Charice Pempengco’s incredible journey from poverty to international stardom

September 5, 2009 by vongsundara 

UPDATES
September 5, 2009: Fixed YouTube embeds and links.
April 23, 2009: Added props to COOLSMURF for posting the Star King performance on YouTube. (Thanks to Concernedfan for leaving the correction in a comment.)

I’m still relatively new to the whole Charice Pempengco phenomenon. I’ve been following Charice’s best live performances and listening for any news about her upcoming 2009 studio album produced by David Foster. Since there’s a little lull in Charice news, I figured it would be a good time for me to find out about her past. I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing Charice’s Oprah debut that went through her entire history, so hopefully I can patch together information from the internet.

Charice was born on May 10, 1992, in San Pedro, Laguna, Philippines. According to various television interviews, Charice and her brother Carl were raised solely by their mother, Raquel. Charice’s father has been out of her life since Raquel left him and took the kids when Charice was still only three years old to escape a domestically violent situation. Charice has been singing since she was four years old and was taught to sing by her mother. Charice began entering singing contests when she was seven to help bring in money to support her struggling family.

Charice Pempengco during LittleBigStar Season 1 in 2005

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJ1Ic4rShIo

Charice Pempengco appeared on ABS-CBN’s talent show, LittleBigStar, during its first season. Charice was eliminated after her first performance but was brought back as a wildcard, eventually becoming a finalist and finishing third.

Now, I have no idea how Charice could be bested by anyone in the world, but since I haven’t heard the other contestants, so I will reserve my opinion. At the end of the day, though, LittleBigStar became a huge turning point in Charice’s career. Though she didn’t win, her performance from LittleBigStar grew in popularity on a Korean video sharing site which lead to her appearance on Star King.

Charice Pempengco on Star King on October 17, 2007

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LS7Q0TFdt-M

Charice gave a blistering performance of “And I Am Telling You” during her first appearance on Star King. It would be this performance that ultimately was posted on YouTube by Korean Charice fan COOLSMURF and was seen by Ellen Degeneres. After Ellen saw the video, she was blown away enough to invite Charice to the United States to appear on her show, which is where Charice began to build popularity and minshare with mainstream North Americans.

Charice Pempengco on The Ellen Degeneres Show on December 19, 2007

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8fR2jroUxE

Ellen Degeneres has been instrumental in Charice Pempengco’s adoption in mainstream America. If not for Ellen, Charice may never have been discovered by David Foster and Oprah. It’s unfortunate that Oprah has seen fit to eliminate credit from Ellen for helping to discover Charice.

Charice Pempengco on The Paul O’Grady Show on April 8, 2008

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYh7ccLD9D0

After seeing Charice on The Ellen Degeneres Show, Paul O’Grady himself requested Charice to perform the exact same two songs, “And I Am Telling You” and “I Have Nothing / I Will Always Love You” on his show. I can’t say I know too much about Paul O’Grady, but he seems to have a lot of pull in the United Kingdom.

Charice Pempengco on The Oprah Winfrey Show on May 12, 2008

http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/oprahshow/20080908_tows_charice

(No embedded video available due to copyright claims.)

This is where the story begins to differ depending on whom you ask. In recent interviews, David Foster has said that Oprah discovered Charice on YouTube and then alerted David to her talent.

Other reports suggest that David Foster saw Charice on The Ellen Degeneres show and was instrumental in getting Charice on The Oprah Winfrey Show. I tend to believe the second account, as the first account doesn’t mention Ellen at all despite obvious proof that she had a huge part in Charice’s career.

However Charice ended up on Oprah, she made the best of her opportunity. She blew away Oprah and thus all of North America. Charice’s performances on her first Oprah appearance is literally most Americans’ first introduction to her incredible voice.

Charice Pempengco on Hitman: David Foster & Friends on May 23, 2008

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBa3UUyE2uQ

(No embedded video available due to copyright claims.)

At this point, David Foster has completely taken Charice under his wing musically. Charice appears on David Foster’s CD/DVD combo concert “Hit Man: David Foster and Friends” alongside Andrea Bocelli and Josh Groban.

