LIKE MANY kids of her generation, Charice Pempengco loves to describe things in exaggerated terms.
Recalling, for instance, her fateful encounters with Oprah Winfrey and Muhammad Ali in the course of a dizzying turn of events as the world?s favorite teenage singer, Pempengco peppered her talk with ?super.?
From Winfrey, she said she has learned the ?super-super-duper? attitude of never losing hope in the face of adversity.
?Super-history? is how she illustrated details of her guest performance at a star-studded tribute show for Ali.
Asked to reflect on her fast-rising climb to fame, she started her answer with, ?Super-malaki po talaga ang naitulong ng Internet ... ?
But of course all of these are true. And if things stay on course, it wouldn?t be a surprise if, a few years from now, Filipinos would refer to Pempengco as the country?s next ?superstar.?
Arriving in Manila last week from Hollywood where she finished a five-day shoot for her first movie, Pempengco regaled us with sto ries only a super-gutsy, super-confident, super-talented performer like her could ever achieve. We were given 15 minutes by her handlers, but the interview stretched to almost an hour because the kid simply loves to chat.
Excerpts:
You?re now a Hollywood actress.
Hindi po talaga ako mahilig mag-acting. Pumayag lang po ako mag-MMK (?Maalaala Mo Kaya,?) dito kasi life story ko. After that sabi ko ayoko na ... Pero nung malaman ko na ?Alvin and the Chipmunks,? sabi ko, OK! Paborito ko kasi yung first movie ...
Big deal na sa kin na maging boses lang ng Chipmunk. Pero sabi ng manager ko, ?They want you to play yourself, as Charice.? Sa bandang dulo na ko ng movie lalabas. Sasali yung Chipmunks sa singing competition at ako yung pinakamatindi nilang kalaban. Kontrabida ako.
Is it true that Oprah Winfrey is responsible for all the breaks you?ve been getting?
Siya po talaga ... Sabi ko sa kanya, ?I?m losing hope.?
?No,? sabi niya, ?I promise you something big will happen.? Kaharap ko siya, tinawagan niya si David Foster.
Why did you tell Oprah that you were losing hope?
Kasi natalo po ako sa ?Little Big Star.? Ginawa ko naman ang best ko pero natalo pa rin.
Why is the album taking long to finish?
Istrikto sila sa songs, lalo na si Mr. Foster kasi gusto niya ?pag lumabas yung album, tumatak nang matagal. Maglalabas daw po muna ng single sa May, sa iTunes, then pag maganda ang response, yung buong album out by September.
Your performance in the Muhammad Ali tribute is now on YouTube.
Yung ibang nag-perform sina Josh Groban, Jordin Sparks ? Pinapanood ko si Ali nakayuko. Sabi ko, ?pa?no ko kaya siya ma-i-impress?? Yung mata na lang niya nakikipag-usap.
Ginawa ko yung Ali Shuffle ... Yung wife niya umiyak. Sa lahat daw po ng events na pinuntahan nila, first time nag-smile si Ali. Super akong natuwa.
You now have your own channel on YouTube.
Opo, bingyan din nila ako ng ?Flip? video camcorder para madaling i-post ang videos ko.
Are you still in touch with the guy who posted your first video on YouTube?
Si Falsevoice ... Dave Dueñas ang real name niya. Binigyan ko siya ng laptop nung graduation niya. Nagta-trabaho na siya kay David Foster. Tawag ko nga sa kanya David Poster. (Laughs.) Siya po yung taga-send ng karaoke arrangements ng mga kinakanta ko kay Mr. Foster para i-re-arrange sa shows ko. So halimbawa meron akong guesting at wala si Mr. Foster, si David Poster ang kailangan namin.
Best friend your age?
Si Gemmalyn, classmate ko po mula elementary hanggang first year high school. Sa ngayon po mahirap makahanap ng pagkakatiwalaan.
Crushes?
Josh Groban, David Archuleta, Sam Milby.
Critics are concerned that your birit-style of singing might be a disadvantage later on. They say young singers have damaged their voices because of this.
Alam ko pong gamitin ang boses ko. Ang advice po sa kin ni Sir David (Foster), ?pag dumating ako sa age na 19, 20 ? huwag akong iinom (alcoholic drinks) ? kaya po hindi rin ako nag-wi-whistle (singing technique). Yun yung ginagamit ni Mariah Carey, yung falsetto. Nakakasira daw po yun ng boses, nakaka-cancer ? I also take Suebee Honey, ang sarap sa lalamunan.
