SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - It was a night music lovers will not forget.

International singing sensation Charice Pempengco did not disappoint tens of thousands of fans who came to watch her and other word-class performers at the "David Foster and Friends" concert on Friday evening (November 8).

Music fans were treated to love songs of music greats like Peter Cetera, who had performed in Manila last February and plans to perform again in Manila someday with Charice.

"I had some friends who told me, go to the Philippines. They will love you over there and it's the truth," Cetera said.

Meanwhile, American Idol winners Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken sang Foster classics. However, it was Charice who was chosen to end the show with a grand performance.

"Ang sarap ng feeling. Nafe-feel ko talaga na binigyan ako ng importansiya ni Sir David [Foster]," Charice said.

Many in the crowd were Filipinos who have supported Charice throughout her career.
 
"'Yon ang ipinagmamalaki ko kay Sir David [Foster] na, iba talagang sumuporta ang mga Pinoy. [That's what I keep on bragging about to David Foster. Filipinos give their all-out support]," she said.

'Copycat singer'

Foster, a Canadian musician and producer who serves as a mentor to Charice, said there is no doubt that she is the "next big superstar" to break into the international music scene.

"There's a billion and a half Asians in the world. It doesn't make sense at all that there wouldn't be a superstar from there," he said.

Foster is known for "discovering" singers Celine Dion, Josh Groban, and Michael Bublé as well as working with renowned musicians like Michael Jackson, Christina Aguilera, Whitney Houston, and others.

Foster said critics who say that Charice is merely a "copycat singer" will see that she "is her own person." Charice has the ability to mimic the voices of other singers and her voice quality has been compared to Dion and Houston.

"If you hear the song 'Note to God', that is undeniably Charice. If you hear her new album, these are uniquely Charice. And she is definitely coming into her own,"  Foster said.

The producer said he plans to bring the concert "David Foster and Friends" to Manila next year, with Charice ready to headline her own concerts.

Charice is set to release her international debut album in January 2010. Report by Henni Espinosa, ABS-CBN North America.