Meeting our all-time favorite celebrities is a pretty big deal. It’s one thing to listen to their music or enjoy their acting on television, but to be within the actual presence of famous people in the public eye that we admire is a whole different level of excitement. For some of us, it can be overwhelming and quite intimidating, to say the least.
For 16-year-old Filipino singer, Charmaine “Charice” Clarice Relucio Pempengco, meeting one of her favorite singers, Celine Dion, was a huge deal. Although Charice was already a raging Internet sensation herself with millions of online fans, the thought of actually getting to meet Celine would be a dream.
As everyone knows, Oprah likes to make dreams come true. After Charice’s initial appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show, Oprah arranged for her flight to be canceled, so she could meet up with her producer friend, David Foster, to sing Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On.” Charice sang while Foster played the piano.
Afterward, Oprah announced that Celine Dion was eager to speak with the young singer – live. It was clear Charice was shy but nevertheless eager to talk to her favorite artist via video chat! Fortunately, Celine clicked right away with the young star: “I can tell you that we have lots of things in common. I was very shy too. And I also had a mother—still have a mother—who is my strength,” she said. “You have more talent than most people. You can sing. You can speak and sing with your heart. You can play the guitar. You can draw. And you can have dreams.”
Not long later, Charice received the news that she’d be singing a duet with Celine! “I’m going to be singing at Madison Square Garden, and I would love to ask you to come and sing a duet with me. Maybe we can sing ‘Because You Loved Me,’ and maybe we can dedicate this song to your mother,” Celine tells the 16-year-old. Charice was all nerves.
Charice wasn’t the only emotional one; Celine was too.
“I had a chance to see Charice perform one of my songs on Oprah last week. I have a little difficulty to talk right now because I met Charice, and I’m so emotional, and so I’m searching and looking for my words trying to control my emotion. I invited her to come here tonight to sing with me,” says Celine.
The duet wouldn’t be Charice’s first time singing live in front of an audience. However, what made the opportunity so nervewracking was that fact that she’d be singing with her idol. In fact, the teenager has something she calls a “dream notebook” where she keeps her personal drawings, some of which are of Celine herself.
So, the duo appeared on stage. At first, the teen looks absolutely petrified. “Are you shaking? Are you okay?” responds Celine. “I’m nervous,” admits the girl.
However, after their little pep talk, the music comes on, and Charice handles the stage like it’s nothing! The further the performance goes on, the more comfortable she appears. It’s crazy to think that a girl so timid and soft-spoken could have such a loud and powerful singing voice.
After the duet, the crowd goes so wild that they give an immediate standing ovation for not only Celine but brave Charice. A well-deserved standing ovation!
Charice’s singing career wasn’t just built upon passion but also on selflessness.
According to the teen, “I really want[ed] to help Mom. When I’m joining singing contests, and I won some $50, she was, like, ‘Okay, we’re going to have some food for one month, and we’re very happy.’”
Although Charice was very young at the time, she has already made it big in the world of music. She has proved to herself and others that no matter how afraid you are, you can accomplish anything you set your mind to.
In fact, Charice, now 27-years-old, has since transitioned into a male and now goes by the name Jake Zyrus. After releasing three albums thus far, his career continues to blossom! Jake has also made an appearance on Glee and was even featured as a judge on X-Factor.
While Jake’s career has transformed as he matured, the younger days of his career are still filled with exceptional talent. Their duet with Celine below will make your eardrums dance with joy!
