Claire to record original Carpenter song

 It’s a song waiting to be sung — and recorded —, composed by no less than Richard Carpenter for his sister Karen back in the ’80s after she died due to complications of anorexia. Almost two decades later, Richard has found the perfect singer for what may be his best and most moving tribute to Karen with whom he partnered in many hit songs that have been remade by other artists and remained popular up to now (among them We’ve Only Just Begun, Yesterday Once More, Rainy Days and Mondays).

The lucky singer? Yes, our very own Claire dela Fuente who is known as the Karen Carpenter of the Philippines because of “very Karen Carpenter” voice which at once became obvious when she sang the Hope cigaret jingle in the early ’80s when the Carpenters were at the peak of their short-lived reign as pop stars.

The song is called Something In Your Eyes which Richard has been keeping while waiting for the right alto to sing it. Many tried but none of them got Richard’s nod — until Claire came along and, I could imagine Richard exclaiming, “Eureka!”

“I just learned that Richard loves alto women,” Claire told Funfare in an exclusive phone interview a few hours after she personally met Richard last Monday, Dec. 3, at his home in North Ranch Club, Thousand Oaks, L.A. “It was during our meeting that I also learned na maraming nag-try kumanta n’ung song, pero walang nagustuhan si Richard.”

You may be wondering: How did Claire get wind of the song and eventually bag the assignment?

As Claire herself told Funfare, it was US record producer Christian de Walden who was instrumental in all this. De Walden is the same guy who produced for Viva Records some songs, including Magkasuyo Buong Gabi and who acted as distributor of Freddie Aguilar’s Anak in the international market. It was Viva boss Vic del Rosario Jr. who introduced Claire to De Walden who then introduced Claire to Pamela Phillips Oland, lyricist of the Carpenters. To make a long story short, Oland heard Claire sing and she was impressed. That was a few months ago. Then, Claire secretly flew to L.A. to do a demo-tape of Something In Your Eyes. She brought the demo tape with her when she — together with De Walden, Oland and Claire’s lawyer Teresita Marbibi — dropped by Richard’s house for a “Hi-hello!” visit that extended to  more than 45 minutes!

“We arrived at exactly 12 noon that day,” said Claire. “We were told that Richard was going to a tennis match at 12:30. True enough, when we arrived, Richard was in his tennis outfit and he apologized for it. His wife was also there. At first, he was a bit shy but very accommodating. Then, he invited us to his recording room at the basement where he listened to the demo tape. I noticed that medyo tinitimpla-timpla niya ‘yung demo tape while he was listening to it intently.”

Seated beside Richard, Claire shed tears while also listening to the demo tape. “I need some tissue,” Claire recalled herself saying. Richard promptly ran upstairs and came back with a box of tissue paper and handed it to Claire.

“It’s beautiful!” said Richard. “It’s going to be a hit!”

To be recorded by Christian de Walden for Viva Records, Something In Your Eyes will be the carrier single of Claire’s album which will be recorded in the US. The album will also carry four original Tagalog songs composed by Jimmy Borja and STAR columnist Baby Gil. Claire will be back from L.A. next week and will go back early next year to start recording.

The good news is that Richard Carpenter might fly to the Philippines to grace the album’s release in March next year.

Pops: One gown for every song

When Pops Fernandez mounts the stage of the Araneta Coliseum on Saturday, Dec. 8, for her 25th-year-in-showbiz concert Divalicious, she will treat the audience not only to a repertoire of songs that mark milestones in her life and career but also to a fashion show consisting of gowns specially designed for the event by the country’s top designers including Dennis Celestial, Ito Curata, Randy Ortiz, Puey Quinones and Maxi Cinco.

“Yes, it’s a fashion musical,” said Pops’ manager Arnold Vegafria who sent Funfare sketches of some of the gowns and a story of how blessed Pops feels with good friends who have stuck with her through thick and thin.

Among her closest friends in the biz are Gary Valenciano, Kuh Ledesma and Sharon Cuneta-Pangilinan, all of whom agreed to be her special guests in Divalicious.

Aside from sharing their gift of song and passion for music, Pops’ friends have a lot to share about their enduring friendship.

Legendary OPM icon Kuh recounts, “We first worked together around 1998 for the Power of Two series of shows at the Music Museum. The best moments I’ve shared with her are all those private talks we’ve had about love and life, and when she shows me that she appreciates what I say. Also, when she laughs at my jokes (which is very seldom), but seriously, I love seeing the twinkle in her eyes when she talks about Robin and Ram.”

If she could share a duet with Pops, Kuh picks Love Moves in Mysterious Ways. “We’ve sung it in our tour and we have great harmony,” she says. “And we both believe in the Power of Love.”

Asked to cite Pops’ most significant achievement, Kuh adds, “Being here after all these years is a remarkable feat … staying gorgeous, stylish and beautiful. Many people don’t know it, but Pops is a techie. She loves laptops, gadgets and cameras. She sleeps with her computer beside her. Ha, ha, ha!”

For his part, concert livewire Gary Valenciano has known Pops for more than two decades. “One of my best moments with her was when we did a special many years ago under the direction of Fritz Ynfante,” he recounts. “It was a first for me and I was totally thrilled to be working with her.”

“My fondest memories go back to when Martin and she would invite our family to their house in Alabang,” Gary continues. “We would swim, eat, play games and best of all, talk about life. Sometimes, we’d just go there for the afternoon on Sundays and stay ‘til past dinner. This is when I’d see her somewhat complete and lacking in nothing. It was a great time with great moments of friends just being there for each other.”

And how does Gary assess Pops as a performer? “Every artist is unique and Pops is no exception,” he avers. “She can sing, move and talk. She has an uncanny way of effectively reaching out to her audience, which is a plus factor to have as an entertainer.”

He adds, “I think there aren’t many people left who haven’t heard of what Pops has gone through in life. So much emphasis has been placed on her relationships, and not all her stories are that of a princess who lives happily ever after, BUT, just like she’s managed to touch her fans, I too feel that there are songs that can touch her. I recorded this one song called It’s OK, a remake of a duet I recorded with Mayanne Casal-Soriano and I believe that it’s one of those songs that can help mend the wounds of yesterday and make her know that with God in our hearts … it’s OK.”

Asked to cite Pops’ greatest legacy, Gary says, “The fact that she’s still around is a feat in itself. Her sons have been brought up well, too. This for me stands as her greatest achievement because at the end of it all, it’s not what we’ve achieved for ourselves that counts, but rather what we leave behind for others to be achievers, too.”

(Presented by Globe, Nokia and ABS-CBN in cooperation with Rustan’s Essenses, Dermstrata and Unica Hija, Divalicious is produced by ALV Events International. Major sponsors are PAGCOR, Casino Filipino, Technomarine, McDonald’s, Acuvue, Ink for Less, Sarabia Optical, Security Bank, Sta. Lucia Realty and Angel Condensada. Media partners are The Philippine STAR, Inquirer, 96.3 W-Rock, 89.9 WTM, Mellow Touch 94.7, 101.9 WRR and Love Radio 90.7. The show is directed by Rowell Santiago, with musical direction by Homer Flores and choreography by Georcel. Showtime is 8 p.m. For ticket inquiries, call ALV Talent Circuit at 633-9825 to 27 / 637-7016, or Ticketnet 911-5555).

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