Foreign-sounding, but unmistakably Pinoy

Phoebe’s singing sounds foreign. In fact, her powerful soul styling echoes the power ballads of Whitney and Mariah with occasional hints of Janet when she goes into the dance mode. Truth to tell though, Phoebe was born in the Philippines where she started singing at age three. She then grew up still singing in Hong Kong and that was where she was spotted by her manager Steve Ancliffe and launched in the international music scene.

We will be finally introduced to Phoebe when she pops by for a visit to promote her debut album, Phoebe & The Love Revolution. Recorded in its entirety in the UK and produced by Ancliffe, the album exploits Phoebe’s remarkable vocal range and expressive phrasing. Just like a true soul diva, she excels in both the uptempo dance tracks and sweet love songs.

Cuts include Love Revolution, Your Love is Like Sunshine, Crying Like a Girl, One of a Kind, Love Lessons n Rainy Days, Angel, plus a few with melodies that she composed, namely Girl Thing, Counting on You, Move on Up and I Get What I Want. This is a foreign production but it makes me proud to think we once more have somebody like Phoebe, who meets up with the exacting standards required by foreign pop music. Phoebe now divides her working time among stints in the UK, Europe and Asia.

With the release of her first album, Phoebe has also joined the growing number of pop music celebrities with Filipino roots. And there are now lots of them! I have to admit that unlike Billy Joe Crawford who is really a big star in Europe and who learned the ropes of performing at That’s Entertainment, most of them were born abroad and trained by foreigners but no matter, they still have plenty of Filipino blood.

Most obvious of course, because they are truly big pop stars and because they were here recently are apl. de.ap of the Black Eyed Peas, who was born in Pampanga and Nicole Scherzinger Kea of the Pussycat Dolls, who is of Hawaiian-Russian and Filipino parentage. There is also Mutya, former lead singer of the British girl group Sugababes with hits like Push the Button and Overload. Last I heard she has left the group to become a full-time mother but it cannot be denied that she was there when Sugababes was making all those hits and winning those awards. I like to think that she also introduced loads of foreigners to the Filipino name Mutya.

Just as big and getting even bigger these days is Cassie whose recording of Me & U is in the Billboard hit list. She is of mixed black and Filipino parentage and is one of America’s leading models. Cassie has a management contract with the famous Tommy Mottola. This Mottola is the same guy who was married to Mariah early in her career, who is now married to Thalia and is behind the success of J. Lo, Lindsay Lohan and other acts. This Cassie certainly has the right people behind her.

For those who do not know, let me inform you that the leading lady of the phenomenally successful High School Musical is partly Pinay. Seventeen-year-old Vanessa Anne Hudgens is an interesting mixture of Irish, Native American and Filipino. Her mother is the former Gina Guangco. Reports have it that Disney is grooming her to succeed its now grown-up Hilary Duff. She also appeared in Thunderbirds and will soon be seen in High School Musical 2.

Billboard hit lists

Meanwhile you may now check out Cassie and Vanessa in the Billboard hit lists. The Top 10 in the Hot 100 Singles: Promiscuous by Nelly Furtado; Crazy by Gnarls Barkley; Me & U by Cassie; Déjà vu by Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z; London Bridge by Fergie; Buttons by The Pussycat Dolls; It’s Going Down by Yung Joc; Ain’t No Other Man by Christina Aguilera, Over My Head (Cable Car) by The Fray and Hips Don’t Lie by Shakira featuring Wyclef Jean.

The Top 10 albums in the Billboard 200; Le Toya by Le Toya; Now 22 by Various Artists; In My Mind by Pharrell; Highway Companion by Tom Petty; St. Elsewhere by Gnarls Barkley; High School Musical, the original soundtrack, featuring Vanessa Ann Hudgens; A Girl Like Me by Rihanna; Loose by Nelly Furtado; PCD by the Pussycat Dolls and Me and My Gang by Rascal Flatts.