Charice Pempengco at Andrea Bocelli’s birthday on July 20, 2008

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfVKYadZJGE&feature=related

Andrea Bocelli himself requested Charice Pempengco’s attendance at his birthday concert in Italy. Their stirring duet of The Prayer is ridiculously touching. I don’t have the proper words to describe this performance. It’s too bad that the video doesn’t have very clear audio.

Around the time of this performance, Charice has already begun receiving widespread praise from music industry veterans.

Charice Pempengco on The Oprah Winfrey Show on September 9, 2008
v

Charice returned to The Oprah Winfrey Show to perform “My Heart Will Go On,” perhaps her most haunting vocal to date. At the end of her performance, Oprah surprised Charice with a video conference message from Celine Dion offering Charice the opportunity to sing at her upcoming concert at Madison Square Garden.

Charice Pempengco at Madison Square Garden on September 15, 2008

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBo_X2o7GVc&feature=related

Charice Pempengco duets “Because You Loved Me” with Celine Dion herself and dedicates the performance to her mother, who was in the audience, receiving sterling reviews from basically every New York-based newspaper in existence.

Charice Pempengco at Grand Slam for Children on October 11, 2008

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2M7St70jmsA&feature=channel_page

Charice Pempengco performed at the annual Andre Agassi Grand Slam for Children charity concert, performing in front of millionaires and billionaires alike for a great cause.

Charice Pempengco on Good Morning America in November 2008

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEImOOA2rh4

Charice Pempengco sang live on Good Morning America, accompanied by David Foster on keyboard. Charice’s performance of “I Will Survive” showed how incredibly far she had progressed as a true performer. The vocal arrangement by David Foster was masterful and highlighted many aspects of Charice’s vocals, hopefully a clear indication of future vocal arrangements between the pair.

Charice Pempengco at Obama Pre-inaugural Ball in January 2009

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJUg3wHoRIY&feature=related

Charice Pempengco’s invitation to perform at President Obama’s pre-inaugural ball in January 2009 showed that she had really hit the big time. Her stirring performance of “God Bless America” was fortunately caught on videotape and uploaded to YouTube for the world to see and hear.

Charice Pempengco at Oprah’s After-Oscar Party in February 2009

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bh1gpnwFhDc

After a bit of a quiet period while recording her new studio album with David Foster, Charice re-emerged at Oprah’s After-Oscar Party, debuting “Fingerprint,” a preview track from her upcoming album.

Related Posts
  1. Charice Pempengco raises bar for all female singers with incredible vocal range
  2. Charice Pempengco’s voice sparkles in Fingerprint, preview single off new album
  3. Personal Performance Review and Recap: Homo Night in Canada 2009
  4. Susan Boyle performance emotional but technically inferior? Susan Boyle’s “I Dreamed A Dream” from Les Miserables, Britain’s Got Talent 2009, West Lothian, Blackburn, Glasgow, Scotland
  5. Shooting video is very much different than performing stand-up comedy
  6. Supercute.ca blazes passed 10,000+ pageviews a month
  7. Deciding which set will work best on video is more difficult than I thought
  8. Tahlia Brookins – Photoshoot Portfolio Review, America’s Next Top Model Cycle 12, ANTM 2009
  9. Hallowe’en drag party at millionaire professor James Stewart’s mansion was crazy
  10. Super flattered that someone started a fan club for me

Filed under: Charice Pempengco
Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Join The Discussion On The Comments and Message Board

16 Responses to “Charice Pempengco’s incredible journey from poverty to international stardom”

  1. tipenski on April 6th, 2009 3:51 AM

    Nice, very well documented, Vong.

    I don't know if you've already head but Charice went to Italy and gave such a stunning performance that left everyone amazed – really! The show is 'Ti lascio una canzone' and was held just last April 4.

    It's all over youtube so go and check it out.

  2. vongsundara on April 6th, 2009 3:54 AM

    Thanks for the tip; I'll go check it out.

