Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

MUSIC:

Imelda Papin: Manchester shares showroom with Filipino star

Click to enlarge photo

Imelda Papin

IF YOU GO

Who: Melissa Manchester & Imelda Papin

When: 8 p.m. Friday to Sunday

Where: The Orleans Showroom

Tickets: $60; 365-7075, www.orleanscasino.com

Beyond the Sun

Vocalist Imelda Papin, who was born in a remote fishing village in the Philippines, will perform on a Las Vegas stage this weekend with one of her idols, Grammy-winning vocalist Melissa Manchester.

“I was one of her biggest fans for years,” Papin says. “When I was starting out I would sing many of her songs. She is very popular in the Philippines.”

Papin began coming up in the 1970s when Manchester was having hits with songs such as “Midnight Blue,” “Through The Eyes of Love” and “Don’t Cry Out Loud.”

Papin says she’s overjoyed to be singing with one of her idols. She and Manchester will sing a duet as well as perform solo at the Orleans shows.

Papin began singing as a child. Because of her talent, her father moved the family to Manila, where she studied music and eventually sang in local clubs.

“Manila is our entertainment center, like Vegas,” she says.

Her career began in earnest in 1979. She was booked into Hyatt hotels in Asia, had a television program in Hong Kong and then returned home to begin her recording career. She became one of the most popular singers in the Philippines and started touring in the United States in 1980.

Papin has always been concerned about her native country, frequently heading up fund drives for a variety of causes, including feeding children.

In the late ’90s she served as the first female vice governor for the province of Camarines Sur. She set up the Imelda A. Papin Foundation, which uses a portion of her concert and record proceeds to support Filipinos in need. Recently, Papin held a fundraising concert with boxing champ Manny Pacquiao for the purchase of dialysis machines for the free treatment of indigent patients in the Philippines.

Papin’s hits include “We Could Have It All,” “Katarungan” and “Bawal.” She has performed frequently in Atlantic City and Las Vegas, usually at the Orleans.

Papin, whose latest recording is “Voice of the Heart,” hosts “The Imelda Papin Voice of the Heart Radio Show” from 2 to 4 p.m. Sundays on KLAV 1230-AM. She also hosts a TV talk show in Los Angeles two Saturdays a month.

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy