Charice Pempengco - a big leap for a small start

"Charmaine Clarice Relucio Pempengco (born May 10, 1992), better known as Charice, is a Filipina singer who rose to popularity through YouTube. Her videos have garnered more than 15 million hits. She has performed and gained standing ovations in South Korea, United States of America, the United Kingdom, Italy, The Netherlands, and Canada."

"In December 2007, Charice flew to the United States for the first time after having been personally invited by Ellen Degeneres to perform on her show. She sang Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You and her popular cover of And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going."

"Right after her guesting on Ellen, Charice became an instant celebrity in the Philippines performing on different TV shows, becoming one of the most sought after young singers in the country."

"In April 2008, Charice guested on The Paul O'Grady Show, performing two songs and earning standing ovations, the first in the show's history."

"In May 2008, Charice guested on The Oprah Winfrey Show in their World's Smartest Kids episode. She sang Whitney Houston's I Have Nothing."

"In the same month, Charice was introduced to the international concert arena by David Foster in his tribute concert, David Foster and Friends, at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. On September 13, 2008 she once again performed with David Foster in the David Foster & Friends Charity Gala & Concert at Winspeare Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada."

"On September 9, 2008, Charice once again guested on The Oprah Winfrey Show in the Dreams Come True episode. 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. Oprah went on to surprise her with an appearance by Celine Dion via satellite, inviting her to sing a special duet at the Madison Square Garden as part of her Taking Chances world tour."

"On September 15, 2008, Charice met with Celine Dion at Madison Square Garden in New York to perform a duet of Because You Loved Me. They dedicated the song to Charice's mother. Her peformance with Celine got rave reviews in major newspapers namely The New York Post and The New York Times. The duet was eventually featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show on September 19, 2008."

"In October 2008, Charice performed at the Andre Agassi Grand Slam for Children Benefit Concert at Wynn Las Vegas."

"Awards and citations : Most Memorable Moment of 2007 - The Ellen DeGeneres Show, USA"


Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/17/arts/music/17celi.html?_r=1&ref=arts&oref=slogin