Dulce

Maria Teresa Magdalena Abellare Llamedo-Cruzata (born July 22, 1961), known professionally as Dulce , is a Filipino singer and actress. She is popularly referred to as "Asia's Timeless Diva".

Dubbed as one of the Philippines' natural treasures, Dulce is noted for her distinct vocal power and delivery. Among many of her international accolades includes the grand prize trophies at the 4th Asian Singing Competition in 1979 and the Asia-Pacific Singing Contest in 1988 in Hong Kong. She also finished first runner-up at the 3rd ABU Popular Song Festival in Malaysia and first runner-up at the Australia Open Entertainment Competition in 2002. She has already recorded 30 albums (including 12 solo albums) throughout her career and has sung in over thirty movie theme songs, thus earning her the moniker "Movie Theme Song Queen". Her father, Leoncio, was a carpenter who played the double bass in the village band while her mother, Andrea, was a dress-maker who sang in their local chapel. She is the sixth At 12, she was already performing at soda fountains in Cebu City. When she finally got to enter the competition, she became a weekly and then monthly champion but failed to make it to the grand championship. After the competition, she stayed in Manila for five months, performing covers of songs by Shirley Bassey, among others, and had occasional stints in bars and restaurants around downtown Manila, Quezon City, and Laguna. The song was sent by its composer, Canseco, to compete at the Metropop Song Festival but lost. Later that year, Dulce was sent to Hong Kong to compete at the Asian Singing Competition using an English - translated version (adaptation, "I Am Not Crying Over You") of the song as her performance piece. She, however, decided at the last minute to scrap the English translation and sing it in its original Tagalog form. She won the grand prize of the competition and later recounted that her win was the event that changed her life. Claude-Michel Schönberg is said to have commented that her voice "is like a Boeing 747 taking off". She returned to the musical theater stage in 2008 where she played Motormouth Maybelle in a local production of Hairspray also at the CCP.

Her other monikers include "Asia's Diva", "Theme Song Queen", and "Timeless Diva". She has since sung around 30 movie theme songs. She then married Bernard Beltran Cruzata II, with whom she has two children— Jemimah and Jedidah. She is now separated and lives happily with her two youngest daughters.

Discography Albums Dulce (1979, Blackgold Records) Sa Mga Awit Binisaya (1981, WEA Records) Don't Ever Say Goodbye (1982, WEA Records) Langit Ug Yuta (1991, Sunshine Records) Saan Patungo ang Bukas (1994, 3:16 Records) Daphne & Dulce - Piano & Voice (2021, Spaced Out Records)

Compilation albums Best of Dulce (1990s, Vicor Records) Pamasko ng Mga Bituin (2000s, Christmas compilation with APO Hiking Society and others)

Singles Ako Ang Nagwagi (1979) – signature hit; later covered by Eva Eugenio (2010) and Lea Salonga (2004) Paano (1979) – originally by Pilita Corrales; Dulce's version became iconic; later covered by Noel Cabangon (2012) Maalaala Mo Kaya (1982, duet with Leo Valdez) – originally by Constancio de Guzman (1940) Usahay (1970) – Visayan classic; Dulce's rendition popularized it nationally Matud Nila (1970) – cover of Ben Zubiri's 1941 kundiman From a Distance (2002) – cover of Nanci Griffith's 1987 song, also popularized by Bette Midler Forever You Will Be My Song (1990s, from Saan Patungo ang Bukas) He Died for Me (1990s, gospel release) Our Healing Rest (1990s, gospel release)

Filmography Film

Television