Discovering Charice

It was in the second half of 2010 when someone suggested that I check out Charice on YouTube. He was full of excitement when he recommended that I watch her performances,  especially on Oprah.  I’ve heard Charice’s name before but I did not have the chance to see her on TV nor had I thought of watching her videos on the Net. I didn’t even know she had numerous videos uploaded on YouTube. My work schedule then was so crazy that whenever I reached home, I would think of something to relax me and listening to music was not in my list.

Aside from Oprah, I heard she also appeared on Ellen and there were talks of her being on Glee. In as much as I was intrigued by her guesting on global TV programs, I went on my usual routine, which I never suspected would have a big change soon.


Note To God

One night in August (I think that was the month) last year, I turned on my computer, not to search for Charice, but to watch the much talked about acrobatic group in Britain’s Got Talent. I also searched for other episodes of the show including other countries’ like Ukraine’s Got Talent. After watching a number of fantastic episodes from different countries, I remembered about the suggestion—check out Charice. So, I did.

I can’t recall now which Charice video I watched first but I do remember clicking on the featured video of her performance of “Note to God” on Oprah. Everything about it—her voice, her hand gestures, her facial expressions, her movements from one side of the stage to the other, the accompaniment, the back-up choir, the playful lyrics on widescreen behind her, and the fog effect on the floor—was so perfect that I was one with the studio audience in awe and admiration for what I witnessed. I watched it many times that night and I was so drawn to it that I didn’t notice the change of the calendar date. Yes, it was already past midnight and Charice’s voice reverberated in my head until I finally succumbed to the comfort of my pillows to sleep.


I Will Survive

Within the same week, I searched for other videos of Charice on YouTube. In between videos, I googled for information about her. Little by little, I realized that I missed so many happenings in her growing career and popularity. I asked myself why I did not know about her earlier. I felt like a student cramming for an exam; trying to be up-to-date with her current performances, interviews, and write-ups while going two or three years back to have a better understanding of the comments that her followers wrote about her.

Then, I stumbled upon a video of Charice singing “I Will Survive” at the Mandalay Bay in 2009. I was my usual self seated comfortably in front of my computer watching and listening when suddenly she ran to one end of the stage. I literally stood up and I heard myself say, “Hey, wait a minute! How could she run that way and sing flawlessly at the same time?” I right away replayed that part several times because of my disbelief that it could be done. I even listened to that part of the song without looking at the video just so I could convince myself that she did it flawlessly. I shouldn’t have doubted. I then let the video play up to the end of that performance without knowing that there were more surprises for me. She was just adorable and entertaining at the same time.

That night, which I now consider as the timestamp of my getting hooked on Charice, I could not reconcile that the girl I saw singing “Note to God” on Oprah was the same girl I saw running on stage while singing “I Will Survive.” I then concluded: If she could sing these two songs in the manner that she did, then, she could sing any song. Like Simon Cowell, I can confidently say, “And I was right!”