EARLY YEARS
Claire was 15 when she bagged the grand prize in the first singing contest she joined singing The Carpenters' "Love Me For What I Am." By that time, the Accounting freshman at the University of the East knew she loved singing and was aware that she sounded like Karen Carpenter after a high school classmate had pointed it out.
Composer George Canseco, the head judge in the contest, gave the singer her first break by having her sing the jingle in the now-famous Hope cigarette jingle ("There's a light of hope, when you light a Hope...") that became popular for its "imported" sound.
She then landed a recording contract and immediately recorded her first song entitled "Sayang" that turned out to be the song that would put her on top. "Sayang" became and overnight sensation, making Claire dela Fuente a household name in a matter of days. She followed up this major hit by releasing two other hits: "Minsan-Minsan" and "Nakaw na Pab-ibig". From then on, she would record 8 more albums.
THE BUSINESS WOMAN
De la Fuente took a break from show business in her mid-20s after reaping its financial rewards. She was married by that time, having tied the knot at 19 to a man 10 years her senior. In 1993, she set up the King of Kings Transport, which had to fold up a few years later. It wasn't the lucrative business she had hoped it would be.
Three years later, de la Fuente was elected president of the "Integrated Metro Bus Operators Association" (IMBOA), whose members make up 70 percent of all bus operators in Metro Manila. In 2003, dela Fuente made headlines when she spearheaded a boycott of the color-coding scheme that the MMDA had imposed for a week on all public utility vehicles as part of a traffic experiment. She is dubbed as "The Most Powerful Woman in the Transport Industry".
Alongside this endeavor, she begin to dabble once again into showbusiness. She began host a noon-time radio show entitled "Usapang Claire" that covered current issues. She also began hosting a tv show entitled "Lifestyles with ms. Claire Dela Fuente" that featured home interiors (one of her great passions). She also hosted the tv Martial Arts show entitled "Ang Tapondo at ang Tigasin" with General Romeo Maganto. However, the demands of family life required her to quit the two thriving shows.
Besides being the spokesperson of the entire Public Transportation industry, she has become a very successful businesswoman. She dabbled into the cosmetics industry, opening up "The Skin Shop". Alongside this, she showcased her flair for culinary arts and opened "Gracielo's" and "Claire de la fuente Seafood and Grill".
WEATHERING THE STORM
As charmed as her life seemed, it was not exempted from tragedies. In December 2006, her husband and best friend for more than 28 years, Moises "Boy" de Guzman, died after a five-month struggle with cancer. It is said that she devoted most of her time to her husband, sleeping beside him in the hospital every night. Moises left behind Claire together with their two sons, Gregorio (Rafael) and Gracielo (Mickey).
Moises' funeral was attended by the biggest names in the philippines as they paid tribute to the man behind the woman.
THE COMEBACK
A year after, Claire received the opportunity of her dreams: to meet and work with Richard Carpenter, one half of the famous duo "The Carpenters". Along with the help of producers Vic del Rosario and Christian de Walden, she recording the album "Something In Your Eyes" with the title song as the main single (Written by Richard Carpenter and previously sung by Dusty Springfield). In the album, her son Rafael co-wrote a song with the lyricist of "Something In Your Eyes", Pamela Philips Oland. To top it all off, Pamela Philips Oland and Richard Carpenter and his wife Mary graced the album launching witht heir presence. The single went straight to #1 and the album quickly went GOLD, making Claire's comeback the biggest and most successful one in the Philippine Showbiz Industry.
She soon followed this success with "The Christmas Album", her second christmas album that features a duet with her son Rafael. It went GOLD a few weeks after its release. At the same time, "Something In Your Eyes" went PLATINUM. To cap the most eventful year in Claire's life, she performed her long-awaited major concert entitled "TIMELESS" under the direction of her son Rafael. Despite clamour for a repeat, the one-night-only show was not restaged so as to give way to an even bigger project.
In December 2008, Claire co-produced "The Legends of OPM" that featured herself along with Rico J. Puno, Eva Eugenio, Rey Valera, Joey Albert, and Nonoy Zuniga at the PICC. The show succeeded beyond expectations that it was re-staged a few months later.
Currently, she has a ton of projects in the works. But what is for sure is that she's only just begun.
"Queen of Tagalog Songs"
DOUBLE PLATINUM RECORD AWARDS:
Nakaw na pag-ibig (single)
Minsan-Minsan (single)
Sayang (album)
The Best of Claire (album)
The Best of Claire (CD)
PLATINUM RECORD AWARD:
Something In Your Eyes (album)
GOLD RECORD AWARDS:
Something In Your Eyes (album)
The Christmas Album (album)
Nangigngiti ang puso ko (album)
Nanggingiti ang puso ko (single)
Makikita mo (single)
Mga bulong ng pag-ibig (album)
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