Jose Mari Chan

A decorated veteran of the Philippines’ adult contemporary scene, singer-songwriter Jose Mari Chan has secured a number of diamond-certified records and a multitude of awards over the course of a music career spanning six decades. Born in Iloilo City, Panay Island on March 11th, 1945 to parents of Chinese origin, Chan penned his first original song aged thirteen, eventually landing a prominent role hosting and performing on the ABS-CBN show 9 Teeners in 1966 amidst his university studies. Making his formal musical debut the following year with a single entitled “Afterglow”, he returned in 1969 with a debut album, Deep in My Heart. By 1973, after earning increasing renown for his contributions to film music, he was called upon to represent his country at the World Popular Song Festival, reaching the finals with his song “Can We Just Stop and Talk Awhile”. In 1975, however, he went on an extended hiatus and relocated to the US while working for his father’s sugar company, eventually returning to the Philippines and reentering the music industry in 1986 with the Universal-signed greatest hits compilation A Golden Collection before proceeding to share more new material. His 1989 follow-up, Constant Change, received an Awit Award and surpassed 20 million sales, a rare achievement which he went on to match with his next effort, the 1990 Christmas album Christmas in Our Hearts, which included such hits as “A Wish on Christmas Night” and “A Perfect Christmas”. Continuing to share new material into the 21st century, Chan was honoured with ABS-CBN’s first ever ELITE Platinum Award in 2005 and his own star on the Philippines Eastwood City Walk of Fame in 2009.

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