Regine Velasquez, over the course of her decades-long reign as a Filipina prima diva, has become many things. She’s Asia’s Songbird (“Sino bang nag-decide? Sino ba si ‘Asia’?” she once said jokingly), a moniker whose origin traces back to her Grand Prize-winning stint on the Asia-Pacific Singing Contest in Hong Kong in 1989.) And as certified by the Philippine Association of the Record Industry (PARI) multiple times over, one of — if not the top — best-selling Filipino artists of all time, with hundreds of thousands of copies sold for records like Retro (1996), R2K (1999), and Kailangan Ko’y Ikaw (2000).
This weekend, Velasquez hits the concert stage one last time with her final major solo concert series, Finale at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, where thousands of fans are expecting to hear her sing her hits, and then some, live. This includes DJ and CHURCHLOVESU co-founder Xtina Superstar, who first discovered Regine on a school bus in the ‘90s.
“They played ‘Bluer Than Blue’ by Regine, and I remember, sabi ko, ‘My god, who is this girl?’ And at that time, I didn’t know that ‘Bluer Than Blue’ was a cover, so I thought it was really her song,” she recalls.
While the rest of her classmates were listening to The Spice Girls, *NSYNC, and Backstreet Boys, lone young Xtina, smitten by Regine, was researching who she was, which eventually led her to the album Retro. “I remember nagpabili ako sa lolo ko ng cassette tape nung song because I was so obsessed with the song.”
To Xtina, Regine was unlike any artist at the time. She was, to her, a chameleon whose artistry evolved along with each different persona that came with every album. “She was such a visionary during the ‘90s with ‘yung mga paaandar niya sa mga albums niya. Parang she was the only one who actually had the perfect definition of what an era is — and she had so many eras. If you think about it, like she was so ahead of everyone else, in my opinion.” She cites her 1999 album R2K as her magnum opus, which perfectly encapsulated the Y2K era before it was diluted to a trendTrendA pattern or style that gains popularity for a period of time, whether in fashion, music, language, or online behavior. Trends move quickly in the age of social media, andGo to Trend Glossary.
And all these eras and the moments in between, Xtina knows by heart as a Regine superfan. “I can literally talk about her for three hours straight, and lahat ng performances niya, alam ko.” If anything, she adds, Regine has largely influenced her as an artist. On her sets, she sometimes sneaks in Regine songs like “You’ve Made Me Stronger,” or even “Dadalhin,” “para may basag.”
“I would play like a fun set, and then by the end of it I would play like one Regine song. Pambasag lang. And you know what? Surprisingly, people love it, and they sing to it. Because who doesn’t know her songs?”
Here, Xtina — with the help of her fellow Regine fans — ranks 20 of the best Regine songs from the ‘90s up until the mid-2010s, mostly deep cuts. “She has so many good songs na ‘di alam ng most ng mga tao. And ang ganda nung mga songs na ‘di masyadong sikat, kumbaga.”
This song has such a nice feeling to it. Tumatak din sa akin kasi during CHURCH pinatugtog ‘to ni Congruum. He’s from Baguio. I was surprised that in the middle of a techno set, nasingit niya ‘yung “Promdi.” It was such a good moment. I remember I heard it while I was in the VIP room, and then I went, “Oh my god, someone is playing ‘Promdi’ by Ate Reg.”
This song, I feel like, encapsulates her as an artist because she’s a promdi. She came from the probinsya. I think if there’s one thing charming about Regine — even if it’s very cliché — it’s that she’s a rags-to-riches girl, and I’m the type of person who loves seeing someone win sa life. ‘Yung bala nya lang literally was her voice and her talent, and that’s what catapulted her into the big star she is now.
This song to me is a perfect introduction to her life.
This was my introduction to Regine. Whenever I listen to it, it reminds me na this was the song that introduced me to her. So to me, it was an important part as a fan. It made me a Reginian.
I know this is a very important song for her because this was gifted to her by Ogie Alcasid. I was lucky enough to be invited to one of her Christmas parties way back, and I remember seeing a framed paper — handwriting yata ni Ogie ng “Kailangan Ko’y Ikaw,” and it was framed in her sala.
Ito rin ‘yung movie nya with Robin Padilla na sobrang patok nung time na ‘yun. This is the time when she was also reigning, not just as a singer but also as an actress. I remember she got so many awards for this one. So, parang that’s how I view her din, na okay rin siya as a rom-com actress.
