Whitney Houston’s legacy

Whitney Houston may have led a troubled life and in the end paid for it dearly, but her artistry became that unquestionable music legacy she left not only in the US but around the world.

Especially in the Philippines, wherein all aspiring female singers—from the kid biriteras who braved palayans and dirt roads in the provinces to get to the town plaza for a singing contest to the pop divas performing in the major concert stages—have all been influenced by her unparalleled vocal intensity and power.

When we first heard her on local airwaves with the ballad "All at Once," we all were awed by her incredible vocal range, which became the new standard for female pop singers. Her amazing style—the vocal curl or what local performers describe as the kulot, became the staple of female singers wanting to make it big. If they passed the litmus test, as what CNN's Piers Morgan described, then they would succeed.

Though it may be too emphasized in the past, Regine Velasquez-Alcasid is clearly a follower of Whitney's vocal school. While it may be unfair to say Regine is the Philippines' Whitney Houston when she was first ushered in the limelight in the "Bagong Kampeon" talent competition in the early 80s, her influence in the Songbird's vocal style is very evident. And yes, she definitely succeeded.

Lani Misalucha is yet another vocal acrobat who clearly learned a lot from Whitney's style. Though she had adapted it to create her own vocal brand, Lani would never depart from Whitney's influence. You would notice it in the power of her renditions to her stage presence. The approach to regaling and impressing an astounded audience was unmistakable. She had to be like Whitney.

Carving her own niche in the business took careful reinvention but Sarah Geronimo would never be the pop princess without Whitney. Sarah had always sounded like Whitney from the time she first took the "Search for a Star" stage until she became a regular in "ASAP." Just like Whitney her enthralling yet solid voice always stood out.

While Jaya is clearly the soul diva everyone looks up to, she made it known that Whitney was her icon. Jaya inculcated Whitney's R&B method to the hilt and always left her audience breathless. A little know fact about Jaya was that she was actually chosen by concert producers in a supposed concert in Japan to sing alongside Whitney. But because of Whitney's personal struggles at that time, around the early 2000s, the tour was cancelled at the last minute.

And who would forget Charice, who is clearly a self-proclaimed Whitney disciple. While her interpretations of Celine Dion songs became more popular, the vocal style and aura on stage are remnants of what Whitney was during her prime. Also her approach in her renditions—owning the song and make unbelievable calisthenics with her voice is really something that would make Whitney proud.

But, just to clarify, we are not saying that these incredible Pinay performers were copycats of the late music great called Whitney Houston, who sadly passed away Saturday, February 11, in the midst of a glittering comeback—with even a planned judge stint in the next season of "X-Factor." They have been testaments to how Whitney was—not as one labeled in news media as another celebrity gone awry and suffered tragically because of it but as a legend, an unforgettable music icon whose influence changed peoples' lives.