Odette Quesada

Odette Quesada was only in her teens — maybe around 14, 15, or 16 — when she began writing songs that would eventually become some of OPM’s (Original Pilipino Music) best-loved and most enduring hits. Indeed, while they may have been written and recorded about four decades ago, many of her songs have easily stood the test of time. To this day, karaoke-loving Pinoys continue to listen or sing-along to Ric Segreto’s “Don’t Know What to Do, Don’t Know What to Say” and “Give Me a Chance,” Raymond Lauchengco’s “I Need You Back” and “Farewell,” Kuh Ledesma’s “Till I Met You” and “A Long, Long Time Ago,” Gary Valenciano’s “Growing Up” (from “Bagets”) and Odette’s very own signature hit, “Friend of Mine.”