REMEMBERING PILITA CORRALES: A Cebuana born to be 'Asia's Queen of Songs'

There's a saying that stardom doesn't happen overnight—many stars are made. But in the case of Pilita Corrales, whose photographs as a young woman pair beautifully with images of her aging gracefully, her powerful vocals and quadrilingual talent in English, Tagalog, Cebuano, and Spanish showed she was born to be a star.

- Januar Junior Aguja

Mimicked many times over, no one could bend their back while singing quite like Pilita Corrales. While the iconic Cebuana songstress passed away on April 12 at the age of 85, there's no doubt she left a monumental mark on Philippine showbiz—setting the standard for Original Pilipino Music to be at its best: vocally talented and a captivating on-stage performer. It's no wonder she earned the title "Asia's Queen of Songs."

María del Pilar Corrales y Garrido was born on August 22, 1939, in Lahug, Cebu City, to Spanish Filipino parents José Corrales de Zaragoza and María Garrido Manzano. She was the second eldest of seven siblings and an alumna of Colegio de la Inmaculada Concepcion before completing her studies in Spain.

Though she seemed destined for fame, it was her father's death that pushed her to pursue a singing career at 16, attempting to provide for her family, which was on the brink of relying solely on a matriach's pension.

Corrales didn't become a star in the Philippines immediately. She began her singing career in Australia in the late 1950s, becoming a familiar figure on Aussie radio and television, with “Come Closer to Me” being the first of many hits.

While she eventually left Australia to pursue show business in the Philippines in the early '60s—where she would spend most of her life—her influence there remains in the form of a street named after her: Pilitas Street, located in St. Forrest Hill in Victoria, Melbourne.

In her early years as a local star back home, she hosted a radio show, La Taverna, where she sang in Spanish while playing the guitar. She also performed regularly at the Manila Grand Opera House. At the time, she was labeled a “comedienne” because she couldn't yet speak Tagalog.