Regine Velasquez

Regine Velasquez (2008)

Regine Velasquez (黎 晶, Pinyin : Lí Jīng, POJ : Lê-Cheⁿ) (born April 22, 1970 in Tondo , Metro Manila ; actually Regina Encarnacion Ansong Velasquez ) is a Filipino singer , actress , music producer , TV presenter , director and model .

overview

Since winning the Asia Pacific Singing Contest in Hong Kong in 1989, she has also been referred to as "Asia's Songbird". She became known for her enormous vocal range.

Velasquez was the first Filipino artist to give a solo concert in the main Carnegie Halls. Her album "Listen Without Prejudice" went platinum in several countries. In 2000 she sang a song about the turn of the millennium in Manila, which was broadcast on 55 radio and radio stations worldwide. With "In Love With You", a duet with Jacky Cheung, she hit the MTV Asia and Channel V music charts. She has worked with Paul Anka , David Hasselhoff , 98 Degrees , Brian McKnight , Mandy Moore , Ronan Keating , Stephen Bishop , Jim Brickman , Peabo Bryson , Jeffrey Osborne , Dave Koz , Lea Salonga , Grasshopper , Coco Lee , Michel Legrand , David Pomeranz , Eduardo Capetillo , Fernando Carrillo , and Billy Crawford worked together.

She is involved in several television and film projects, which has given her the Best Actress Award for her portrayal of a mentally handicapped woman in Maalaala Mo Kaya. Velasquez also founded IndiMusic (iMusic), a record label that is in partnership with Bella Tan's Universal Records . It is currently managed by Aria Productions.

Life

1970–1986: childhood

Velasquez was the first child of Teresita and Gerardo Velasquez. Her family moved to Hinundayan , Southern Leyte , the hometown of Regine's mother, where she studied at Hinundayan Central School. She has a brother and three sisters.

Velasquez was largely musically shaped in her earlier development. Her father trained her voice by singing while her neck was deep under water. Her mother taught her to move around on stage and interpret songs. Before Regine could read, she learned songs from her father. At the age of six Velasquez took part in a national amateur singing competition (Tita Betty's Children's Show). She sang the title Buhat "Nang Kita'y Makilala" ("Since I Met You") and won third place as the youngest participant. Velasquez also took part in several singing competitions in the country. When she was nine years old she and her family moved to Balagtas , Bulacan , where she studied at the Central School Balagtas. She later studied at the St. Lawrence Academy, where she took part in the annual BULPRISA (Bulacan Private School Association), where she won the singing solo and duet for her school. Her parents saved money from competitions to sew new clothes. Velasquez suffers from dyslexia , which makes it difficult for her to read texts and learn new songs. She also squinted, which can also be seen on previous albums. But her talent and determination helped her win 67 out of 300 competitions.

At 14, Velasquez took part in the Ang Bagong Kampeon, a high-level national singing competition by Bert "Tawa" Marcelo and Asia's "Queen of Songs", Pilita Corrales.

1988-1991: breakthrough

In 1989 Regine was selected to represent the Philippines at the Asia-Pacific Singing Contest in Hong Kong. On December 23, she finally won first prize with the songs " You'll Never Walk Alone " from Carousel and " And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going " from Dreamgirls . One of the experienced singers in the Philippines, Jose Mari Chan , selected Velasquez to record a duet with her for his album "Constant Change". The album was awarded the PRIMA's "Certified Diamond Record Award" (equivalent to 10 platinum awards).

In 1990, the Cameron Macintosh Group, the creators of Les Miserables and Ms. Saigon, gave Regine plane tickets to give her the chance to audition in New York. Cameron Macintosh was so impressed that he offered her and Jamie Rivera multiple roles, but Regine declined the offer and stayed in the Philippines because she felt she did not have enough stage experience.

Velasquez signed a record deal with Vicor records and released several albums. Their first album was called " Nineteen 90 ". The album included "Narito Ako" ("Here I am") her first song written by Ogie Alcasid, as well as "I Have To Say Goodbye" and "Promdi". Her first solo concert, Narito Ako, was in a standing room in the Folk Art Theater, with Gary Valenciano as a guest artist. Velasquez's first US solo concert, Narito Ako sa New York ("Here I am in New York"), was held in the Carnegie Hall main hall on October 11, 1991 as one of hundreds of centenary events. Velasquez is the first Filipino woman to have a solo concert in these honorable halls (the first Filipino group was the Apo Hiking Society ).

The Tagala Talaga album included her imitations of some classic Filipino compositions by Nonong Pedero , Willy Cruz , George Canseco , Louie Ocampo , Freddie Aguilar and national artists such as Ryan Cayabyab , Lucio D. San Pedro and Levi Calerio .

1993–1998: Asian music scene

Their fourth album "Reason Enough" was released in 1993 and went platinum. It includes, "Sana Maulit Muli", "Babalikang Muli", and her duet with Gary Valenciano "Slip Away". It also includes a duet with Paul Anka, "It's Hard to Say Goodbye", a cover from the 1986 single.

PolyGram Records released Velasquez's first Pan-Asian album in 1994, "Listen Without Prejudice" (Regine's favorite album). The album includes "In Love with You" a duet with Jacky Cheung, "Follow the Sun", and "What Kind of Fool Am I?" and "Reason Enough". The album was released in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Korea, Thailand and other Asian and Western countries.

Labels

• Vicor (1990-1991);
• Polygram (1993-1998);
• VIVA (1998-2006);
• Universal Records (2006 – present)

voice

Regine's voice spans four octaves . She sings coloratura soprano , a soprano voice with coloratura ability, that is, a special flexibility, especially in the high register. Velasquez sings mainly with her chest register, which allows her to sing C5-B5 notes continuously.

Live vocal range:

• Lowest voice range: B2 (Bringin 'on Heartbreak)
• Highest chest grade: B5 (Reasons)
• Highest falsetto: B6 (I Know)

Web links

Commons : Regine Velasquez  - Collection of Images

• Regine Velasquez in theInternet Movie Database(English)