Charice talks about childhood and her father in CNN interview

Filipino singer Charice Pempengco’s rise to fame is unstoppable.   After being discovered on YouTube, Pempengco then found herself making waves in the United States after being dubbed by Oprah Winfrey as “the most talented girl in the world.” This year alone, she had another guest stint in the popular show “Glee” and a part in the David Foster and Friends concert series.   Although the year ended on a sad note when Pempengco’s estranged father was killed in the Philippines on October 30, 2011, she’s still on top of her game.   Before the fame and fortune though, her life was very different. In an in-depth interview on CNN’s “Talk Asia,” the international star talked about her childhood and sudden rise to fame, and wonders about what it feels like to have a father.   Hard knock life   “It was a tough life before but now this whole thing that happened to me really helped me a lot,” the 19-year-old told CNN’s Anna Coren in the interview that will air on Friday, December 2, at 6:30 p.m. on CNN.   Pempengco, whose father left their family when she was only three years old, told Coren that at the tender age of six, she was already taking financial responsibility for her family—to the point of juggling her academics and several singing competition stints.   It was a rigorous schedule, she told CNN.   “Every time I did all the singing contests and it was horrible. You start from 10 p.m. in the night and you finish at 7 a.m. in the morning and I had to go to school,” Pempengco said.   ‘How does it feel to have a dad?’   When Coren started asking about her estranged father, Pempengco couldn’t help but cry.   “Sometimes when I see some kids with their families… I ask 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 is here,” said Pempengco in the interview that was taped weeks before her father was killed.   Controversy hounded the singer after her father’s death when she turned to Twitter to express her feelings towards her father’s relatives.    During her father’s wake, however, the Pempengco and her father’s family reconciled.   Some things don’t change   Thankful as she is, the young singer also admitted to still being overwhelmed by her sudden fame. “But at the same time, I worked hard for it and I’m still working hard for it,” she added.   She assured fans and detractors alike, however, that’s she’s still the same old Charice. “I’m still me, but of course my life has changed a lot,” she said.   The full interview airs on Friday (December 2), at 6:30 pm. The interview will also be replayed at different times from December 3-6 and December 8. — KBK, GMA News