Charice Now A Blonde

International singer Charice Pempengco is sporting an entirely new look, complete with an anime-like blonde cropped hair and a wrist tattoo.

The Filipina YouTube sensation whose vocal prowess has wowed Hollywood divas and packed concert halls around the world was in town during the weekend to do the Manila and Cebu leg of her latest Asia tour–and to debut her new image.

Charice, now almost 20, got netizens buzzing when she appeared in public without her signature long dark hair and an infinity sign tattooed on her wrist. Gone is that giggling cute girl on Oprah or Ellen Show or in a ribboned dress on the stage with Celine Dion that most early admirers have associated her with.

For example, @chloe_guevarra posted on Twitter: “Uhh what in the world happened to CHARICE?! Eww. she dyed her hair..got a tattoo…uhmm…yeah..eww.”

In a press conference before her “Infinity Concert” in Manila, she shrugged off concerns about her sexuality, or alleged mega efforts to not look like typical herself. “I know what people think…I don‘t care,” she said.

Then she sang. Concert goers and those who viewed uploaded videos of the concert on YouTube praised her to high heavens again.

Read about her new hairstyle on Manila Bulletin and Push.com

Watch a spoof on her on ABS-CBN.