Meet Charice: Teen With the Big Voice
Charice's voice has drawn comparisons to Whitney Houston and Celine Dion.
Nov. 18, 2008 — -- Charice Pempengco, 16, is diminutive in size but her voice is anything but. Her pipes have drawn comparisons to iconic singers such as Whitney Houston and Celine Dion.
And Pempengco already has proved she can belt out a power ballad with the best musicians.
"She reminds me of Celine when I saw her singing in a tent when she [Dion] was 18," said mega-producer and 15-time Grammy winner David Foster.
Foster, who has worked with a bevy of musical heavyweights like Josh Groban and Brian McKnight, was wowed by Pempengco's performance during an all-star tribute to him that will be available on CD and DVD next month.
Foster made one of Pempengco's dreams come true as part of the "Hit Man: David Foster and Friends," which was recorded live.
"I told Celine [when she younger] that she would sing with Barbra Streisand. And I told Charice she would sing with Celine," Foster said today on "Good Morning America," where Pempengco performed live.
Together, at the live performance, the vocal powerhouses belted out one of Dion's biggest hits, to the crowd's amazement.
The teen credits her mother with her musical gift and said she has been singing since she was 4 years old. Pempengco has been featured on the "Oprah Winfrey Show" and now is preparing to become an international sensation.
