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Clamoring for a Pinay’s Mesmerizing Vocals
SET to debut worldwide on April 6, 2010, is a new double-CD from Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member David Byrne (Talking Heads) and British beat-master Fatboy Slim, titled "Here Lies Love." The all-star album from Nonesuch Records is a disco-pop opera about former Philippines first lady Imelda Marcos and her childhood yaya, Estrella Cumpas.
Each of the 22 songs on the project is sung by a different guest vocalist which includes an all-star cast like Cyndi Lauper, Tori Amos, Natalie Merchant, Martha Wainwright, and Sia. Together with the celebrity vocalists in the album, David Byrne chose one Filipina, multi-awarded and acclaimed Fil-Am jazz vocalist Charmaine Clamor.
Charmaine said. "I’m thrilled and honored to be included on this intriguing project. Mr. Byrne is a musical legend, and the other singers on ‘Here Lies Love’ are some of the giants of the industry. I’m proud to represent my Pinoy Community, especially since I grew up under the Marcos regime and understand fully what role Mrs. Marcos played in Filipino history."
Music critics have been stunned and mesmerized with Charmaine Clamor ever since 2005 when she came out with her first album, "Searching for the Soul." Jazz Times Magazine described her as "a dynamic new compass point in world music." Jazz critic Don Heckman of the Los Angeles Times stated that "Her debut album, ‘Searching for the Soul’, announced the arrival of an impressive new vocal artist." He subsequently wrote that Charmaine is "one of the important and original new jazz singers of the decade."
Two years later in 2007, Charmaine released another critically acknowledged album, "Flippin’ Out". Once again, she captivated the music world, specially jazz enthusiasts, by creating a whole new musical genre-her own new style of music which she has coined as "Jazzipino"- a genre of music utilizing American jazz, blues, soul, Filipino folk music, and other musical forms.
In her meteoric rise to the top, Clamor has simultaneously made the top 5 on both JazzWeek’s World (#2) and Traditional Jazz (#4) charts and is the first Filipino-American artist to place two consecutive recordings in the World Music top 10. She has been profiled on NPR’s "Weekend Edition" and BBC’s "The World." Charmaine performs at America’s leading jazz clubs in New York, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Atlanta, and Miami, in performing arts centers, and concert halls.
She frequently top bills Filipino cultural celebrations, such as the San Francisco Filipino-American Jazz Festival and the Filipino Library’s annual gala in Los Angeles.
In November, 2008, Charmaine released "My Harana: A Filipino Serenade" and in September, 2009, "Jazzipino" was launched with a full fledged promotional tour in the Philippines under the Viva Records label.
Charmaine was selected by The Filipino Women’s Network as one of the 100 Most Influential Filipino Women in the United States. In July, 2009, in San Diego, California, she won the 6th Annual Asian Heritage Award in the Performing Arts which recognizes Asian and Pacific Islander leaders in various fields. In October, 2009, Charmaine won the 12th Annual FILIPINAS Magazine Achievement Award in Entertainment. She was also honored with a special FAMAS Award (Filipino Oscar) for her cultural trailblazing.
Born in Subic-Zambales, Philippines, Charmaine revealed in an earlier interview that she has been singing since she was an infant. "My mother claims that I sang before I spoke. At three months, I started singing "Bu–ba." This is "Mabuhay," the Martial Law propaganda song that played every hour on the radio my parents put beside me in my crib," Charmaine said. Her singing career began when she was 3 years old. "Before grade school, I would entertain passengers on the back of buses traveling from Subic to Manila – whether they liked it or not! I always had a strong attraction to singing," she recalled.
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