Regina Encarnacion Ansong Velasquez (born April 22, 1970), better known as Asia's Songbird, Regine Velasquez, is a Filipino singer, actress, record producer and TV host. She won the 1989 Asia Pacific Singing Contest in Hong Kong, and is widely known for possessing a wide and powerful vocal range.
Velasquez is the first Asian artist to stage a solo concert at the Carnegie Hall in New York, as part of Carnegie Hall's centennial-year concert series.
In 1994, Polygram Records produced her first Asia-released album, "Listen Without Prejudice". It is considered as Velasquez' most successful album to date, selling more than 1.2 million copies in Asia. It sold over 700,000 units in China, making it the best-selling album in the country by a foreign artist until 1999. The album has sold over 100,000 units in the Philippines and over 320,000 units in other Asian countries.
She has collaborated with artists such as Paul Anka, David Hasselhoff, 98 Degrees, Brian McKnight, Mandy Moore, Ronan Keating, Stephen Bishop, Jim Brickman, Peabo Bryson, Jeffrey Osborne, Dave Koz, Grasshopper, Coco Lee, Michel Legrand, David Pomeranz, Eduardo Capetillo, Fernando Carrillo, and Billy Crawford. "In Love With You", a duet with Jacky Cheung, landed the top spot in MTV Asia's Top 20 Asian Videos in 2000.
In 2000, She performed the country's millennial theme Written In The Sand together with 2,000 children in the top-roof of The Peninsula Manila, televised in 67 broadcast networks throughout the world to coincide with midnight in Manila for the BBC's millennium special 2000 Today.
She has also embarked on several television and film projects, receiving a Best Actress award for her portrayal of a mentally challenged woman in a Maalaala Mo Kaya episode entitled "Lobo". Velasquez formed IndiMusic (iMusic), a record label partnered with Bella Tan's Universal Records. She is currently managed by Aria Productions.
Today, Velasquez is the Best Selling Artist Of All Time in the Philippines. She has sold more than 7,000,000 albums in the Philippines and also in Asia with more than 2,000,000 sales.
Velasquez's Low Key under Universal Records became the first platinum album of 2009.
Velasquez also played Anna in the series Totoy Bato, a soap in GMA-7. In March and May 2009, she went on tour in the US to stage The Divas 4 Divas US Tour; also, in 2009, Velásquez hosted the GMA singing competition, Are You The Next Big Star?.
Velasquez did a docu-biography show which aired May 24, 2009 on GMA Network as part of her month-long birthday celebration entitled "Roots To Riches." The show featured untold stories, "going back to Regine's roots from her amateur singing days in Malolos, Bulacan up to where she is now." She also gave citation to her young rival in singing competitions, Minerva "Eva" Castillo. They joined in one stage singing, "Ako Ang Nagwagi".
After being scheduled to perform at a concert with Charice Pempengco, Velasquez was forced to pull out after contracting the swine flu. She has since recovered.
At the final requiem mass for President Corazon Aquino, August 5, 2009, Velásquez sang a duet with Martin Nievera, "The Prayer."
Velásquez held a two-night concert entitled "Regine... Most Requested" at the SkyDome, SM North EDSA, which marked her return to the Viva fold. Eva Castillo appeared as her special guest. Early December, she started her most requested concert in provincial places and early next year she is scheduled to finish her provincial tours.
In August 28, 2010, Velasquez launched her signature perfumes collection via Bench with two scents available called Reigne and Songbird.
In 2010, Velasquez started the year by accepting a comic-villain role in GMA-7's Darna. She starred as Elektra The Planet Woman. At the same time, went on to conclude the provincial tour of her SRO 2009 concert series, "Regine Most Requested". Also in March 2010, she starred in the primetime-musical series offering of GMA Network for their 60th Anniversary entitled Diva.
Velasquez attended the inauguration of the 15th president of the Republic of the Philippines Noynoy Aquino at the Quirino Grandstand on June 30, 2010, performing Aquino's first campaign jingle "Hindi Ka Nagiisa" and "Bagong Pilipinas" together with other Filipino artists. For the fourth time (2000-9, 2001–4, 2002–7), Velasquez was ranked 8th in the top 10 of FHM Philippines 100 Sexiest Woman In The World. In November 2010, Velasquez started shooting a GMA-7 teleserye, "I Heart U Pare", set to premiere on early 2011.
Velasquez released an album under Universal Records entitled Fantasy, a 2-CD album containing 22 tracks. Fantasy also has two sets of packaging. Each box-set contains 10 sets of post-cards that are in color and in black and white. Fantasy was awarded a Gold Record Award two weeks after its release, and after one month it was awarded as Platinum Record Award making it one of the fastest selling albums of 2010 in Philippine albums history.
In 2011, Velasquez received a MYX Magna Award 2011 in the 6th MYX Music Awards 2011. In June 2011 Velasquez was nominated as Coolest Female Singer in 2011 Yahoo Philippines OMG Awards, She got 43% of the over all votes, but she lost it to Charice Pempengco with 54% of over all votes.
Discography Regine (1987) Nineteen '90 (1990) Tagala Talaga (1991) Reason Enough (1993) Listen Without Prejudice (1994) My Love Emotion (1995) Retro (1996) Love Was Born On Christmas Day (1996) Drawn (1998) R2K (1999) Reigne (2001) Covers, Vol. 1 (2004) Covers, Vol. 2 (2006) Low Key (2008) Fantasy (2010)
