Jocelyn Enriquez holds the distinction of being the first Filipino American to make it in the mainstream music industry. Dubbed as the new “Queen of Freestyle,” Enriquez was the first artist to be signed by Classified Records, a Filipino-owned recording company when it was established in 1993. When Enriquez’s first single became a success, larger recording companies began to take notice.

Born and raised in San Francisco, California, Jocelyn Enriquez is the daughter of Filipino parents from Manila and the province of Pangasinan.

Do You Miss Me? By late April 1997, Enriquez’s first single Do You Miss Me? had placed 49th on the Billboard Top 100 singles chart, 7th in Singapore, and among the top 20 in Canada. Then she had the hit song, A Little Bit of Ecstasy. By August 1997. every day in New York City, one could hear Do You Miss Me? or A Little Bit of Ecstasy booming from one’s vehicle speakers.

At Age 3. At the age of 3, Enriquez had shown her prowess as a singer. Her first performance was a rendition of the Anita Ward hit Ring My Bell.

From the Living Room to Fame. From the living room coffee table, where she performed a song, Enriquez performed for ten years with the San Francisco Girls Chorus. She also sang as a part of a top-40 cover band that her parents managed. Enriquez and the band performed before Filipino social activities. She also sang in churches.

As a teenager, she became involved in a community outreach program called the Young Filipino Entertainers’ Club.

From that time on, there was no turning back for Enriquez. The break that she was waiting for came when she first signed with the Bay-area based Classified Records. It was Glenn Gutierrez, a Filipino American producer and composer, who convinced her to try dance music. She tried it. I’ve Been Thinking About You became a hit and it led to an album. Two years later, she had two songs on the charts.

Kormman Roque, president of Classified Records says, “They couldn’t believe that a small independent label could put out that song, and hold on to it for that long.”

Now, a truly successful music career awaits this Filipino American artist. She, however, is no longer connected with Classified Records, but with another recording company that earlier merged with and then separated from Classified Records.

(For profiles of 150 notable Filipino Americans, see Part IV of the book The Filipino Americans (From 1763 to the Present): Their History, Culture, and Traditions by Veltisezar Bautista.)

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