The long wait is over.  The music video for “Louder”, one of the up tempo tracks in Charice’s sophomore album “Infinity”, has made its debut on Space Shower TV, a Japanese TV channel dedicated to international and Japanese music videos. Space Shower TV prides itself in presenting music videos earlier than anywhere else so it is no surprise that Louder was first seen on this subscription-based TV channel today. Continue Reading

OCT. 23 UPDATE: VIDEO ADDED (Far As The Sky)

During Charice’s last trip to Tokyo, she taped two episodes of the long-running Japanese music program “Music Fair”.  The show is not only known for the singers and the songs, but it is renowned for the quality of the music, the beautiful imagery and fun conversation among the hosts and guests.   Continue Reading

Charice was in Japan for less than a week with a schedule jampacked with appearances and interviews promoting her second album “Infinity”.  Her efforts have paid off because as of this writing, Infinity has topped Japan iTunes’ pop chart and is at number 2 on the overall Japan iTunes chart!  We give you two of her magazine interviews, which have helped spread the word about our dear Charice. Continue Reading

Launched just four days ago, Charice’s new album topped  iTunes-Japan’s Pop Chart amid radio promo gigs and the comeback of the David Foster and Friends Concert Tour.

As of 12 MN of October 9, Charice’s new album entitled “Infinity” is on the top spot in iTunes-Japan’s Pop Albums Chart as per Apple’s website. Interestingly, wrapping up the top 10 list is Charice’s Japanese self-titled debut album, which has been in the market for over a year as of press time.

Other notable entries that made it were “Luv Songs” (Che’nelle, #2), “Step” (KARA, #3), “Born this Way” (Lady Gaga #5), “Come Away with Me” (Norah Jones, #7), “NOLZA” (2NE1, #8).  “Infinity” also ranks second in iTunes-Japan’s Overall Top 10 Albums.

Radio Appearances

Charice has been busy promoting her album in the past few days. Just earlier today, she appeared in Tokyo FM’s  “Cosmo Pops Best10”, where she talked her new album and answered questions from fans.

“The message of the title [Infinity]… is never-ending love, never-ending hope, especially (in light of) what happened last March [the Japanese Earthquake/Tsunami]. They’ve been supporting me (for so long) and now, this album is like my support for them,” she said.

Several of the album’s tracks were played, including “Far as the Sky” (also the theme song for the Japanese drama series “Bull Doctor”), and “New World” (the theme song for the English version of the upcoming console role-playing game “Final Fantasy XII-2”).

On a lighter note, Charice was also asked about her roots.

She replied, ““He [Dave Duenas/FalseVoice] posted this video YouTube ‘cause I joined this contest in the Philippines. It was like American Idol there, but I lost. (laughs).”

“You lost?”

“Yeah but I made it to the finals! (laughs)”

Asked about what singing means to her, Charice said, “Singing is my passion… Every time I wake up in the morning, I always think that I can’t live without singing. Even if I’m not performing, even if I’m just in the house, in the bathroom, I always sing!”

David Foster and Friends are back!

In the same interview, Charice also mentioned the upcoming first installment of the Hitman Returns: David Foster and Friends Asian Tour later this month.

Performing with Charice and David Foster are music greats Michael Bolton; Philip Bailey of Earth, Wind & Fire; English tenor Russell Watson; and classical-crossover prodigy Jackie Evancho of America’s Got Talent.

Charice was asked about how much David Foster influenced her since he took her under his wings.

She replied, “He changed me as a singer/artist. I’ve learned a lot from him – not just being [how to be] a great artist but also as a person. He’s a really nice guy. I am very blessed to having him as a (part of my) family. He taught me a lot, aside from my English (laughs).”

Charice’s New Album “Infinity” is now up on sale in iTunes and Amazon.

Hitman Returns: David Foster & Friends Asian Tour will officially kick off on October 19 and 20 in Japan’s  Tokyo International Forum Hall A. After the Japan concert, the group will also perform in Malaysia (October 22), the Philippines (October 25), Singapore (October 27 and November 2), Jakarta (October 28 and 29), Thailand (October 31).

For the October Hitman Returns: David Foster and Friends Asian Tour concert tickets, please visit the Official Site by clicking here.

by RJ Nieto, charicemania.com

Charice’s second album, “Infinity”, is doing great in Japan. Just less than a day after its release, Infinity is now number one in the iTunes Pop Album chart and number four on the overall album chart. The album launch concert might have really helped, right?

In Japan’s main music chart, Oricon, Infinity is a new entry at no. 10. Hopefully, sales will continue to rise and earn Charice another gold award, just like with her debut album.

It’s been almost a month since Charice wrapped up the shoot for her “Louder” music video, and the fans are eagerly awaiting its release. Her camp has been really mum about the exact date for the video premiere, and the only date we have now is sourced from a newspaper article in Doha.