  3. Concernedfan on April 23rd, 2009 9:44 AM

    RE: Your article on CHARICE''s guesting on STARKING – It was a Korean fan, named "COOLSMURF", who posted her StarKing video on YouTube, complete with English subtitles, and not FalseVoice. Coolsmurf was banned from YouTube at the behest of SBS (producer of StarKing). This video was the one that caught the attention of big names in the entertainment industry, including Ellen,Oprah, David Foster, etc. I don't deny the fact that it was FV who originally posted Charice's videos that led to her guesting on StarKing, but we should give credit where credit is due. Thanks.

  4. vongsundara on April 23rd, 2009 2:31 PM

    Thanks for letting me know. I'll correct the article with my next update.

  5. almondbranches on April 23rd, 2009 8:34 PM

    Just in case you missed it, Charice is also part of the movie "Alvin and the Chipmunks 2" slated for release Dec. 2009 and she sang Star Spangled Banner st the Dodger's Home Opener recently.

  6. vongsundara on April 24th, 2009 2:21 AM

    Thanks. I think I'm going to have to split up this article into two articles: 2008 and prior and a separate article for 2009. I'll add the extra info after the split.

  7. jwksgk on May 22nd, 2009 3:43 AM

    Hi Vong, Charice has debuted her first single in the US, Note to God, on Oprah. I would love to read your assessment of it. Thanks.

  8. tipenski on May 22nd, 2009 7:51 AM

    Do let us know your take on both the song 'Note to God' and the performance on Oprah last May 18 by Charice. I believe Charice did you justice on your assessment of her singing capabilities and talent. Thanks.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61jGNtbA5O0

  9. noellen on August 30th, 2009 1:43 PM

    Hello vhongsundara, I was visiting one of Charice site and the link directed me here on your blog site,,, wow.. your writings about Charice is incredible,,,, hmmmnn maybe when you write a new blog about her,,, could you buzz us hehehe,, we can ask you to rite one in Charicemania and Chariceworld too,,, what you say,,,,

    thank you….

  10. Kuya on October 13th, 2009 3:04 PM

    Lol about the Article Title Haha

    Im her fan not because she's filipina.
    A small girl with a big voice, doesnt really matter where she came from.

  11. anita d. cruz on May 23rd, 2010 1:59 AM

    i'm so impressed of all ur remarks-comparisons of charice's vocal cords from other singers who sang the same songs, i wowed to all ur good remarks on charice's voice. good i was linked to ur site. i've been reading online news about charice and watching all the videos repeatedly and i'm so wowed and cant get enough of it. charice is the 2nd filipina singer that i admire now since i saw her fr ellen,then oprah, my first and only idol is superstar nora guy aunor. my idol here in america is kelly clarkson and now charice over powered that. thanks vong!

  12. Lisa on July 9th, 2010 7:15 PM

    Charice was in Lansing, MI this week and did an interview on Lifeinlansing.com. (I think she was under the Thursday tab on the home page) She was absolutely adorable! She also sang a few songs and talked about, "Pyramid". She is so talented, I wish only the best for her and her future. Check it out.

  13. GONZALVO RUIZO on October 23rd, 2010 12:31 AM

    HAY NAKO SANA KASING GALING NI CHARICE ANG ANAK KO KUMANTA … HER NAME ELLISHA RUIZO, THANK FOR YOUR INFO. SANA UPDATE MO LAGI ANG ARTICLE MO BOSS….

  14. sopphia caballero on January 26th, 2011 4:06 PM

    hey…wow,,upon researching …I just loved when i attached in this sites..I just love Chariced…Im dieing to see her..i always come sleep so late…just to see always her vIdeos:)))) and thank u can we b friends on facebook…heres my id…sopphiapartosa@yahoo.com

  15. Sita on April 16th, 2011 9:16 AM

    Charice is an inspiration to everybody. I admire her not only because of her incredible voice but her confidence whenever she performs. I should give credit to her mother, her mentor and for sure her number one fan. Thank you Raquel for believing in your daughter and leading her the path to success.I wish you all the best!

  16. lancecobi on June 6th, 2011 10:55 AM

    Wow! What an amazing journey for this very talented young lady! Where was I during those days?!!! I only became a Chaster last October of 2010 and I kinda missed all the fun, good thing though there is You Tube where i get to see all her videos and all her amazing peformances , all the things that I missed about her back then and I can never enough of it.

Feel free to leave a comment...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!