Introduction
Hey guys. Nice site. I want to say of the bat na this isn't my first time here. Well technically Oo kasi the last time I wrote an article about Nina nasa luma pa ko. And I'am afraid this would my last piece for awhile (Oh Iam sure you guys won't mind little ol me). Lilipat na daw kasi kami sa campo (I'am working in UAE) although meronng Internet don, kaming mga company drivers "lang" ay walang accesss sa net. Oh well.
Anyway, I would like to make an Article\Book on Nina. I have done so in the past (I made 40 of those in the old site) and I would just like to sum them all up sa isang bigayan lang. "Air Raid Siren"-That would be me- style. That would mean an unortadox way of writing articles. Tons of liner notes and post scrip, both facts and hearsay from friends (Mostly from me), but mostly things that a registered Nina fan wouldn't write/say about Nina -I like to write about her weakness. Makes me realize that she's only human like the rest of us- and of course, the faulty grammar and spelling -I'am a high school undergrad- na I'am sure most of you from the old site already know (I hate to say it but that has become my trade mark) and hope some of you guys are gonna tolerate [GF, notes: Don't tolerate him guys, your just gonna waste your internet time] But I still wish you guys bear with me (And my GF Cristina who does the snotty liner notes for you to enjoy) guys cause To tell you the truth I pour my heart and soul (And a lot of internet money) to make this "Mini Book "about Nina. Hope you'll enjoy it.
Sebastian B. Gallardo
UAE, Abu Dhabi
Acknowledgement
I would like to thank my allies from the old site na sina Blue ice, soul siren rocks [Whom you all may know was the topic of many heated dicussion (I had an exchange of words with him sa PM and I almost ran out of deragatory/bad words from my little vocabulary to say to him kasi nga sinisiraan nya si Nina) I only say that he is an ally cause he actualy praised my opinion ] and of course, the youngest Nina fan who is regitered here, who is also a Moderator (And that goes without saying the high IQ) "William" whom I like to call "The Shadow" (I say so cause I used to dicuss things with him regarding Nina thinking I was talking to a mature college graduate) Jonathan, whom I got most of the accurate facts (There's a lot of great acticles on Nina in this site. Go and read the originals).And to all of you Nina soul sirenians.All those articles that I wrote about Nina na may halong mga flaws about her you should have branded me as an imposter an erased me from the site. But still you gave me the benifit of the doubt and read my articles knowing na my tao pa pala na katulad ko who actualy gives out construtive criticism. Thanks for trusting in me guys and giving me a chance to be a part of this great site of yours.
Preface
This book is about Nina from a perspective of a fan-That would be me- not neccesarily from Nina's fan base. Who I think she is, was and gonna be. Her music of course. The personality and attitude. Nina's strenght's and weakness. Her high's and lows. The simple life and the rise to stardom-From rags to riches ika nga- My opinions and suggestions. And of course "The Dream."
I have also divided it chapter by chapter so that you guys can read a portion that you think would be intesting and won't read tons of trash material that you guys might be bored of (That would be about me).
Here are the chapters that I think is in a chronological order. I don't really have that much resourcess here abroad so don't be surprised if some facts are altered.
Table of contents
Chapter 1. The fan (The Air Raid Siren)
Chapter 2. Marifil Nia Girado (Clouds all over town/Clubs all over town)
Chapter 3. The music genre (Nu RNB)
Chapter 4. Demo tape (The making of the Soul Siren)
Chapter 5. The album (The Dream)
Chapter 6. Heaven (First kiss/First videos)
Chapter 7. Touring (Wherever I may roam)
Chapter 8. Smile (Rags to Riches)
Chapter 9. The Concert (A tribute to the late MR. Girado)
Chapter 10. The Video (There's really not much to say but Woh...)
