Charmaine Clamor: The "Jazzipino" queen on music and the motherland
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Charmaine Clamor isn’t afraid to speak her mind—or sing it. Lauded by the Los Angeles Times as “one of the most important and original jazz singers of the decade,” the Subic-born songstress made waves with her satirical ballad, “My Funny Brown Pinay.” Using the melody of jazz standard “My Funny Valentine,” the song praises the looks of the average morena in an ode to true Filipina beauty. “Look at my skin—it’s brown / Look at my nose—it’s flat,” Charmaine purrs on the track, flaunting her Pinay assets with pride, even pleasure.
In a nation where fair skin, pointy noses, and straight hair are the prejudiced but prevalent ideal, Charmaine’s candor about her physical appearance is inspiring. It seems that growing up Stateside—and having two consecutive albums in the Jazzweek World Music Top 10—has left her with no airs and graces about who she is or where she came from. In fact, it is her unfailing loyalty to the Philippines and Filipinos that has brought this domestic diva so much success in her career—even spawning the hybrid Fil-Am jazz genre she coined “Jazzipino.”
In the following interview, Charmaine gives FN her views on fame, Filipino mentalities, and the future of jazz, ultimately leaving us with a simple message: be bold, be brown, be beautiful—and be grateful for your heritage. Read on!
When did you first realize that you wanted to be a singer?
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. 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.
Your life seems to have taken a slight detour before setting you on the path to music (judging from your masters degree in Physical Therapy). What were the reasons behind that?
It is typical for a Filipino family to view the arts not as a career but rather an extracurricular activity. As an immigrant in the United States, I was not encouraged to dream about singing professionally. I was encouraged to concentrate on my studies and find a secure job. Therefore, I followed the norm and pursued physical therapy, a field that I was interested in as well.
Now you’re a major name in the American and Asian jazz community. What are the best—and worst—things about your newfound fame?
I feel extravagantly blessed to earn a living by creating music, by singing. I’m essentially making a career out of something that I would do for free, out of sheer love. I feel satisfied that when I leave this world I’ll know that I honored my individual gifts and, at the same time, contributed to the global recognition of my native culture.
The downside is that I always feel the need to push myself to constantly grow as an artist and a performer, which sometimes can be very stressful and emotionally tiring. I have what I call “horizon sickness,” a need to always think of the next thing that I could be doing instead of fully being present in the moment.
Your music has been called original and innovative, even spawning a new musical genre called jazzipino. Describe jazzipino and what sets it apart from all the other kinds of jazz fusion.
Jazzipino is what happens when you blend the soul and swing of American jazz with Filipino music, languages, and indigenous instruments. To be more specific, I explored our kundiman and harana, as I believe they closely parallel the Great American Songbook. Both genres have timeless lyrics and classic melodies.
Filipinos have always played jazz, and we have a glorious history of fine jazz artists coming out of the Philippines. But my recordings represent the first time that an identifiable Filipino spice has been thrown into the melting pot of American jazz.
For sure, it’s the first time songs entirely in Tagalog have been heard on mainstream American radio stations! Its novelty, I believe, is what contributed to jazzipino’s success.
You have quite a sense of humor—and a streak of activism as well—based on your satirical song “My Funny Brown Pinay.” Tell us about this infamous track and how you’d like it to change the Filipino standard of beauty.
“My Funny Brown Pinay” is a remake of the classic “My Funny Valentine.” It’s based on my experience growing up as a flat-nosed kayumanggi in the Philippines, where I was considered ugly. I tried every soap and cream to lighten my skin. I pinched the bridge of my nose to make it pointy. As you can see, that didn’t work!
It was only when I migrated to the U.S. that I felt beautiful and appreciated for my native qualities. Today, most Filipinos still consider being light skinned and having a pointy nose—the mestiza look—the epitome of beauty.
With “My Funny Brown Pinay,” I’m encouraging my sisters to appreciate and embrace their indigenous qualities, and for my people in general to discard a self-hating colonial mentality. [Why take whitening] pills to screw up your liver? Enough already.
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