Teen Pop Star Charice Tells Tale of Survival

Thanks to the power of social networking, a pint-sized young girl from the Philippines who was once the victim of domestic violence is living out every teen's dream. Today, Charmaine Clarice Relucio Pempengco, known simply as "Charice," will make her fourth appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show where she will sing a duet with 16-year-old mega star Justin Bieber and launch her self-titled English language debut CD.

Things weren't always so dreamy for the rising pop star, whose astoundingly adult-sounding voice catapulted her to Internet superstardom on YouTube. Charice was born in Laguna, Philippines, where she was raised by her single mother, who had to flee her violent husband when Charice was just three.

Even though she was young at the time, Charice clearly remembers seeing her father aim a gun at her mother and being helpless to do anything. She fought back tears when recalling the moment on Oprah in September 2008. Neighbors heard screams and broke down the door in time to save the family.

"We left my dad, and after that, I never saw him and I don't want to see him," Charice told Winfrey. "I'm just singing now for my mom. I didn't help her before. That's why I want to help her now."

At the age of seven, Charice started competing in talent competitions to help support her mother and little brother. After competing in over 80 competitions, she eventually finished third on Little Big Star, the Filipino version of American Idol at the age of 13. But it wasn't until a fan posted videos of her singing on YouTube that she reached international fame as her performances went viral. Thanks to those videos, she landed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in December 2007, and Oprah less than six months later.

Winfrey took an immediate interest in Charice, arranging for her to sing alongside her idol, Celine Dion, and setting her up with producer David Foster.

"One of the things I love most about Charice is that no matter what obstacles she's faced in her life, she's never given up on her dream of something better," Winfrey says on her show's website.

Oh, and to make her success all the sweeter, Charice's debut CD is being released today, the day after her 18th birthday. Not a bad way to start the year.

Photo by Ragna123 via Wikimedia Commons.