Regine Velasquez recalls being told “you’re not very pretty”
Regine Velasquez on growing up: “I was told I was ugly.”
Regine Velasquez, 51, grew up being told “ugly” or “not pretty.”

She was also told outright when she was just starting out because she was “not very pretty” and “just white.”

Asia’s Songbird said she accepted the comments about her appearance, but from the start she knew she was good at singing.

Regine was just a teenager at the time.

It all started for her when she won RPN-9’s Ang Bagong Kampeon in 1984.

“Because in the ’80s, I was starting, and people knew that I could sing.

“But they didn’t really think I’d make it because I wasn’t very pretty.

“It seems like, I’m not pretty… that’s always the feedback I get,” Regine said in a Zoom interview with Bianca Gonzalez on August 23.

Apart from criticizing her appearance, Regine’s critics back then also weren’t impressed with her singing style.

“They were like, ‘Yeah, she’s a good singer,’ but first of all, my sound didn’t seem trendy.

“There are belters, but they’re in a totally different league and I was trying to target a different kind of audience.

“That’s what I was like, like, ‘She’s not pretty. So, she might not be famous. She’s just white.’”

Regine looked back, “And I was told to my face, ha… They really told me, ‘Hmmm… you might not be pretty because you’re not pretty. Maybe you should fix it.’

“I’ve always heard that when I was a little girl. I’ve always thought that I wasn’t pretty because I was told I was ugly.”

REGINE’S MOTIVATION
Regine said she didn’t feel insecure even though she was often told that by other people.

She said she accepted that she wasn’t pretty, but she knew in her heart that she had talent in singing.

“I accepted that that’s a fact because they were the ones looking, eh.

“So, I thought it was a fact… that I’m not pretty, that I was ugly.“But in my head, my head was saying something different. It was like my head was saying, ‘Wait ‘til you hear me sing.’

“I always have that confidence with my voice.

“It’s okay if you think I’m ugly. You don’t have to look at me. But wait ‘til you hear me sing.

“It was always like that.”

In addition, her number one protector was her late father, Mang Gerardo “Gerry” Velasquez.

“Because my father would always have this way of making me feel confident about myself.

“Especially when he heard me being called ugly.

“He would tell people, ‘If my child is ugly, what else are you?’ That’s why I never got insecure about my appearance.

“It became a challenge… ‘You won’t stand out because you’re ugly.’ ‘Really? Let’s see. I’ll get better.’”

As Regine gradually rose to prominence, she studied her clothing and look.

She would buy one-year-old outfits when she went to America.

“I don’t like having a suit anymore, especially for clothes,” said Regine.

She also said she didn’t just put on makeup back then. She did her own makeup.

“So, I don’t get told I’m ugly anymore. I really studied how to do it.”

Regine has been in the showbiz industry for thirty-five years, recognized as one of the most popular female singers in the country.

Aside from singing, she has also branched out into acting and hosting.

Regine moved to ABS-CBN in October 2018, after two decades at GMA-7.