WEBVTT

1
00:00:04.060 --> 00:00:07.237
Oprah calls her "the most talented girl in the world," 

2
00:00:12.984 --> 00:00:19.475
but four years ago, Charice Pempengco could only dream that she would one day become an international star.

3
00:00:27.966 --> 00:00:36.325
It was this voice and YouTube clips like this one 

4
00:00:36.534 --> 00:00:41.842
that attracted more than 15 million viewers and catapulted the young Filipino to fame.

5
00:00:45.612 --> 00:00:46.806
At just 15, 

6
00:00:46.806 --> 00:00:55.348
it was her performance on this South Korean talent show that stole the heart of one of America's most well-known talk show hosts, Ellen.

7
00:00:55.460 --> 00:01:01.220
Wait 'til you see. We had to bring her here all the way from the Philippines. Please welcome 15-year-old Charice Pempengco.

8
00:01:05.447 --> 00:01:10.758
Not long after, Oprah also had Charice wow her audiences with several performances, 

9
00:01:10.933 --> 00:01:18.457
including this one, partnering her with renowned music producer David Foster.

10
00:01:23.954 --> 00:01:30.986
All the buzz landed Charice a role on the hit TV series Glee as Filipino exchange student Sunshine Corazon, 

11
00:01:31.463 --> 00:01:35.282
firmly planting her in Hollywood as well as in the recording studio.

12
00:01:36.077 --> 00:01:41.610
Now, she has two albums to her name and has even made the U.S. Top 100 chart with this song.

13
00:01:48.103 --> 00:01:49.547
This week on Talk Asia, 

14
00:01:49.722 --> 00:01:56.519
we catch up with the rising star to talk about her move into Hollywood and why she idolizes her mother.

15
00:01:56.750 --> 00:02:02.730
Four years ago, you were a young singer in the Philippines whose performances were posted on YouTube. 

16
00:02:02.794 --> 00:02:07.913
Now, you are this international star who has someone like Oprah as a mentor. 

17
00:02:08.006 --> 00:02:10.934
Do you sometimes just wake up and think, "Wow, this is my life?"

18
00:02:11.085 --> 00:02:17.877
Yes. Yes, I still get overwhelmed. I mean, I think it happened so fast, 

19
00:02:17.950 --> 00:02:25.207
but at the same time, of course, I worked hard for it, and I'm still working hard for it, 

20
00:02:25.346 --> 00:02:32.426
and it's just amazing. [There are] just a lot of blessings that just all of the sudden just came into my life.

21
00:02:32.807 --> 00:02:37.087
You came from humble beginnings, growing up in the Philippines. Tell me, what was that like?

22
00:02:38.800 --> 00:02:43.088
Well, it was really a tough life. Not really easy, 'cause my mom's a single mom. 

23
00:02:43.243 --> 00:02:46.647
She used to be my vocal coach, but I really admire...

24
00:02:46.679 --> 00:02:54.661
she's definitely my inspiration, and I look up to her a lot because, I mean, I decided to be a singer because of her. 

25
00:02:54.894 --> 00:03:01.365
It was a tough life before, but now this whole thing that happened to me really helped me a lot.

26
00:03:02.887 --> 00:03:09.075
Your mother, Raquel, she is your role model, your inspiration. And she did introduce you to singing. 

27
00:03:09.276 --> 00:03:10.655
Tell us, how did that come about?

28
00:03:13.416 --> 00:03:18.679
Well, I really wanted to be a dancer, actually. Michael Jackson inspired me a lot. 

29
00:03:18.816 --> 00:03:26.948
And I was four. And I was on top of the table, and she came home, and she saw me singing. And she told me that she was talking to my auntie, 

30
00:03:26.975 --> 00:03:33.569
and she was like, "Charice can sing." And I remember I was singing a Celine Dion song, "My Heart Will Go On." 

31
00:03:34.117 --> 00:03:38.919
I was four, but she told me that it wasn't English that I was saying. It was really blurry.

32
00:03:39.677 --> 00:03:48.268
But she... so, at that time, she started teaching me, you know, like, all the techniques about singing and everything. 

33
00:03:48.385 --> 00:03:57.798
She taught me, like, [from when] I was four 'til six, and [at] seven I started joining amateur singing contests for a living. 

34
00:03:58.419 --> 00:04:06.770
But she didn't want it. She didn't like it, because she didn't want me to, you know, just join singing contests because, you know, for the money and everything. 

35
00:04:06.807 --> 00:04:11.891
She wanted me just... she wanted me to be just a normal kid, but I told her that I really wanted to help her. 

36
00:04:12.339 --> 00:04:20.299
So I thank her that she actually taught me. You know, this, you know, enhance[ed] this talent that God gave me, and... yeah.

37
00:04:20.815 --> 00:04:28.454
You are only 19 years old and yet you have crammed a lifetime into the past four years. What is next for Charice?

38
00:04:29.642 --> 00:04:32.006
Oh my. What's next? 

39
00:04:32.477 --> 00:04:37.781
I actually want to be surprised. I always want to be surprised and just see what's gonna happen next. 

40
00:04:37.796 --> 00:04:41.625
But definitely next year's gonna be busy, too, 

41
00:04:42.430 --> 00:04:49.718
because I'm gonna do my own tour early next year -- Asian tour -- definitely Singapore's gonna be part of it, the Philippines. 

42
00:04:51.221 --> 00:04:59.142
And then maybe do the U.S. tour and hopefully do some more movies and everything.