Claire dela Fuente
| Claire dela Fuente | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Clarita Crisostomo Dela Fuente |
| Born | December 28, 1958 |
| Origin | Manila, Philippines |
| Genres | OPM |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Website | http://www.clairedelafuente.com |
Clarita Crisostomo Dela Fuente-De Guzman (born December 28, 1958), better known as Claire de la Fuente, is a Filipino singer who achieved celebrity status in the late 1970s with the jukebox hit "Sayang". She was given the title "Asia's Sweetest Voice" because of her sweet voice. She was dubbed "the Karen Carpenter of the Philippines" as her voice has a striking resemblance to that of the late singer. Her first album in 1977 was then the Philippines' biggest ever seller. She went on to record seven more albums. Besides "Sayang", she is also known for hits like "Minsan-Minsan" and "Nakaw Na Pag-ibig".
She was awarded the title "Queen of Tagalog Songs" alongside Rico J. Puno as her counterpart. She was also named "Jukebox Queen" together with her contemporaries Imelda Papin, Eva Eugenio and the late Didith Reyes. She was also dubbed as "Asia's Sweetest Voice" and won praises from musicians such as Stevie Wonder, Roberta Flack, Michael Bolton, David Soul and Richard Carpenter (of The Carpenters).
She is also a successful businesswoman. She is the president of the Integrated Metropolitan Bus Operators Association (IMBOA), though her bus franchise was cancelled in 2011 for joining a nationwide transport strike.
De la Fuente was 15 when she won 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, a fellow UE Alumni, and the head judge in the contest, gave the singer her first break by having her sing the jingle in a Hope cigarette commercial that became popular for its "imported" sound.
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