Odette Quesada

Odellavania Quesada Flewelling is a Filipino singer and songwriter known for her contributions to OPM, notably hits such as "Till I Met You", "Give Me a Chance", and "Friend of Mine", which have become karaoke staples in the Philippines.

Among her early hits, "Till I Met You" won the grand prize in the professional category at the 6th Metro Manila Popular Music Festival in 1983. She went on to release six albums. In January 2024, she received the Parangal Levi Celerio Lifetime Achievement Award at the 15th PMPC Star Awards for Music

She was previously married to fellow OPM singer-songwriter Bodjie Dasig, who died in 2012.

Early life Quesada was born to John Flewelling, an American originally from New Jersey, and Thelma Quesada, of San Juan. Her mother was working abroad as a singer and jazz pianist, so she spent her childhood years abroad. When her mother remarried, she lived in Hawaii. When she was in the Philippines for school, she was raised by her grandmother, Dorotea Quesada. At 15 years old, she decided to stay in Manila. By that age, she knew she wanted to be a songwriter.

Career

1980s–1990s When Quesada was 16 years old and in her senior year of high school, she entered the amateur division of the 1982 Metropop Song Festival.

Also in 1982, Quesada began studying at the UP College of Music. It was during this time that she got to work with Kuh Ledesma, one of her inspirations. For Ledesma’s Just You, Just Me album, Odette wrote “A Long, Long, Time Ago” and "Sweet Melody". She also offered her “Till I Met You” for the album, but she declined. She decided to enter it in the 1983 Metropop competition, now in the professional division. This time, Ledesma interpreted the song, and they both won first place. She also was involved in the soundtrack of the 1984 film Bagets with the songs "Farewell", which was sung by Lauchengco, and "Growing Up", which was sung by Gary Valenciano. It was then that Vic del Rosario convinced her to sing her own songs while continuing to write them, similar to Carole King. In 1996, Quesada won an international songwriting contest with Dasig as her arranger. A year later, she wrote the lead single "More Than I Should" for Lani Misalucha's debut album of the same name.

2000s In 2001, Quesada and her family moved to the US, as Dasig wanted to help his sister with her business, and their son, Darian, had breathing problems due to the pollution in Metro Manila. Its lead single of the same name was originally written by Dasig in 1994 for Quesada as a Valentine's Day gift. The single went on to be used in the Metro Manila Film Festival entry El Presidente. They also worked on the music and libretto of Amerikana: Made In The Philippines, a musical comedy play that starred de los Reyes.

2010s–present On November 14, 2015, the Filipino American Symphony Orchestra paid tribute to her in their concert “Faso Goes Pops!”. She then held a joint Valentine's Day concert with Ogie Alcasid a month later. In January 2025, she was honored at the Ryan Cayabyab Awards. She also held her 60th birthday concert at BGC later that month.

Personal life In April 1993, Quesada married fellow OPM singer-songwriter Bodjie Dasig, who died in 2012 at the age of 48. They worked together on many songs and have a son, Darian.

Discography Hopeless Romantic (1984) Quesada (1990) Careless (1992) Sa'yo Pa Rin (1997) I'm Perfect (2014)

Appearances and collaborations Kamandag: Bodjie's Law of Gravity - Bodjie Dasig (1992) Menemis Willie - Willie Nepomuceno (1993) Always on My Mind - Ric Segreto (1994) Pag Katabi Kita - Vina Morales (1994) Willie Nep for President - Willie Nepomuceno (1996) Getting to Know - Ariel Rivera (1997) Iba Nang Babae Ngayon - Bodjie & the Law of Gravity (1997) More Than I Should - Lani Misalucha (1997) Habang Panahon - Nora Aunor (2009) Hindi Ko Akalain - Marco Sison (2011)