I finally got him to sing with me :)

I became a lounge singer because I'm a lover of jazz. I started singing professionally when I was 16. Natalie/Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Jane Monheit, Jobim, Sergio Mendez are my greatest influences. There are alot of female lounge singers here in the Philippines and just last february, i discovered a male one. He doesnt have Filipino roots but he actually grew up here. He speaks good tagalog, english and mandarin. He's a hot-chinito-boy-next-door-type and he sings great standards, really,really great. Yes, i am talking about Richard Poon. (And yes Richard, include me in your roster of biggest fans.)

Who is Richard Poon?

He is the Philippines' hottest big band crooner who has been touted to be the "Chinese Michael Buble", and this generation's Jose Mari Chan.

His mother is a well-known opera singer from Taiwan, and his father a famous basketball player and cook from Hongkong.

He has then recorded and released his first solo 13-track album "I'll Take Care Of You" this February 2008 under MCA Music. Richard calls his music "FRESH OLD-SCHOOL".

The album boasts of livelier, highly energized, and refreshing takes of well-loved '50s "standards" from Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Matt Monro, Harry Connick Jr. and the like. But the main highlight of the album showcases Richard's premiere strength as a crooner/ balladeer as he captures and romances the heart of his listeners with his timeless love songs.

Unknown to many, Richard (together with his piano player Osen Fernando) arranges his own music, and continues to delight and surprise his younger audiences with his unexpected "Big Band" arrangements of contemporary covers like Beyonce's "Irreplacable", Rihanna's "Umbrella", Sean Kingston's "Beautiful Girls", Mariah Carey's "My All", Avril Lavigne's "Complicated" and more hits with his highly skilled four-piece jazz band.

Despite being a newcomer in the music industry, in less than a year, Richard has already received 2 major nominations in the 2008 Awit Awards, going up against legendary icons Gary V, Martin Nievera, and Jose Mari Chan as co-nominees in the Best Male Artist and also being nominated for Best New Male Artist, further solidifying the legitimacy of his musical artistry and excellence.

Unlike most crooners, however, Richard is not just another beautiful voice. Besides being a standout in re-interpreting well-loved tunes of old, he is also an excellent composer who writes diverse original compositions like the enchanting and light-hearted lullaby "Lalala" used in the movie soundtrack of the Piolo Pascual/ Regine Velasquez film "Paano Kita Iibigin", and most recently, another RP original "Kahit Di Mo Napapansin" used in ABS-CBN's new "My Girl" teleserye soundtrack with Kim Chiu as lead character.

All of this has sparked a wild frenzy among fans who can't seem to stop blogging in the Internet about practically everything about him -- from his voice, his unique arrangement of songs, to his seeming resemblance to Korean soap opera actors and Taiwanese pop idols.

Currently, he continues to be a resident artist of Eastwood City (every Tuesdays) and regularly guests in the popular noontime show, ASAP '08.

Article from www.richardpoonmusic.multiply.com

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I bought his cd and for five months I've been dying to watch him on one of his shows. But as a very busy person (i do my boutique business in the morning and i sing at night), It was really hard for me to find time for pleasure and leisure.

But alas!!! Last night, i was able to attend on his gig in Eastwood with some friends. I also got him to sing with me!!! I was like, eeeeeeeeeeeeeeppp!!! Super kilig talaga! We sang "The Way You Look Tonight, one of my favorite songs from my favorite movie, My Bestfriends Wedding.

He invited me to sing on stage because he caught me singing with him. He wondered why i know all the songs that he sang and asked me if im a singer. I said, yah and the rest is history. hahaha!

Last night's show was super uber great. Richard has a soft, tender, easy, warm (and cold) voice. He sings like he's the man of your dreams and those romantic lyrics are for you. He's a perfect package - versatile voice, tall, handsome with a good personality to match.