So this was written by Trina Belamide. I was also lucky enough to meet her through Kate Torralba a couple of years back, and I remember telling her, “Alam mo, lahat ng favorite ko na songs ni Ate was written by you.”
Medyo konti lang ‘yung may alam nito, I think. It’s not like it’s her most popular. But I feel like it’s such an underrated song from her catalog.
So, if you know the story of the song, this was originally sung by Jamie Rivera. And then I know the history ng kanta na ‘to is it was given to her, and then ‘yun nga, it’s one of those songs nga na [like “Bluer Than Blue”] na parang if she sings it, she makes it her own.
Parang this was one of her first singles [as Chona Velasquez].
This was also written by Ogie Alcasid from the album Covers. I like this because it’s kind of an upbeat song and medyo rare ‘yun for a Regine Velasquez catalog. So I really love this song. It’s just a feel-good song for me. I also play this sometimes in my sets.
This was a song that I had to put from the R2K era. I chose this song because I know this is also a special song for her kasi this is a song that she would sing sa competitions. This was the song that she sang sa Ang Bagong Kampeon, and then she won. She redid the song again during the R2K era, and it’s actually one of my favorite songs from the album. I remember sobrang gusto ko ‘yung video nito. Directed by Louis Ignacio.
This was remixed by my friend DJ Brian Kua. I always play this at my sets too because kumbaga ito ‘yung version niya ng “Dream Lover” (David Morales remix). That’s how I view the song, kasi it’s a power ballad, but it was remixed to sound like it’s a club anthem.
I would usually love an upbeat song, and with Regine, she’s known for ballads talaga. So for me, this is a really good song from her because it encapsulates the nightlife scene na parang it’s something that I can play and the gays would love.
I had to put this song because I love Ryan Cayabyab. He’s obviously a national artist, and I think this is one of the songs ni Ryan na sobrang ganda, and it was perfectly sung by Regine.
Actually, I was deciding between “Araw-Gabi” or “Tuwing Umuulan” because it was also written by Maestro Ryan Cayabyab. But I ended up picking “Araw-Gabi” more just because I just like how it’s produced and parang mas favorite ko ‘yung rendition niyan nito. For me, mas may punch ‘yung “Araw-Gabi” whenever I listen to it. Probably because mas mataas din kasi ‘yung pagkanta nya nito versus “Tuwing Umuulan.”
This song is such an iconic moment for her because this was a Y2K song that she sang on top of the Peninsula Hotel wearing a Rajo Laurel gown. This was really a moment for her, in my opinion. Parang one of the top moments of her career because who would have done something [like this]? Si Regine lang talaga.
They literally had to close Makati Ave. at the time because there were so many extras na nilagay nila dun. I asked Rajo and he told me na while she was on top of it, si Rajo parang inaalalayan ‘yung train ng gown. Wala daw harness ‘yun. Talagang matapang lang daw si girl na tumayo dun.
Madami siyang duets, ‘di ba? But for me, ito ‘yung pinaka-favorite ko sa kanya. Also, I think it’s a very underrated song. She has so many duets na kanta na mas sikat dito, but I think “Muli” with Gary V is a top-tier duet song from her. There’s just like so much emotion when I listen to the song, so I just have to put it here because I really love “Muli” with Gary V.
There’s just something very ‘90s about the production of the song. Like when you listen to it, it sounds like an old song, and it gives me such nostalgia whenever I hear this song.
This is one of her recent songs from her R3K album. This is an original, actually. I feel like this song deserves so much more love because sobrang ganda ng lyrics. I think it was written very well, produced very well. Even the climax of the song. I feel like it should have been a hit actually, because if you think about it, it’s a love song, and Filipinos love love songs.
I remember I watched R3K, kinanta nya ‘to live. It was also the time na iba na ‘yung tono ng bosses niya. But in my opinion, sobrang bumagay ‘yung arrangement ng song with her new tone.
This is also one of my favorites from the Reigne album. Maganda talaga ‘yung kanta. Also underrated din siya. It’s one of those songs na hindi masyadong popular from her catalog. This wasn’t even a single from the album. But it was written and produced well, in my opinion.
This is a fan favorite. This was written and composed by Tats Faustino. Obviously, this was like a big hit for her, so I had to put it on this list because when she sings it, everyone knows it. And when I play this, every gay guy or girl during my sets, they know every word to it talaga. So I would say this is one of her signature songs.
