celebrities join World Vision to launch "My WorldVision" at worldvision.org.ph. Retrieved on 09-April-2009
  69. ^ Ka-Pinay Organizes Celebrity Bazaar for Worthy Cause at proudlyfilipina.com. Retrieved on 07-May-2009
  70. ^ Ad agency behind patriotic web campaign at inquirer.net. Retrieved on 07-May-2009
  71. ^ HP Celebrates "My Backyard" In The Philippines at sg. hardwarezone.com. Retrieved on 11-July-2009
  72. ^ Charice Gets Thrill of her Life over 1st Award as a Performer at abs-cbnnews.com
  73. ^ Balitang America airs Yearender Townhall Special on TFC at abs-cbnnews.com. Retrieved on 16-March-2009
  74. ^ Charice Steals People Night at philstar.com
  75. ^ EDSA Foundation recognizes Arnel Pineda's feat at abs-cbnnews.com. Retrieved on 25-February-2009
  76. ^ MYX Music Awards 2009 at phil.myx.tv. Retrieved on 27-February-2009
  77. ^ Ateneo de Davao Honors ABS-CBN Shows at abs-cbnnews.com. Retrieved on 16-March-2009
  78. ^ It's official: John Lloyd Cruz and Sarah Geronimo are 2008's Box Office King & Queen at pep.ph. Retrieved on 19-March-2009
  79. ^ Oh, Charice! at philstar.com. Retrieved on 20-June-2009
  80. ^ 'H.O.P.E.' fulfilled at malaya.com. Retrieved on 27-April-2009
  81. ^ Star Records releases compilation album OPM Number 1's at pep.ph. Retrieved on 15-April-2009
  82. ^ I Move. I Give. I Love. at redcross.org.ph. Retrieved on 23-June-2009
  83. ^ World's Best-Selling Music Compilation Series, NOW That's What I Call Music!, Issues Vol. 31 and NOW That's What I Call The '80s Vol. 2! at prnewswire.com. Retrieved on 18-Jun-2009

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