Like many girls her age, Daechelle Hernandez grew up with the Bratz: she collected the multiracial, multiethnic line of fashion dolls geared toward “’tweens,” or kids ages 8 to preteen. Now Hernandez’s song “Fearless” is featured in the live-action Bratz film, which was released in August.
Recorded two years ago under Daechelle’s first name only, “Fearless” won an international songwriting contest sponsored by Billboard magazine before besting thousands of other entries to appear in Bratz. The 12-year-old singer hopes others relate to the song’s inspirational lyrics about following one’s dreams as much as she does.
“Nothing is impossible — that’s me!” says Daechelle, an Escondido native. “Ever since I was little, I wanted to be a singer. After I would lose a competition, it would just motivate me more to enter another and try to win that one.”
From an early age, Daechelle says she has “loved being in front of big crowds.” At social gatherings, which were frequent given her Filipino and Latin heritage, she would sing or dance for family and friends.
Her mother, Michelle Sandoval, took note and signed her up to model. She later signed her daughter up for singing lessons.
In 2005, her grandfather urged her to enter Los Angeles’ Little Miss Philippines Pageant. On a whim, she agreed — and won.
“I was only there to be in that singing competition,” admits Daechelle, “It turns out I actually lost the singing competition but won the pageant.”
Only 10 years old at the time, Daechelle says the title brought plenty of opportunities.
In addition to several newspaper interviews, she also made a radio appearance in the Philippines. The contest also indirectly led to recording “Fearless”; a friendship with a fellow pageant contestant led to lessons with a new voice coach, which led to a manager who is relentless in finding opportunities for the budding pop star.
The efforts have paid off. With the international songwriting awards for “Fearless” and the Bratz contest under her belt, Daechelle — who calls vocal comparisons to her idol Christina Aguilera “so cool” — was recently signed to Geffen Records.
Under the watchful eye of producer Peter Roberts, she has recorded nearly a dozen tracks, which are being considered for her debut album.
Recording contract and internationally acclaimed first single aside, Daechelle sees no difference between herself and others her age. “I still have to do chores around the house. I still get in trouble. I still fight with my sisters,” she says. “I’m totally a normal kid.”
The seventh-grader says her family keeps her feet on the ground and close to her Filipino heritage. “My sisters call me ate [older sister] as a sign of respect,” she says. “I call my mom’s friends ‘Auntie’ and ‘Uncle,’ even though we’re not related at all. My family still uses those terms of respect. We are very family-oriented. My grandma makes all the food and still talks to my family in the Philippines.”
Acknowledging the lack of Filipino American singers in the music industry, she notes the creative ways Apl.de.Ap of the Black Eyed Peas has incorporated his Filipino American background into his music. “A lot of times in their songs, he adds something Filipino in there or something from his culture,” she said. “It’s still hip-hop, and it’s still cool to listen to, but he can still punch in a little Tagalog or a little bit of his culture in there.”
Her Filipino culture and fans are important to her, and are likely to remain so, no matter how famous she becomes. “We [the Filipino community] are all so close,” she says. “You really want them to like you. I think it’s really important I still stay close to that. I can’t really speak in Tagalog, but I know songs in Tagalog, which is really cool because I can impress my family at big parties.”
Rather than singing her own praises — “I don’t want people to go ‘Oh, there she goes talking about it again,’” says Daechelle — the honor roll student with perfect attendance lets classmates find out about her music by themselves.
With her closest friends and those most supportive of her dreams, though, Daechelle can’t resist: “I spill the beans and tell them everything that’s happening!”