The passed friday, i get to watch the Oprah Winfrey Show randomly. And there i got to know about this 16-year-old little girl from Philippines, Charice Pempengco.
Charice Pempengco's dream of becoming a singer began halfway around the world in the Philippines. She found a following on the Internet after a stranger posted her jaw-dropping performances on YouTube.
Oprah's producers were among the 13
million people who logged on to watch this 16-year-old sensation sing songs made famous by artists like Celine Dion and Beyoncé. Then, in May 2008, Charice flew 15 hours to showcase her talent on
The Oprah Show. She stole the show with a soul-stirring rendition of Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing."
And yes Charice's powerful voice really impressed me. I was so mesmerized by looking at the way she performs a song and i ended up bursting into tears. Nothing explains, just the feeling i got.
Charice's voice wasn't the only thing that impressed Oprah. "One of the things I love most about Charice is that no matter what obstacles she's faced in her life, she's never given up on her dream of something better," Oprah says.
(When Charice was 3 years old, she says she remembers seeing her father fly into a fit of rage and take out his anger on her mother. She says she watched as he choked and attacked her. Charice says the argument escalated, and her dad grabbed a shotgun and pointed it at her mom. "My dad was about to shoot my mom, and I couldn't do anything," she says. Charice and her mother escaped with their lives. "We left my dad, and after that, I never saw him and I don't want to see him," she says)
Oprah says there's nothing more fun than helping to make someone's dreams come true…especially when that someone is a gifted young person who really wants it and really deserves it.
Instead of flying back to the Philippines after her appearance on
The Oprah Show, producers pulled Charice off the plane and brought her back to Harpo Studios. Then, Oprah called legendary producer David Foster to see what the starmaker could do for Charice.
David accompanies Charice on the piano as she takes the
Oprah Show stage for the second time to sing a song she learned when she was 4 years old. Her soul-stirring performance brought the audience to its feet.
"The first song that I learned was 'My Heart Will Go On,'" Charice says. "Of course I want to sing with [Celine Dion] soon, I wish, someday.
After her performance, Charice learns she has a fan who's been waiting to speak with her via satellite. She's a working mom with a 7-year-old who also loves to sing. She also happens to be one of Charice's idols—Celine Dion!
Charice cried like a little girl when she saw Celion Dion through the screen. It was so touching to see that little girl's dream comes true. I wept while watching this scene.
Because Charice shares so much of her talent with others, Celine wants to give Charice something in return. "I'm going to be singing at Madison Square Garden, and I would love to ask you to come and sing a duet with me," she says. "Maybe we can sing 'Because You Loved Me,' and maybe we can dedicate this song to your mother."
And today, i get to watch the another show of Oprah, showing the clips of Charice singing a duet with Celion Dion at Madison Square Garden. She dedicated the song "Because You Loved Me" to her mother. Her mother was crying all the way looking at her little girl singing on stage. Once again, her soul-stirring performance brought the audience to its feet.
And so sweet of Celion Dion being so generous and kind to Charice for making the little girl's dream comes true. And Charice really deserves that~!
Wishing her all the best!
