The mic-king of a star

MANILA, Philippines - So, you want to be a singer — nay, a singing sensation perhaps like Charice Pempengco?

Hold your breath now: You could be the next Charice Pempengco! World-class performer Charice Pempengco shares her gift of music with young aspiring singers via the Sennheiser Charice limited-edition microphone (e822S-LE), the perfect start-up vocal mic for singers who aspire to be a performer of Charice’s caliber.

For starters, Charice was not born with a silver spoon in her mouth; rather, she must have come into this world with a microphone in her wee hands. At four, after her mother left for the market, she climbed up a table, turned on the karaoke, and played the first song, My Heart Will Go On from the gigantic movie Titanic. (Note: Little did this child prodigy know that years later, she would meet the singer who gave life to that song, Celine Dion, but of course! Not only that — she would actually perform on stage with this Canadian superstar in front of thousands of people at the world’s most famous arena, the Madison Square Garden in New York City! Charice has certainly come a long way from her humble roots in Laguna. The year was 2008, Charice was only 16 then. Charice’s voice is often described as a cross between Whitney Houston’s and Celine Dion’s.)

Charice honed her singing craft at her mother’s knee (Raquel Pempengco was a band vocalist). Raised in a broken home, Charice promised her heart would go on and she went on to follow her dreams. She competed in more than 80 singing contests until the world sat up and took notice. After seeing her perform on Star King, a Korean talent show, on YouTube, popular talk show host Ellen DeGeneres invited Charice to her show. Two years later, Oprah Winfrey invited Charice to sing on her show. Oprah called her “the most talented girl in the world.” Assorted invitations came pouring in from all over. One of them was a personal invitation from tenor Andrea Bocelli. I know, I know — while we can only pray for the day we’d meet this legendary Italian pop tenor up close, our very own Charice Pempengco actually did a duet of The Prayer with Bocelli at his birthday concert in Tuscany!

And now, hear this: Charice is the new brand ambassador for Sennheiser in the Philippines. She joins Sennheiser’s global network of artist endorsers who include R&B singer Beyonce, rock ’n’ roll hall of famer Sting, R&B recording artist Rihanna, and American rock band Foo Fighters. In case you didn’t know, Sennheiser, based in Wennebostel (Wedemark) near Hannover, Germany, is known all over the world for its top-quality products (headsets, wireless microphones, headphones, speakers) and tailor-made solutions for every aspect of the recording, transmission, and reproduction of sound. Sennheiser constantly develops new technology in acoustics and electronics, reinforcing its strong market position — and more importantly, creating the most exciting sound experience for people the world over.

Charice is the perfect choice to endorse Sennheiser as her talent resonates with Sennheiser’s commitment as the premium microphone company in the world. Founded in 1945, Sennheiser has long been considered as the industry benchmark in wired microphones.

So, let’s put our hands together to welcome the Charice international limited-edition evolution 822 S microphone. The Philippines is one of few countries where Sennheiser does limited edition launches. Sennheiser brings its state-of-the-art technology to the legion of Pinoy music lovers with this microphone that’s got unbeatable quality, warm and transparent clarity, and is highly resistant to feedback and interference. It’s a perfect start-up all-around microphone that’s ideal for stage, studio, karaoke, and general instrumental use — you heard that right, it’s not just for professional stage musicians.

Says Mike Sanchez, executive vice president and general manager of Audio-Video Solutions Corporation, exclusive distributor of Sennheiser products in the Philippines, “With the rollout of the 822 S special edition, we want to inform consumers that Sennheiser offers made-in-Germany wired microphones with high intelligibility and dynamic response for regular off-stage use.”

To achieve only the best sound quality, the evolution 822 S consists of a vocal microphone and mic cable. Quite easy to operate, the microphone is robust — practically indestructible metal bodies guard the inside of the cardioid microphone while a hum compensating coil protects against any stray electromagnetic pickup. The capsules are shock-mounted to minimize handling noise.

And this should be music to your ears: While Senn-heiser would normally sell its high-end microphones upwards of $10,000 all over the world, the evolution 822 S costs only P5,000 in the Philippines. Now, that’s a sound investment!

Surely, the Charice international limited-edition evolution 822 S microphone sounds too good to be true.

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Listen up, folks: There are very limited quantities of these Charice limited-edition microphones so make a dash for the nearest music store or appliance center. For more info, log on to www.sennevolution.com.