No doubt about it –Filipinos are great singers. Our homegrown singers often climb up the ladder of success through hard work, belting it out in contests during fiestas and eventually carving a name for themselves not just here in the country, but also in various places worldwide.
In fact, many international singers have expressed their awe of many Filipino singers. Among them is R&B crooner Brian McKnight, known for his songs Back At One and One Last Cry.
Back in 2013, McKnight showed his eagerness to do a collaboration with R&B Princess Kyla. He was undoubtedly shocked at how good Filipino singers are onstage.
But there’s one talented singer who has made such massive impact to McKnight, stopping him in his tracks after hearing her mellifluous voice.
Any guess who that singer is?
If you guessed Regine Velasquez-Alcasid, you’re right!
McKnight collaborated with Regine during one of his concerts in the Philippines. The two of them sang the song “Whenever You Call”, where Regine sang the parts of Mariah Carey.
The American singer got so impressed with Regine’s performance that night that he compared the Asia’s Songbird with the Elusive Chanteuse.
“I think that the best singers in the world, perhaps, are in the Philippines, period. The first time I heard Regine, she was singing [a Mariah Carey song]. I told Mariah, ‘You better watch out. There is a girl in the Philippines… she’s better than you,’” McKnight said in the interview.
Mariah Carey is a multi-platinum international singer/songwriter and is dubbed as the best-selling artist of all time selling 250 million records worldwide since her debut in 1990. Carey is known for her 5-octave vocal range and her whistle register. With her distinct voice and songwriting prowess, Carey’s success story is unprecedented. Earning 18 Billboard Number 1’s, the most by any solo artist in history; the longest running number one song; song of the decade; and artist of the decade (twice-1990s and 2000s). Her hits include “Vision of Love”, “Hero”, “One Sweet Day” amd so much more.
Meanwhile, Regine clearly lives up to her name as the Asia’s Songbird. Her distinct crystal-clear voice earned her the reputation of being one of the most powerful and talented singers in the Philippines to this date. A lot of up-and-coming singers look up to her as the epitome of success in the local music industry.
Aside from McKnight, Regine also shared the stage with other international singers. Here are some of them:
Alicia Keys
One of her most recent performances with an international artist was with Alicia Keys when the Grammy-award winning artist visited the country in 2013 for a concert.
The two of them sang Keys’ hit song “If I Ain’t Got You.”
Peabo Bryson
Lea Salonga isn’t the only Filipino singer who got to belt out an iconic Disney song. In 2000, Regine sang one of the songs from the film “Beauty and the Beast” with Peabo Bryson during the Celebration of Love concert at Araneta Coliseum.
Regine and Peabo sang the titular song from the film, wherein the former belted out Celine Dion’s parts.
Ronan Keating
One of a singer’s struggles is how to match the high key of male singers for their voices to blend. Even though we are no musical experts, it is obvious in Regine’s performance with former Boyzone member Ronan Keating that she can pull it off with ease.
The two sang Ronan’s hit song “When You Say Nothing At All”.
Mandy Moore
During the MTV Asia Music Awards in 2002, American actress and singer Mandy Moore shared the stage with Regine, and the two sang the former’s song “Cry” from her movie “A Walk to Remember”.
In the same awards show, Regine won the regional award for the Favorite Artist Philippines.
