By Alesha Capone
A TALENTED Tarneit singer is already a seasoned performer at the age of 22.
Charlene Sotelo began singing in front of crowds while she was a school girl in the Philippines.
She has also starred in festivals, Filipino dinner dances, fund-raising events and alongside famous Filipino artists Sam Milby and Piolo Pascual when they visited Melbourne.
In addition, Ms Sotelo was first runner-up in the FIL-OZ Idol competition during 2008.
“I’ve seen myself as a performer since I was a child,” Ms Sotelo said.
“What I enjoy most about performing is you sing from your heart. When singing you always aim to capture your listener’s heart.
“I love Whitney Houston, Celine Dion and Mariah Carey. I’m a ballad singer.
“Sometimes I sing every single day, especially if I’m tired or stressed.
“If you’re very stressed or upset, after singing a couple of songs you feel better.”
Ms Sotelo works as a nurse and her voice has even helped soothe a patient.
“I often sing on the way to work, that’s my practice time,” she said.
“One day, the doctor said, ‘The patient is really in pain, will you sing to him?’ I sang ‘My Heart Will Go On’ and the patient said, ‘Oh, that was really lovely’.”
Although she has been singing since childhood, Ms Sotelo recently began classes at the Cutting Edge Singing School in Tarneit, which she said has helped her confidence.