Sabi ko sa ‘yo, favorite ko talaga ‘yung Reigne. Ang ganda kasi ng video na ‘to, honestly. It’s one of those videos na puro umiiyak shots, nasa tuktok lang siya ng parang tower or something. And then may scene pa na parang nasa kulungan ba siya or a very empty room, and then she was like crying.
So for me, one of her most underrated songs too, because this was like the first single sa Reigne, if I’m not mistaken. I mean, it wasn’t as much of a big of a hit like “Dadalhin,” because “Dadalhin” was really the biggest hit from Reigne, but “To Reach You” to me, was like an introduction to this new era. Sobrang gusto ko ‘to nung lumabas kasi nga paandar si sis as usual.
So this is also a rendition from her album Low Key, which I also think is a very, very, very underrated album. She called this Low Key because she was literally singing in low key during this era. Actually, masakit na talaga lyrics niya, tsaka ‘yung song if you listen to it, but there’s something about her rendition of this that makes the song so much sadder and more heartbreaking in my opinion because hindi siya bumirit sa album na ‘to. So she has so much restraint when it comes to singing the song, but she put so much emotion nung kinanta nya ‘tong kanta na ‘to.
Whenever I listen to it, it’s so sad, and the way Regine sings it with so much emotion na she would really make you feel every word from this song. It’s such a heartbreaking song. Ito hindi niya original ‘to pero, for me, one of her best renditions na kinanta nya.
I feel like this was the song that really introduced her as an artist. This is also not an original. If I’m not mistaken, this was Marycris Bermont yata. So sobrang iba ‘yung rendition ni Regine from the original. And if I’m not mistaken, this was a winner of the first Metro Pop Song Festival. Third prize.
This is one of her songs that she really made her own as well. And key moment din ‘to for me because it’s such a classic Regine song. Whenever she sings this, parang this is how I would envision her na parang she was first introduced as a singer, cause there’s something very — how do I say it? — nostalgic and parang iba ang dating ng kanta na ‘to for me. Ito ‘yung “Vision of Love” nya for me. You know when Mariah has to always put “Vision of Love” in her set list every time because it’s her l first song na nag-reintroduce sa kanya as a diva, as a singer. I feel like ito ‘yung kay Ate Reg.
So this is from the Drawn album. Written by Cacai Velazquez and Raul Mitra. Talagang there’s just so much emotion to this song, and it was a very well-written song, in my opinion. ‘Yung mga live version nya nito sobrang iba. One of my favorite live performances niya ‘tong “Linlangin Mo.”
Also from the Reason Enough album. It was a Japanese song. Trinanslate lang nila and nirendition nila into a Tagalog song. Very underrated in my opinion, but one of her most beautiful songs ever.
Andami ko actually na favorite songs from that album. It’s one of her most cohesive albums for me, thinking about it now.
I met Trina Belamide a couple of years back. I really told her, sabi ko, “Alam mo, ang pinaka-favorite ko na song ni ate is gawa mo.” Like iba talaga e. When Regine sings a song about heartbreak, she really gives so much emotion to it na ma-fi-feel mo talaga ‘yung sakit nung kanta, and I think ito talaga, whenever I listen to it, it’s such an emotional song. To me, this is really my most favorite Regine song na I also play sa ibang sets ko, and surprisingly alam nung mga bakla. Even the melody of the song, the way Trina produced it, parang there’s such an emptiness and heartbreak to the tone nung kanta.
Frequently Asked Questions
Regine Velasquez’s monike traces back to her Grand Prize-winning stint on the Asia-Pacific Singing Contest in Hong Kong in 1989.
Regine Velasquez’s final major solo concert series, Finale, is a three-day concert from October 17 to 19, 2026 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Xtina Superstar is a DJ, CHURCHLOVESU co-founder, and Regine Velasquez superfan, who ranks 20 of the best Songbird songs for Rolling Stone Philippines.
Certified by the Philippine Association of the Record Industry (PARI) multiple times over, Regine Velasquez is considered one of — if not the top — best-selling Filipino artists of all time, with hundreds of thousands of copies sold for records like Retro (1996), R2K (1999), and Kailangan Ko’y Ikaw (2000).
In this Rolling Stone Philippines ranking, Xtina Superstar places “You’ve Made Me Stronger” as the best Regine Velasquez song.
Recommended Video