Chapter 11. Nina...Live! (Live After death)
Chapter 12. Potential (The next RNB/Acoustic/Pop/Rock Princess)
I think that's about it. All in all, it's just a "Glorified" article by The Air Raid Siren. If you have read my previous ones you'll know and should understand it better
.Chapter 1
The Fan
(The Air Raid Siren)
I think it's just appropriate for you guys to know who is behind all this. Let's start with statistics.
My name is Sebastian B. Gallardo, 19 years of age, a high school under-grad (Damn barkadas!) currently working here in the UAE under father visa (Which means I almost legal to work here) and as of this day I going to be transfered to a camp in the middle in the God forsaken deseart. Looks wise, my hair getting pretty long again (Which you guys refer to as "Saudi boys") And why I say again, will get to that. I used to have a fair complexion but thanks to the blisstering sun out here some of the boys are starting call me "Nog." So enough about that and let's get to the hair (Which is actualy relevant in this chapter).
I used to listen to the 80's New wave of Britsh Heavy Metal (IE. Iron Maiden, Judas Priest). In short, I was a metal head. High school. Yeah, the good ol days. What I'am saying?! If it were'nt for the band that the guys and me made I would have gotten and eduction (And if it weren't for Nina my life would have gone down hill , which I will dicuss in the latter parts). Quit high school for the band (And to finaly grow my hair long), **&& if I din't quit the principal would have surely kicked my sorry @$$ for initiating riots and for coming to school either late or drunk. My parents out of my life (Both of them work abroad) would be I think the reason for my Rebelious teenage past. Now why did I say past? I'am techninqly still a teenager right. But the hair is not that long and the hormones aren't that wild anymore. But more importantly, I have an inspiration in my life (Cristina your one of them). What has Nina got to do with this? Well she came into my life in the right place at the right time. Stayed in my room for the day, just cliking away the TV. Then BOOM! Saw my first Nina video. It was the "Jealous" video. Despite being a Metal head (Rock fan) I kinda like the tune (Could'nt get it out of my head for weeks, even when playing ball). But what got me was the rooftop scene. After she threw away her pictures of her and her ex. (I actualy got the concept the first time I saw it cause I saw a video on MTV with the same concept beofre) She flash an almost sadistic smile/smirkh on her face. Naturaly I got curious about her (Hiwagaan) and form then on followed her career. Then came the second video that I saw. It was Heaven (The original/unedited one).The scene where Nina was standing in middle of the mosh pit while the band (Kamakazie) was rocking the house and she was like, just starering at them with a smile that almost got the vocalist freaked out blew me away! "I just got to get her album" I said to my self. And I did. Then another Nina "Thing" happened. I saw her picture in her album which made me think (Hiwagaan) again. The one where she looked diffrent (Nina looks different any ways. close your eyes and tyr to imagine yachang's face. Now try to Imagine Nina's. You just can't right!) and Imeditaley got that picture of her tatooed on my left shoulder (Yeah I was a punk beofre, but still that was my first tatoo. I would'nt put anything in my body that I don't belive in kasi). That cost me though (A lot of pain-And money!) Till this day I'am proud of it (When people ask me "sino yan" I tell them simply "Nina") Went to her tours. Went to her concerts,gigs listen to her album almost religously...Then what happen was My GUNS N' ROSES and other metal albums where just piled in my shelves gathering dust. I just din't want to listen to them any more. Not liking rock anymore I quit the Band (Good for them they lost a horrific drummer) cut my smoking into half (And so as my hair) Got the chains and buckles of my shoes removed. Excanged my faded worn out jeans for decent ones and started to like the new me (And so did my girlfriend who at that time nililigawan ko pa lang). Quiting the Band and all that was hard for me at first (I sacrificed a lot for the band) but in the long run (That would be now) I'am proud of it.
Who do I have to thank for all this? Well the person that gave my life the spark that it needed. Nina, If by any chance your gonna read this....Thank you (And I typed that with misty eyes). You came into my life just when it I needed it to be. And for the record -I know lot of people have said this to you and claim this and might disaprove if I say it too but I still will- I'am your biggest fan.
Chapter 2
Marifil Nia Girado
(Clouds all over town/Clubs all over town)
What are her favorite bands? Who and why is that her favorite singers? What's her favorite colour? Well all the answer to those question you probably may find the answers in this site. What I couldn't find though was the answers to questions like, "What was she like beofre she made it."Who is that person behind those mystrious smile? As a kid growing up with 3 other sibbilngs, what kind of siter was she like? As a student, friend, daughter, etc, etc, what was she like? Unfortunatly the answer's to those question can only be answered by person's closest to her and by Nina her self. The only thing we fans could do is listen to hearsays and make our own sepculation right? But that would be wrong. But I still will. My defens would be that even the closest of close friends of Nina (That goes the same for her family) doese'nt really know what is going on inside that cute little head of hers. I'am no phsycologist (I don't even know the spelling of it) but I've been reading books lately (I also am buddies with our Industrial Phsycologist) and for my understanding, the personality the we see in most people is only the "Tip of the iceberg." And those people are only the everyday kind that we see everyday (Yun palang yung mga tao na nakikita nyo sa "Wowowee"). Let alone someone as sophiticated as Nina. She is the only one that know who she really is/was. That my friends level's the playing field for us to sepculate (Which is still bad). So let's start.
Nina in my opinion is the sweetest person you'll ever meet in your life time. Sobrang hinhin, sobrang bait. Almost the uto uto kind. But don't let that fool you. She was no naive person who just sings in the showers and dreams of becoming the next Maria Carey. Underneath those pearly white smile is one of the most toughest/strongest person you'll see [GF notes: FYI, she also drive's a van (So do I) and take it from me, hindi basta basta yon. You got to have guts, nerve's of steel, road knowledge and most of all, abilidad to drive those bulky, hard to calculate auto's. Hindi pupwedeng pa %^&*#-%^&*# sa kalye. It's not only your life that is at risk in the car crowded roads of Manila.]. Why I say so? First of all, she would'nt have made it thist far kung "Paanga-anga" lang sya. The music industry is like a Jungle now days (Damn pirated cd!). Producers could care less about you. And those drunk costumers that watch her nightly sometimes (Happened a lot ayon kay Nina) gives her cat calls when she used to perform -Used to be the frontwoman of numourous bands- in those smokey lounges,resturants and "Clubs." This all is what perpared Nina for what is yet to come to. [GF notes: Seb could'nt say it but the thing that really molded Nina to be the tough person the she is was the passing away of her dad whom she was most close to and dearly loved. Losing someone like that at that crucial time in her life should hurt like **&& (PLS. excuse the language) so that would make the obstalcle the she encountred later on seem's like nothing. Nobody could claim that they saw Nina cried after that. She just simle's. And that Sebastian is where that simle you saw on that jelous video came from.] Having an exceptionaly high IQ and naturaly being bussiness savy didn't hurt either. These were also the time when she learned the value of touring (which I will discuss in chapter 7). Nina also has a wide knowledge in music (Thanks to her dad) which spans almost 6 decades! At hindi lang isang genre ang alam nya ha (More info on that in chapter 3). Ma pa RnB, Acoustics, oldies, pop, Rock, hip-hop, you name it she probably know it. Mind you she is not just a music lover. She is a student of it. Learning how how to play the guitar and the Piano (Which her mom plays) to add to -at that early ages- her repertoire (The folks at Warner music never even knew about that. Chapter 2) she already knew what it's gonna take to make it in the Jungle/industry. Her dad really is who we should thank for this. He's the first one to see the Potential (Last chapter). Having been in the industry himself, he knew what he was doing. Teaching Nina the no non-sense way. Making her eat toothphatse when she speaks tagalog in the house (To improve her diction). Submurging her body in water for vocalizing purposes. To sum it all up he played the most important part in the Making of a soul siren (Chapter 4). Even more so than the music label.
