Talk about life coming full circle — and that too before you've even properly hit 20. Later this year, after she's wrapped up the Asian leg of her Infinity Tour — which includes a gig in Dubai on Friday — Filipino sensation Charice Pempengco will sit on the judging table of her country's version of reality singing show X Factor.
For Charice, as the 19-year-old is popularly known, the appearance will be sort of a homecoming — back to where it all began as a seven-year-old, where she sang for her life on reality shows to support her single mother and brother. It's been one heck of a journey since. From finding fame on YouTube to being featured by American talk show queens Ellen DeGeneres and Oprah Winfrey, and from performing with her childhood idols Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli to starring in hit television show Glee, her rise to fame has been one rags-to-riches story that's any journalist's dream to tell.
It's also hard to believe just how unassuming Charice still is about what she's achieved.
"Oh my God, you've just reminded me and made me think," she said, laughing, when I asked her how she felt about it all happening so quick and so early. "I don't know what to say... other than that it's been amazing.
"I don't really think about my age at all," she added, speaking over the phone from her current base in Los Angeles. "I love working. It makes me feel mature. I sometimes feel like a 30-year-old, but that's OK."
Charice's mother left her father after an abusive marriage when she was a little girl. Realising her gift early, she was encouraged to participate in singing shows and also to help support her family. It was only a matter of time before someone posted her videos on YouTube and life completely changed for the girl with the big voice. Appearances on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and The Oprah Winfrey Show followed. And, thanks mostly to Winfrey, performances with Italian tenor Bocelli and Dion and an introduction to famed producer David Foster, who would eventually became her mentor.
‘Incredibly lucky'
Charice said she often watches those YouTube videos that have formed her path to success.
"I'm also incredibly lucky. There are so many talented people in the Philippines," she said, adding: "But it also makes me feel proud that I can call myself one of them."
In 2010, Pyramid, a single featuring singer Iyaz off Charice's self-titled international debut album (her third overall), went straight to number eight on the Billboard 200, making her the first Asian artist to reach the Top 10 on the singles charts.
In June that year, she confirmed to her fans via her Twitter account that she would be joining the cast of global television smash hit Glee. Ryan Murphy, the series' creator, was famously quoted as saying of her: "When that girl opens her mouth, angels fly out." But although he promised "lots of big, big, big ballads for Charice" in the show's second season, her appearances have been reduced to intermittent scenes and performances.
Rumours had circulated that Charice's appearance was later cut short to avoid upsetting lead star Lea Michele, which the show's spokesperson later termed "categorically untrue".
"My part was never regular and I have no plans of going back," Charice clarified.
Her rendition of Beyonce's song Listen and her duet with Michele for a version of Lady Gaga's Telephone on the show have, predictably, become YouTube hits.
Late last year, Charice released her sophomore international album, Infinity, featuring songs written by A-listers including Bruno Mars (Before it Explodes), Nick Jonas (One Day), Jason Derulo (Lesson For Life) and Natasha Bedingfield (Lighthouse). The US version will feature a few surprises, she teased.
Charice, who appeared as herself briefly in 2009's Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, recently wrapped up filming her debut Hollywood film, Here Comes the Boom, also starring Salma Hayek and Kevin James.
"I love acting. I'm not totally good at it," she laughed. "But being in a movie with stars I have known and respected is a huge opportunity."
But life has not been all smooth sailing, not even for singing proteges.
In November last year, Charice's estranged father was murdered following an altercation in her hometown of Laguna. The singer was forced to cancel two scheduled performances in Singapore.
Grieving for her father
Filipino newspapers reported a public spat between her and her father's family, who have allegedly said she must be glad about his death. "You have no right to second guess what I feel. You are just his siblings. I am his daughter," Charice had been quoted as saying.
"It's still hard for me... I am still grieving," she told me. "I just try not to think about it. The only thing I can do now is to work hard and move on."
Charice also said she was deeply affected by singer Whitney Houston's death on February 11. Some of her most YouTubed videos are her versions of Houston hits including I Have Nothing and I Will Always Love You.
"We were in the studio and my friend came in showing me the news on her phone. I was so shocked and thought it was just a rumour at first. She was such a big inspiration.
"You've got to live your life," she added philosophically. "Bad things happen. It just goes to show that life is too short."
Besides Dubai, Charice's Infinity Tour will cover seven Asian cities including Manila, where she will return for her X Factor duties later in the year.
"I am very excited to be in Dubai, and so is my band. I look forward to some great food and taking in the amazing sights."
Fans can expect a mixed bag, she said. "I'm going to put some of my new songs, cover songs and tributes.
"This tour is all about who I am, about the real Charice, the real me — and the songs I would sing."
It will be interesting, she added of her upcoming judging gig. "I will be going in knowing fully well that I was where they are now."
And through all of this, it has been and will be her faith that will keep her going, she said.
"There is God. He keeps me going. Every night I pray and I thank Him for my family, my fans and also the haters. Yes, the haters, because they make me stronger."