According to The Peninsula, “Come October 5, Charice’s album ‘Infinity’ will be released first in Japan, while the much anticipated music video of her dance hit ‘Louder’ will be released in two weeks time.”

The first part is true and that has happened already, but the second part about the music video is still not confirmed. So we shouldn’t get our hopes up yet since October 2011 is kind of an early date for a music video release that’s part of a 2012 album.

For now, let’s just revisit the days when Charice was preparing and shooting her “Louder” music video. Below are photos and tweets that we’ve compiled and arranged to bring you some sort of an “MTV Making the Video” feature, so you can get more of a feel on what Charice experienced during the whole process.

Wardrobe

Charice and her new stylist Aaron (guy in the white shirt) got some clothes for the video. Photos posted by Charice on Sept. 7, 2011.

Dance Rehearsal

Gil Duldalao (@gilduldulao), the choreographer for “One Day” will still be onboard for the “Louder” music video. He is best known for being the long time choreographer of Janet Jackson. He’s the guy in the black shirt in the right-hand photo.

Charice also tweeted how tiring the fast dance moves that Gil made her do. You can see Charice slumped down on the floor in the photos to the right, while in the left, you can see her with two male dancers, @jpSanPedro and @Lakey_Boy.

The Shoot

Above are the numerous photos uploaded by the behind-the-scenes people in the “Louder” video shoot. Make-up artist Dusty Starks (@DustyWasHere) uploaded the topmost photo.

The photos on the bottom are from the director, Tim Cruz (@timcruzlovesyou). The mv was shot in Los Angeles at Smashbox Studio’s Stage 1.

The Video

Lots of fans were surprised (in a good way) with the “making it rain” photo (top-left) that @XieXieHome posted. The overall look of the video is definitely not what everyone expected, but Charice looks great and surely, everybody is much more excited to see the final mv.

Post-Shoot

By Sofia Carrera, Charicemania.com

Translated short interview from the “Infinity” Booklet Added!

Certified Chasters all over the world definitely want to grab a copy of Charice’s “Infinity” Album but as we all know, the album is available only in Japan. The rest of the world, just have to wait. Luckily we could order and below are the links, so get your credit cards ready and pre-order! Continue Reading

Charice’s album launch yesterday in Tokyo was an event of many firsts for her. It was the first ever concert where every song she sang was from the album, “Infinity”. It was also the first time she performed with the Acuvue Dance Contest winners. And of course, it was at that event where the public first heard Charice singing “New World” live:

It’s been three weeks since the announcement that Charice will be singing the Final Fantasy XIII-2 theme song has been made. There was a lot of buzz from the gaming and music communities about this collaboration between an amazing singer and a legendary game franchise.

Charice follows in the footsteps of Leona Lewis who also lent her voice and song, “My Hands” for Final Fantasy XIII. Both of these artists also released the Final Fantasy theme song as part of their own albums. “New World” by Charice is the second track on her newly-released “Infinity” Japan album.

Watch the Final Fantasy XIII-2 trailer below, which features Charice’s “New World” in the background:

The J-pop/RnB market is really hard to conquer as Japan has a very strong local music scene that’s bursting with talented artists. But Charice has made great progress in capturing the Japanese market. She’s making even more headway by teaming up with Japanese songwriters and producers, and for “New World”, it’s Koichi Tabo of famous J-pop group Superfly.

For Chaster gamers out there, the Final Fantasy XIII-2 game will be released on December 12, 2011, and Charice’s song will be included in all the U.S./Canada, Europe copies of the game, and in the Xbox 360 copies for Japan and Asia. For those in Japan and Asia who owns a Playstation 3, your game copy will include the Japanese song version by Mai Fukui.

Watch Charice and Mai Fukui’s interview below:

But if it’s just the song that you want, “New World” has already been released as a single and ringtone in Japan since late September. You can also listen to “New World” on “Inifinity” album, which you can purchase here.

Photos:

By Sofia Carrera, Charicemania.com

Many Chasters have already pre-ordered their “Infinity” copies since August, and after more than a month of waiting, we can now all listen to Charice’s amazing new songs.

“Infinity” is currently number two in Amazon Japan’s RnB top seller chart, and it has been in the Amazon Japan overall Top 100 for 4 days now. In iTunes Japan, Infinity is #1 in the Pop category. But this doesn’t even reflect the real performance of Charice’s new album in Japan, as many other sites and record stores are selling it, so we’ll just have to wait and see a little bit longer if “Infinity” will hit gold or platinum sales.

There’s a great chance that “Infinity” will top the performance of Charice’s hit debut album, as the promotion for the sophomore album is bigger and better.

