Singing sensation Charice first became known internationally after a fan uploaded videos of her singing on YouTube four years ago. Now Charice has released two worldwide albums, and she's even guest-starred on Emmy Award-winning show Glee. She faced another hardship when her estranged father was killed in October this year, but Charice is determined to move forward.

In an in-depth interview with CNN's Talk Asia, Charice opened up about her childhood, her memories of her father, and her love for singing. Despite her growing fame, Charice talked about her achievements in a humble manner. "For me, I’m still me," she told Talk Asia. "But of course my life has changed a lot. From the hard life, from a really tough life, and now I actually gave stuff that I really wanted to give to my mom."

Charice also looked back at her life growing up. At six years old, she was already cooking rice and feeding her brother his milk. She told her mom to stop working and put herself through grueling auditions and performances to help earn money for her family. "Every time I did all the singing contests, it was horrible. You start from 10:00 PM in the night and you finish at 7:00 AM in the morning, and [then] I had to go to school. [My mom] used to cry and she told me to stop, and I said no because that was the only way we could get a lot of money from it. I really sacrificed everything, but at the same time, it felt great and it was worth it."

Charice also opened up about her relationship with her father--the interview was filmed a few weeks before his death--and she couldn't help crying when she was asked if she missed him. "I don’t know. Maybe sometimes when I [would] see some kids with their families. Sorry, I keep crying. Maybe when I ask[would] them sometimes, how does it feel to have a dad? And you know they tell me these great answers, and sometimes I wish my dad [was] here. Maybe I do, sometimes. But, at the same time, I don’t because of what happened. It’s hard. It’s really hard."


To find out what else Charice said at the Talk Asia interview, tune in to CNN tonight, December 2, at 6:30 PM. Replays are also scheduled as follows:

• December 3 - 9:00 PM
• December 4 - 7:30 AM, 2:30 PM
• December 5 - 9:30 AM
• December 6 - 4:30 AM
• December 8 - 1:30 PM

For more Charice articles, check these out on FN:

• Charice on Being an Artist: "It's not about the looks; it's about the talent."
• Suspect in Murder of Charice's Dad Surrenders
• Charice in Manila for Father's Wake
• Official Music Video for Charice's "Louder"
• Charice, Sarah Geronimo, and More of Town&Country's 101 Must-Meet Personalities
• Official Music Video for Charice's "One Day"
• Charice to Girls Bullied Online: "If they say you're ugly, it’s just a word."
• Lea Salonga and Sarah Geronimo to duet with Charice? + 25 Celebs We’d Like Charice to Sing With
• The 1st Glee Music Awards: 2 Nominations for Charice + 43 Other Nominees
• 10 Things We Love about Charice
• 5 Things Your Kids Can Learn from Charice Pempengco
• Charice Forgives Ogie Diaz for His Hurtful Tweets + 5 Tips for Dealing with Detractors
• Charice Pempengco's 5 Tips on Staying Humble
• Charice Gets Sick from Sushi + 5 Tips On How to Deal With Food Poisoning

(Information courtesy of CNN's Talk Asia; photo from Infinity courtesy of Warner Records)