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Filipina singing prodigy Charice Pempengco has a long-term plan that involves a different stage than the ones she has occupied since she started her music career.

Pempengco, known simply as Charice, told Reuters she was not getting caught up in all the attention and eventually wanted to pursue a different career.

“I want to be a lawyer,” the pop star said in an interview with Reuters Television. “Being a famous singer or an international singer — that’s my dream, too. But my main goal is to be a real student and be able to graduate and be a lawyer and have my own business.”

Although her schedule over this month has her flying throughout Asia on her first big tour in South Korea, Philippines, Japan, Thailand and Malaysia, Charice said she uses her school books to come down from the rush of playing in concert.

“Some of my friends are giving me law books,” she said. “I love reading those. It’s like my relaxation.”

Since being discovered on video-sharing Web site YouTube and appearing on “Oprah” in 2008, the pop singer’s profile has grown steadily.

Known for her striking, powerful voice, the 18-year-old has already shared stages with the likes of tenor Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion.

Her single “Pyramid,” which she recorded with singer Iyaz and was released in March as part of her self-titled album, has received extensive US radio airplay. A remixed version of the track has soared to the top of the US Billboard dance charts.

The singer says her drive and ambition stem from her difficult past, growing up in San Pedro in the Philippines and singing in amateur contests to help her struggling single mother.

“I’m mature because of my past,” she said, acknowledging that she could be a little bossy. “At [my] age of 6 years, my mom was getting advice from me.”

She already has movie credits to her name, including a brief cameo in the US animated children’s movie “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel.”

In late July, she will start working with the cast and producers of US television series “Glee” in Los Angeles. “I haven’t gotten the script yet, but I think I’m going to play a foreign student,” she said.

“I’m really nervous. But I’m trying to be normal and act like myself on the set.”  


Reuters