There are various interviews with a lot of Japanese shows and networks; there’s a tie-in with Acuvue that includes a dance contest and concert; the TV drama Bull Doctor reaches a large audience; and there’s also the upcoming David Foster and Friends Asia Tour with it’s first two stops in Tokyo.

Charice’s endorsement deal with Acuvue paved the way for a free album release concert in Tokyo today, October 5, held at the famous Shinjuku Station ALTA exit. Fans actually lined up and waited hours before the start of the concert. I was actually there and the energy of Japan Chasters was so amazing, it wasn’t dampened one bit by the rain and cold.

The organizers eventually handed out free raincoats so that umbrellas wouldn’t block the livestream camera, plus, they also gave out some packets that included flyers about DFF, Acuvue, Warner Japan and a free pen. Overall, the album launch concert was a success, even with the bad weather. You can watch Charice’s whole performance in the video below:

The album release concert was streamed live on the internet so that every single Chaster will have the chance to watch it. Charice sang 5 songs: first was “Louder”, then “One Day”, “New World”, “Far As the Sky”, and “Before It Explodes”. The winners of the Acuvue “One Day” dance audition/contest backed-up Charice during her high energy performance of “One Day”.

In the following days, we could expect more promotion from Charice for “Infinity”, such as the “One Day” Japanese version music video. So does Japan’s “Infinity” make you want to have Charice’s U.S./Global “Infinity” earlier than 2012? Or did it make the wait much more bearable now?

By Sofia Carrera, Charicemania.com

It’s been two weeks since the announcement that Charice’s second album in Japan will be released on October 5, 2011. And now, we have a title for this special Japan-only album: “Infinity”.

A fitting title, right? There’s just too much potential for Charice as she’s just starting on her path to world super stardom – her career has no specific high point in sight yet and the possibilities are infinite.

The album artwork is also great: simple yet striking. Charice is wearing a black and white printed scarf, a studded black fedora, a knitted off-shoulder top, and black leggings (the Japanese stylists really did an amazing job). A large infinity symbol in transparent white is also a great alternative to the normal text titles in most albums.

The tracks included in her second album are:

Far As The Sky

Louder

New World

Before It Explodes

Lost The Best Thing

One Day

Never Always

Bounce Back

Lighthouse

Lesson For Life

Living It Up

The order of the songs are not yet final, but at least we know what the songs are. Most likely, this track list will be very different from her U.S. edition sophomore album.

“Infinity” is available for pre-order at Amazon Japan for ￥ 1,980. The album will be available on October 5, 2011. Charice’s second album is currently in number 633 in Amazon’s Bestseller list, while it’s number 16 in the RnB category.

By Sofia Carrera, charicemania.com

UPDATE: NHK ‘SONGS’ VIDEO PLAYLIST ADDED

Charice and David Foster are featured in this popular Japanese program where they introduce a “great selection of songs just for you!” We then follow Charice and David as they take us to the Robert Mondavi Winery for their fundraiser show in the Napa Valley.

Here are the performance videos for 3 songs: To Love You More, Bodyguard Medley, and I Will Survive. PLUS the complete 30-minute show (translation needed! sorry, but you’ll get the idea…)

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* * * * * *

We previously reported that Charice will be featured on NHK’s SONGS show as a part of her promotion for “As Far as the Sky”. But based on some tweets, it appears that this “SONGS” episode will be more than that.

Remember the David Foster and Friends Summer Concert in Napa Valley last July 16, 2011? If you were there or read this article, you’ll know that there was a TV crew following her and David Foster around.

Photo of the TV crew following Charice

After the concert, it was confirmed that the TV crew was sent by NHK Japan to film a segment for their show, “SONGS”. Below is the tweet that said this:

Based on the official website of “SONGS”, we now know that the Aug. 31 episode will be about Charice and her music, plus David Foster’s involvement. The episode title is “Charice with David Foster”, so that means it will be more centered on Charice than David Foster. Catch Charice on “SONGS” at 10:55 p.m., Aug. 31, 2011 on NHK. Below are the promo image for the episode and the video preview:

Video preview:

This is the second appearance of Charice on “SONGS” this year. Her first one was in early 2011, where she sang four songs live. Below is a video of her “Pyramid” performance. You can watch her three other performances in this YouTube playlist.

By Sofia Carrera, charicemania.com

Charice is still busy with creating the perfect follow-up to her hit self-titled debut album, “Charice”. The new singles that she released this year like “Louder” and “One Day” are perfect for the younger audience that she’s trying to attract to her music. But older fans are not left out because powerful songs like “Before It Explodes” and “Lost the Best Thing” still showcase the powerful voice that Charice has.

Songwriter/Producer JD Walker

It looks like Charice’s camp is not satisfied yet with these four new singles and they’re continuing to record more songs. Fans might be a little impatient for the 2012 release date of Charice’s sophomore album, but be thankful that they’re not rushing anything and instead, they’re making sure that Charice and her fans only get the best.

And the best is what we’ll get for sure because Charice has worked with topnotch songwriters and music producers for her second album. From Jim Beanz, Claude Kelly, to the Jackie Boyz, and now, JD Walker.

He tweeted:

He also included a photo where you could see the three of them in the studio, plus you could see Charice cuddling her cute dog:

JD Walker is a hit songwriter famous for his work with Auburn and Iyaz for the Billboard Hot 100 song, “La La La”. He is a native of Los Angeles but also lived in the West Indies and Jamaica, which helped diversify his musical taste. Walker is also labeled as an urban-pop songwriter/producer, so his preference for fast dance beats is perfect for the sound that Charice is going for in her new album.

Listen to “La La La” below:

By Sofia Carrera, charicemania.com

This piece of news might surprise a lot of people since most artists based in America release their albums first there, and then when it’s successful, release it in other countries.

But remember that Charice is Asian, so that might have been a big factor in the way that she has become so famous in Japan – so famous that Warner Japan is building on this popularity and releasing her second album just a year after her debut.

Charice in "Sukkiri!"

A deciding factor in her early Japan release might be the beautiful single, “Far as the Sky”, which is the theme song of the hit Japanese TV drama, “Bull Doctor”. Coupled with the popularity of the drama and Charice, her second album might just beat her debut’s platinum sales record.

The release date of Charice’s sophomore album was announced during her August 9 appearance on NTV’s morning show, “Freshen Up!” or “Sukkiri”. The early Japan release of her album is scheduled on October 5, 2011, though the album is still untitled to this date.  Thee 11-track album is now available for pre-order at a price of ¥1980 (about $26). You can reserve and pay for your copy here.

The Platinum Debut Album of Charice (Japan Edition)

The tracks included in her second album are:

Far As The Sky
Louder
New World
Before It Explodes
Lost The Best Thing
One Day
Never Always
Bounce Back
Lighthouse
Lesson For Life
Living It Up

Based on this article from HMV.com, this album is a special Japan-only album. If that’s true, then this is not actually the same as Charice’s sophomore album that will be released in early 2012. For sure, the singles that she released like “Louder”, “Lost the Best Thing”, and “Before It Explodes” will still be included in her 2nd US album, but could be accompanied by other songs.

It’s still not clear whether Charice’s sophomore album is already this early Japan edition, but it could be similar, maybe without the “Far as the Sky” song. It’s highly possible that Charice would really release her album first in Asia, as she said in this interview with ology.com:

- Interview by Sharon Tharp

So what are you working on right now?

Actually it’s my day off right now, but this week I am going to fly to Japan to promote my album. And I am going to be there for a few days, finish my album that is coming out this fall, and then I am going to do an Asian tour.

Great. Do we have a date yet?

We don’t have a date yet, but it is definitely going to be the fall. It is going to come out in Asia first then here.

There’s not much info yet for her U.S. album. Charice has revealed two dates for her album release: Fall 2011 and Early 2012. To avoid major disappointment, just expect the her second album to drop in the first quarter of 2012 – and this is the most believable date since Charice said this in her latest interview at the Teen Choice Awards 2011.

By Sofia Carrera, charicemania.com

8/11 UPDATE: FULL VIDEO WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES

The Japanese TV Drama Series “Bull Doctor” has been airing for almost a month now, and they are planning a new set of promotions that will push the ratings way up high.

Based on the information posted by Japan’s Warner Music Group on their official website, Charice will have two “Bull Doctor” related events in Japan this August 2011, while a third event will be all about her and David Foster. Continue Reading

It’s been exactly three months and ten days since the release of “One Day” as a song, and now, we can watch the music video in its full glory. I’ll sum up the video in three words: inspiring, fun, and so Chariffiic!

About three hours ago (as of this writing), Charice tweeted one of the best tweets ever. It couldn’t come at a better time, as Chasters all over the world were waiting with bated breath for something new from her. Her tweet was actually one word long (plus a hash tag and link) but it summed up perfectly what fans were feeling, and it’s so great to know that it’s what she’s feeling too. Here’s her tweet: Continue Reading

8/22 – One day to go! Have you already bought your tickets to see Charice perform live?

Last year, Charice did an amazing five song set at the 2010 End of Summer Block Party. According to LAfan’s detailed concert report here, the audience definitely enjoyed her songs plus the dancing that she did. Almost everyone was singing along to her no. 1 hit single, Pyramid ft. Iyaz.

The people of Las Vegas must have had a really good time during Charice’s set because they’re bringing her back for this year’s End of Summer Block Party. 98.5 KLUC has just announced through their Twitter account that Charice’s addition to the performers list of the 2011 concert is now confirmed. Continue Reading