Odette Quesada first gained fame when she won second place at the 1982 Metro Manila Pop Music Festival with the song “Give Me a Chance” as performed by Ric Segreto. The following year, 1983, saw her snagging first place with “Til I Met You” which was performed by the Philippines’ premier Diva at the time, Ms. Kuh Ledesma. The rest of the 80s was filled with her music - most sang by the era‘s superstars. “Don‘t Know What To Do, Don‘t Know What To Say” was, and by reasons of validity, still is, a monster hit performed by the late Ric Segreto. “I Need You Back” and “Farewell” were back to back hits for then teen star Raymond Lauchengco, who appeared in the movie “Bagets” which had for its theme song another of Odette’s hit songs - “Growing Up”, as performed by Gary Valenciano. “To Love Again” was a theme song sung by Sharon Cuneta for her movie of the same title. And while Odette started out as a songwriter for other artists, it didn’t take long for her to embark on her own career as a singer with much success. Songs like “Friend of Mine”, “You’re My Home”, “Dito Lang” and “Wala Nang Nasa Isip” were hits that featured the songwriter’s unique voice and singing style. But her career was not limited to the obviously popular sector of the arts. Unbeknownst to most, Odette is also a very successful jingle writer - writing corporate jingles and scores for products like Magnolia Chocolait, McDonalds, Tide Detergent and Johnson’s baby products, to name a few. Which means that when people weren’t listening to Odette, they were still listening to Odette.
