IN the local entertainment scene, Pilita Corrales is longevity personified. The legendary icon started singing professionally way back in the 1950s.
To go over her distinguished body of work is similar to browsing through the pages of Philippine music and entertainment history. Pilita started her career in Australia where she stayed for a long stretch of time, enough to become the first woman to top the Australian pop charts with a song called “Come Closer to Me”. She was such a big star in Australia and waxed three LPs (long-playing album) under Astor Records, where she became the first contract artist. Pilita’s fame in Australia was so huge that a street in Victoria was named after her.
By 1963 Pilita was back in Manila to pursue, in earnest, a musical career in her home country. She would shuttle between local gigs and shows overseas, performing alongside internationally acclaimed artists like Sammy Davis Jr., the Beatles, Bob Hope, Pat Boone, Frank Sinatra and Julie Andrews.
“In my book, Sammy Davis Jr. was the greatest,” Pilita shared. “I was his front act at The Manila Hotel decades ago and he told me, ‘One of these days, I’ll take you to Las Vegas.’ After 30 days, he made good on his word. I was able to perform in Las Vegas not as a front act but as part of the main show, as his guest. That’s something I will never ever forget.”
Pilita has recorded songs in Spanish, English, Tagalog and Cebuano, conquered the movies, and hosted a long-running musical show on ABS-CBN, called An Evening with Pilita.
She has earned multiple recognitions from the Cecil, Awit, Tinig and Aliw Awards.
All of these accolades and milestones in the colorful career and celebrated life of Pilita will be at front and center of her much-anticipated concert, titled An Evening With Pilita, on November 17. “It’s exciting,” Pilita says, “because it will be held at The Theatre at Solaire, which is beautiful and the sound is world class. I watched the recent show of Basil Valdes and it was splendid!”
The lady is more than excited. “We wanted to show a side of Pilita that a lot of the young people haven’t seen,” shared the show’s director, Carlo Orosa. “She’s the first Filipino singer to actually showcase the Filipino talent internationally. She is both an icon and a legend.”
In fact, Pilita was bestowed the well-deserved moniker Asia’s Queen of Songs when she became the first Filipino to win in an international music festival, bagging the Best Performer Award at the first Tokyo Music Festival in 1972.
Expect An Evening With Pilita’s repertoire to include her monster hits like “Kapantay ay Langit” and “A Million Thanks to You” in her signature “bending backwards” style.
“The interesting part is we would combine Pilita’s artistry with an excellent group of musicians called the AMP Band and the string section of the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra,” Orosa added.
The premium songstress will be joined by her special guests Jackie Lou Blanco, Janine Gutierrez and the Wing Duo. “My family and all my good friends will be there for sure!” she exclaimed.
Pilita, who will be wearing the creations of Fanny Serrano, is elated to be the next music icon to perform in The Theater at Solaire’s continuing Icons Series, after the sold-out and well-reviewed concerts of Basil Valdez and Celeste Legaspi. “The feeling is very validating,” she said, for wont of a better term to describe it. “It’s like you are on cloud nine.”
With her impeccable wit and vast experience as a performer of the highest tier, Pilita is up to the challenge. “I know right away the kind of audience I’d be performing for,” she volunteered, which is no empty claim. She has, after all, performed for royalties and distinguished men and women in the course of her long career.
It is her trade secret, in fact—the ability to hold an audience in the palm of her hand. Pilita was never the one who sang the loudest or had the most exquisite voice. “It is not about hitting the highest notes. Impressive vocals isn’t the only thing you need as a performer. You need to entertain, hold your audience and establish a connection.”
Indeed, after all these years, Pilita Corrales remains in a league all her own.