Imelda Papin was born on January 26, 1956 in Presentacion, Camarines Sur. She started her career in a remote fishing village of the province. She joined a couple of regional singing contests and because of her talent, her father moved the family to Manila, where she studied music and eventually sang in local clubs.

Her career began in earnest in 1979. She was booked into Hyatt hotels in Asia, had a television program in Hong Kong and then returned home to begin her recording career. Papin recorded her first album containing the song “Bakit” which became a hit among local radio stations. She released many more hit singles including “We Could Have It All,” “Katarungan” and “Bawal” and was dubbed the “Sentimental Songstress” of the Philippines.

In the late ’90s she served as the first female vice governor for the province of Camarines Sur. She also set up the Imelda A. Papin Foundation, which uses a portion of her concert and record proceeds to support Filipinos in need.

Papin has also regularly toured the US since the 80’s especially Las Vegas. She became a regular performer in the city and became an instant celebrity. She became the first Filipino artist to host a three-hour telethon on Channel 18 in Los Angeles, California. Currently, she is hosting a television program on LA-18 called Imelda Papin in America. Her radio program is a two-hour program called the “Imelda Papin Voice of the Heart Radio Show” on KLAV 1230 AM (Talk of Las Vegas).