Watch Regine in SOP every Sunday, 12 noon only in GMA          |          Pangarap Kong Ibigin Ka, starring: Regine Velasquez, Dingdong Dantes and Christopher de Leon, showing on June 11, 2003, Wednesday, included in the Metro Manila Film Festiva 2003l from VIVA Films

Regina Encarnacion Ansong Velasquez was born in Manila, Philippines on April 22,1970, the first child of Teresita and Gerry Velasquez. Early in her life, it was apparent that she is destined for singing. With her loving parents blessing, Regine joined various singing competitions in provinces around the country. They had moved to Leyte where she was trained by her father in the sea of Henundayan, Southern Leyte. She actually was submerged into the water up to her neck, which strengthened her voice. As the years went on, Regine continued to reap in the rewards of her talent. Highlights of her early career include winning 67 out of a possible 200 national and local contests. "Basta alam ko lang, gusto kong kumanta. And that's how it started, nagjo-join lang ako ng mga amateur singing contests. Most of the time I would lose, so hindi ko alam na magaling ako," she recalls.

Determined to succeed, Regine entered the famous Bagong Kampeon competition, which was an acknowledged stepping-stone for numerous performer's careers. She swept through the challengers, leaving the judges in awe with her qualifying song "Saan Ako Nagkamali." However it was her extraordinary performance of the song "In Your Eyes" which clinched the grand prize. This was definitely her first big break. "My family has been behind me all the way. They're the reason why I did this, because I wanted to help my family. We were very poor and I wanted to help them out," she says.

Impressed by her showing in the Bagong Kampeon, Octo Arts International signed Regz to a recording contract. Unfortunately her debut single was not a smash hit. Another interesting turn in her up-and-coming career was her guest appearance in the show called "Penthouse Live." It was in that show in which she was first given the name Regine (before that she had gone by her childhood nick Chona) and a dude named Ronnie Henares met her and offered to be her manager. She joined forces with him and her career started, eventually releasing her highly praised debut album "Regine" in 1987. She also did the club scene and performed in various TV shows and guested in concerts. 

The years 1989-1990 turned to be the most exciting time in her blossoming career. Hong Kong was the setting for the Asia-Pacific Singing Contest, which turned out to be Regine's biggest triumph. She made the Philippines and her growing legion of devoted fans proud when she won the grand prize. Her winning songs were "You'll Never Walk Alone" and "And I'm Telling You." "You see, I was scared at first of going there to compete. I felt I wasn't that good. Beside, it's like I've gotten tired of competing. All my life that was what I did. I was tired of the pressure," she reminisces. She also performed on her first major solo concert in which the appreciative audience gave her a standing ovation, after the second song! "You want everything to be as close to perfect, if not perfect, the closest you can get to being perfect," she says.

Eventually, her star shone brighter year after year. Regine became an International star and released three multi-platinum albums in Asia. She performed with famous Asian singers in concerts all over the continent. She toured various countries, captivating jam-packed crowds with her performances. She was really a crowd favorite, in large part to her charm and endearing personality. "I work hard at what I do. I try to do better all the time," she says. 

Regine's marketable personality led to several endorsement deals; companies like KFC and Wendy's made her an official spokesperson. She had also crossed over beyond the recording studio to the silver screen. Her notable acting ability landed her roles in several featured films. In the start she nearly gave up acting and just focused on singing. "Talagang I didn't like it 'cause hindi talaga ako marunong umarte. So for the longest time, I stopped. I concentrated on my singing. Sabi ko, I'm not yet confident enough to do another movie," says Regine. Eventually she got over it and resumed her acting career. "Hindi ko akalain na isang araw, I would be able to sing the theme song of my own movie," she adds.

The year 2000 saw Regine at the top of her career. She kicked it off with an awesome rendition of the Millennium song, broadcast worldwide on January 31st to help usher in the year 2000. "I didn't think it was such a big deal until I was there," she says. Regine also became the Concert Queen by selling out her R2K concert on back-to-back nights. That concert also won an award as the best concert of the year. "Sinakyan talaga namin ang Millennium," she declares. Summer of 2000 was supposed to be Regine's first solo tour in selected US cities; however that was derailed by immigration issues. She rebounded from that unfortunate setback by releasing the soundtrack to her new hit movie, which went Gold after two days of its commercial release, and made various publicity appearances and shows nationwide. 

If she is not working, which is impossible nowadays since her schedule is always full, Regine spends a lot of quality time with her nephew and nieces. She also loves drawing and doodling faces and likes to watch TV a lot. One of her favorite TV shows is the magical hit show "Charmed." "Nakakatuwa ang Halliwell sisters diba? Bongga ang mga powers nina Prue, Piper at Phoebe," she gushes. "Minsan nga gusto kong i-freeze ang time kapag medyo nalolokah ako sa mga nangyayari sa akin." 

After all the awards and accolades and for everything she has accomplished, what else does she need to achieve?

"I've been doing a lot of exploring -- directing, producing my own album. Maybe I'd even like to go back to school and take film so I can become a better director," Regine says. "I enjoy doing films. I know that I have so much to learn - ang daming puwedeng mangyari sa pelikula. I can feel that my role has gotten bigger. It's not just to be a singer anymore. So many opportunities are opening up, and I want to take advantage of them all. Sabi nga nila, opportunity only knocks once. I really love doing this. I love singing. I always say that I have the coolest job. I love what I do and I am getting paid for it."

Her humorous side eventually caught up to her.

"Kapag nagkaroon ako ng copy ng Wonder Woman (series) super happy ako, as in super fulfilled na ang buhay ko nun," she said. 

Quotes derived from different sources (articles & interviews).