Charice is a Filipino singer who rose to popularity through YouTube.

Back in 2010,
Charice gained world-wide attention when Oprah Winfrey dubbed her “the most talented
girl in the world”. She released the international studio album “Charice” which entered
the Billboard 200 at number eight in 2010, making it the first album of an Asian solo
singer to land in the Top 10. During the inauguration of Filippino President Benigno
Aquino III in 2010, Charice sang the Philippine national anthem. After coming out as a
lesbian in 2013, Charice Pempengco has changed to a male name Jake Zyrus in 2017.

Charice Pempengco is a Filipina pop, R&B and rock singer who became an internet sensation after
the video of her performance in a talent show went viral on YouTube. Her rise to fame is truly a rags-
to-riches story; escaping from an abusive father, she and her family lived in poverty for years, with a
young Charice singing to support her mother financially. Eventually, a fan of her acted as the Good
Samaritan and uploaded videos of her energetic performances on YouTube, which earned her
recognition from all over the world. Soon, she received invitation to record an album, and appeared
on American television shows like 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' and 'The Oprah Winfrey Show'. She
also found a mentor in David Foster, who has been a producer for stars like Céline Dion, Andrea
Bocelli, and Whitney Houston—all her idols. She was hailed as the “Most Talented Girl in the World”
by none other than Oprah herself. She went on to release a number of albums and perform at
concerts, but her career suffered after she publicly revealed her sexual orientation.

Childhood & Early Life

 Charice Pempengco was born on May 10, 1992, in Cabuyao City, Laguna province, Philippines.
When she was a child, her mother Raquel left her abusive father and took her and her younger
brother, Carl. to live with her grandmother.
 Charice’s mother, a former singer who worked at a garment factory, discovered Charice’s singing
talents when she was only four years old. Charice, who already helped her mother with
household chores at the age of six, started participating in local singing competitions when she
was seven.
 The financial struggle of her family continued for a few more years, during which they were even
homeless for a while. However, the prize money she won from singing contests eventually helped
them move into an apartment in which she had her own room.

Career
 In 2005, Charice Pempengco took part in the talent show 'Little Big Star' in Philippines, in which she
reached the finals and secured the third place. Two years later, a fan of her, Dave Duenas, uploaded the
video of her performance on the YouTube channel 'FalseVoice', which gained worldwide attention and
made her an international star within a short time.
 One of the first calls she got was from a Swedish record company named Ten Songs/Productions, which
offered her a demo-recording in June 2007. She recorded seven songs with the company, including an
original song called 'Amazing'.
  On October 13, 2007, she was invited to the South Korean talent show 'Star King' to perform as a foreign
act. The video of her rendition of 'And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going' from the Broadway musical
'Dreamgirls' became viral on YouTube.
 Impressed after watching one of her performances on YouTube, Ellen DeGeneres invited Charice on her
talk show, 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show'. Along with her mother, Charice flew to America for the first time
to appear on the show on December 19, 2007.
 On December 28, 2007, she made a second appearance on 'Star King' as the 'Most Requested Foreign Act'
of the show. In April next year, she went to London, England, to appear as a guest in an episode of 'The
Paul O'Grady Show'.
 She released her debut EP 'Charice' from Star Records in May 2008. The EP, containing six cover songs
and six backing tracks, became Platinum certified in the Philippines.
 In May 2008, Oprah Winfrey invited her on 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' to take part in the episode 'World's
Smartest Kids'. After she charmed the audience with her rendition of Whitney Houston's 'I Have Nothing',
Oprah asked Grammy-winning record producer and star-maker, David Foster, to be Charice’s mentor.
 On May 23, Charice Pempengco performed alongside Foster at the concert, 'Hitman: David Foster and
Friends' in Las Vegas. Andrea Bocelli, who was a singer at the concert, invited her to Italy to perform a
duet with him on July 20 on his birthday concert, 'The Cinema Tribute'.
 She appeared on 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' for the second time on September 9, 2008 on the episode
'Dreams Come True' and performed her idol Celine Dion's song 'My Heart Will Go On'. Following her
performance, Oprah surprised her by arranging a satellite call with Dion, who invited her to perform a duet
with her during her 'Taking Chances Tour'.
 On May 1, 2009, Charice Pempengco released a Philippines-exclusive full-length studio album titled 'My
Inspiration'. The album contained 12 tracks including one original song called 'Always You', and featured a
duet performance with her mother Raquel, covering the Helen Reddy song 'You and Me Against the
World'.
 Her first international studio album, 'Charice', was launched on 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' on May 11,
2010. Following the success of the album, she bagged the role of Sunshine Corazon in the musical drama
series 'Glee' on its second season.
 Her second international studio album, 'Infinity', was released early in Japan on October 5, 2011, but was
not released in America due to differing standards. In 2012, she served as a judge on the Philippine version
of 'The X Factor'.
 The album 'Chapter 10', which consisted of cover versions of modern songs, was released on September 6,
2013.
 After she came out as lesbian in 2013, she has totally changed her style and has released
one rock album titled 'Catharsis' in October 2016.

Major Works
 Charice Pempengco's self-titled debut album 'Charice' is her most successful album so far. The
album, which was certified Charice Pempengco in Japan and the Philippines, established her as
an international star.