When I first sang in a videoke session, I mostly sang the songs of Regine Velasquez. Not that my voice is comparable to hers, far from it. I just love her songs, both English and Tagalog, especially the adapted version of Michael Jackson’s song, “Bluer than Blue”.
I also love it when I see her perform on the television. Singing, for her, seems to be so effortless. No backbreaking postures, no singing that sounds like shouting or screeching, no annoying facial expressions.
Regine belongs to a rare breed of artists who can sing and act. It is not that others are not doing it. In fact, this is the trend in showbiz nowadays; actors sing even if they cannot produce a decent note, singers act even if they do not have an idea how to.
But Regine, as everybody knows, can sing and act extremely well. She can even do a good hosting job. She even acted on stage.
As an excellent singer, she won in the Asia-Pacific Singing Contest that was held in Hongkong in the year 1989. After her grand prize win, she was called “Asia’s Songbird”. Her concerts are standing room only. She was given three standing ovations during her concert at the Carnegie Hall in New York, USA. Wherever she performed, international or local, it was always standing room, and tickets sold out even two weeks before the show. I know this for a fact because my then office mates wanted to buy tickets for her concert but there were no more tickets available. Her shows are always roaring successes not even counting standing ovations. She is a crowd drawer, in part because of her charm and sweet personality.
As an outstanding actress, she was given the Box-Office Queen award by the Guillermo Mendoza Memorial Scholarship Foundation for her starring role in “Pangako Ikaw Lang”. She also won the Darling of the Press award by Star Awards for Movies. I enjoy her witty acting. I laugh when she wants us to laugh and I feel sad when she wants the audience to feel sad. She acts so naturally it looks as if she is not acting at all.
She also starred and guested in several television soap operas that got high ratings among them “Diva”, “Darna”, “Totoy Bato”, “Ako si Kim Samsoon” and “Forever in my Heart”. I personally watched Darna and Ako si Kim Samsoon and she was really great especially in the latter show. She won as Best Single Performance by an Actress in a Lead Role from Star Awards.
In the hosting job, she is currently the main host of Party Pilipinas. Previous to this, she hosted “Are you the Next Big Star”, “Songbird”, “Celebrity Duets”, “Pinoy Pop Superstar”. “Search for a Star”, and “Star for a Night”. She was awarded the Best Talent Search Program Host and Best Female Host by Star Awards.
She was Maria Clara of “Noli Me Tangere” performed at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. She was also the lead performer of “Two Hearts, One Beat” at the Philippine International Convention Center. She was also among the casts of “Kenkoy Loves Rossing” at Music Museum and world tour of “Forever After”.
The awards cited here are not the only awards she won. It is only a fraction of the total awards she received in all facets of her career.
Regina Encarnacion Ansong Velasquez, better known as Regine Velasquez, is the eldest child in the family, and she was born in Tondo, Manila. Hers was a musical family with her father always singing, and her mother accompanying her father singing while strumming the guitar.
It was a well-known story that her father immersed her in the ocean up to her neck to train her voice. This was done while she was singing. Her mother taught her how to interpret the songs and how to move on stage. As early as the age of six, Regine was already competing in singing contests.
She first catapulted to national recognition when she won for eight straight weeks and emerged the grand champion in the show “Ang Bagong Kampeon” where she sang “In Your Eyes”. She was first known as Chona Velasquez.
She recently got married to another OPM artist Ogie Alcasid last December 22, 2010. Right now, she is taking a much-needed vacation because she is with child.
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