The qualifying song:

Dec 23, 1989 — 35 years ago, nineteen year old Regine Velasquez won the Asia Pacific Singing Contest. All except 1 contestant conceded defeat to Regine after witnessing her rehearsals.

Ayaw na ni Ate Reg sumali sa mga contest in 1989. Pumayag lang sya sumali under the condition na hindi ipapalabas sa TV ang contest pag natalo sya 😂

Ang pabaon na pocket money pa-Hong Kong

Inokray sya ng mga musikerong Pinoy na tumugtog sa contest. Bakit daw parang batang paslit na inutusang bumili ng suka ang pinadala ng Pilipinas na contestant 🫠

Inutusan sya ni Mang Gerry na magpakitang gilas ng very light sa rehearsals para manahimik ang mga nega. The result:

Out of 11 contestants, only 5 finalists were chosen: 1. Darryl Lovegrove (Auckland) 2. Queenie Chan (Hong Kong) 3. Utha Likumahuwa (Jakarta) RIP 4. Regine Velasquez (Manila) 5. May Huang (Taipei) The rankings Grand Prize: Manila 1st Runner Up: Jakarta 2nd Runner Up: Hong Kong

The winning song:

Song choice selection backstory

Her fully embroidered outfit was made by Salvador "Badong" Bernal (National Artist for Theater and Design). This attire was framed and is currently on display at the Music Museum.

1989 APSC memorabilia

The courtesy call to former President Cory Aquino at Malacanang after the win:

The win placed tall expectations upon her, with local music pundits talking about how she will "set a new standard for excellent live concert performance in the entire local concert history."

her first major concert held 7 months after APSC had 6 standing ovations, and earned her a reputation of being a standing ovation queen

some references of her rep as an unparalleled singer known for amassing standing O's at age 22-23

the standing ovation tradition continues up to this day. She recently received one on Regine Rocks: The Repeat show (2024) and numerous times at her Solo concert series (2023).

The winning songs from APSC were prominently featured in her 20th anniv, alongside her finale songs used at amateurs and in Ang Bagong Kampeon. A stark reminder that the Asia's Songbird, at her very core, is a fearless and relentless singing kontesera.

Hey guys!! I've been listening to this song lately and thought it would be fun to do a cover of it!! wdyt!? #lovesong #music #Jazz #CoverSong #Singing