Jake Zyrus’ mother Raquel Pempengco reacts to David Foster and Friends concert

Angelique Agarap

March 29, 2023

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  Raquel Pempengco, the mother of singer and television personality Jake Zyrus (formerly known under the mononym Charice), expressed her feelings towards David Foster and Friends concert series in the Philippines, saying that no one can ‘do justice’ to his songs except her son.

  The Pempengco matriarch took to Facebook to address the Canadian musician who also happens to be Zyrus’ godfather, recalling the years he had collaborated with then Charice in concerts and music projects.

  “Talagang wala pa ring ipapalit sa [Alaska.] [Alam] ko ang mga timbre ng boses na hinahanap mo, DF… [Sinabi] ko naman sa inyo noon pa… [nag-iisa] lang ang boses na ’yan,” said Raquel.

  “Kahit kanino mo pa ipakanta ’yang song mo… ’Di [mabibigyan] ng [hustisya.] NO GOOSEBUMPS… NO STANDING OVATION… Nothing compares…. [Nag-iisang] legendary ng Pilipinas si Charice Pempengco,” she continued.

  Additionally, Raquel insisted that it was not David Foster who made her daughter famous, but Oprah. “At para sa kaalaman ng lahat, [hindi] po si DF ang nagpasikat sa kaniya [Charice] kun’di si OPRAH. Ni-reject nga noon ni DF si Charice, kaya [’wag] umasa na may isasama pa… masasaktan lang,” she concluded.

  It can be recalled that Zyrus was invited on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2007 and appeared on several international television shows including The Oprah Winfrey Show in the following year. He then began touring with David Foster and Andrea Bocelli, among others.

  On a separate Facebook post, Raquel shared a side-by-side video of Morissette Amon and Jake Zyrus as Charice singing Whitney Houston’s ‘I Have Nothing’ on Facebook. The Asia’s Phoenix was among the special guests in Foster’s concert that took place from March 21 to March 26 at The Theater at Solaire Resort and Casino.

  “[Hindi] ako gumawa nito ha…share ko lang. See all the comments there. [Baka] sabihin, ako lang ang bitter at ’di maka-move on,” she stated.

  “We’re just talking and comparing the past and the present there… no hate and discrimination. [Their] opinions and comments are [based] on what they hear and watch,” she went on.

  Meanwhile, Jake Zyrus came out as a transgender man in 2017 and legally changed his name from Charice Pempengco to Jake Zyrus.

  Pin back your ears to Jake Zyrus’ top tracks here:

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