Filipino‑American Grammy‑ and Oscar‑winning singer H. E. R. (Gabriel Sarmiento Wilson) appeared at Kalye, a Filipino restaurant in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, for its “Kalyeoke” karaoke night. She led diners in a rendition of Rey Valera’s 1979 classic “Maging Sino Ka Man,” a song popularized in the 1990s by Sharon Cuneta. A video posted by the restaurant showed the crowd joining in and praised the performance, including a comment from Cuneta’s daughter KC Concepcion.
The performance highlighted H. E. R.’s connection to her Filipino heritage; she grew up in Northern California with a Filipina mother from Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija. In addition to the karaoke appearance, she is slated to star in DreamWorks Animation’s upcoming film “Forgotten Island,” alongside Filipino talent such as Liza Soberano, Lea Salonga and Dolly de Leon.
Entities
Forgotten Island · Gabriel Sarmiento Wilson (H. E. R.) · Kalye · Rey Valera · Sharon Cuneta