All in all, she had the Complete package. The music scene did'nt even kenw what was going to hit it. (Clouds all over town chapter to be continued in chapter
Chapter 3
The music genre
(Nu RnB)
Circa 2002. The era that Nina thrived in (Chapter 6 & 7). Remember, this was the time that the local music industry has no leader/Frontman. Unlike the past -Imelda poppin in the 70's The Nora unors in the 80's and the Reggine/Pops of the 90's- We don't have someone to the throne (Princess of this and queen of that). As for the music, we don't have a certain kind that we could say na yon ang pinaka uso [GF notes: Pop will always be the In thing (Kaya nga Pop, popular) no matter what happens. Wala pa yang mga Rock, Rap and RnB na yan -Which has been their for long time na rin- nandyan na ang pop]. Tons of material went in and out and a lot of things was going on in music at that period. Internationaly there was Mandy, Simple Plan, West life, Emeinem, Britney N' Christina, Destiny's Child (And their members) and that goes whitout saying those certain Taiwanese guys who came out of nowhere.I wish that I could say the same sa OPM, pero... wala talaga eh [GF notes: Ignorante pa kasi sya nung mga panahong yung kaya pag pasensiyahan nyo na lang po] Of course that would all change when a certain Siren comes to play (Chapter 6) but before that who were dominating the charts? The foreign acts! Damn those F4. Joke lang po! [GF: He din't mean that. He actualy is a fan. Converted that long hair of his to Vic Zhou lenght!]
But the OPM sence was not to be left for dead. Somthing was cooking already. Ever went to thoes clubs/pubs then. What did we saw'heard. You guessed it! Women who were fronting bands dishing out a certain farmiliar tune (RnB) with a "Little twist" to it. Hence the new Genere that I would to call Nu RnB. It's the women turn to run this kind of music (And I thank God for ir) and it's the mens turn to turn off their amplifiers and pick up that beloved acousstic guitar of their's that's been gathering dust in their closets.
My band mate (Who at that time was looking to get a gig in malate) saw a certain person (Arnee) dishing out flyers in the streets only to see the next day an equally still unfamous Nina dishing out her's to promote their bands (And the Resturants they play in).
Oh but some else made it beofre them. The "Pioneer" of the genre, :0)- is already making hits and has an album under her belt.
Admit it guys. Beofre we were Nina Fan's we were fans of her's right? [GF: Not him. He still listens to Slayer and Metalica during those times] Don't sweat it! It just proves the greatness of Nina, cause for you to swtich Singers/Bands that you used like, that means that the one you replace them with ay talagang "Malupit." My perception about :0)- naman ay...magaling sya in the sence na hindi sya gaya gaya (Ie. Lumixa o lumimax ba? A basta yung kumanta/nag revive nag kantang "How deep is your love"). Nina naman hindi sya nang gaya. They actually went in the music sence almost at the same time (Na una panga si Nina yata). Hindi nga lang sa recording kundi Indipendent lamang sila non. Na una lang Isign si :0)- nang major recording company at sya talaga ang na ka invent (Accidentally) nang ganoong klaseng music, na si Nina naman ang nag perfect. Yeah that's right. :0)- invented it. But Nina Perfected it. Just listen to "2nd Floor." You'll know.
Chapter 4
Demo tape
(The making of the Soul siren)
Soul of this, king and queen of that. Princess of those, Edge of that (Oops! That's her bro!). Seems like every singer has her/his Trade mark/moniker. "Soul Siren." Hmmm? Would have sounded good on any kind of artist. But Living up to it would have been a different thing.
At this point Nina already has a small fan base. [GF Notes: Which she loving carried in her poket wherever she went. Until unfortunatley for them (Nina's fan) grew. Which means they didn't fit in her pocket anymore.] And the Genre (Chapter 3) already had an underground movement. Warner being very knowledgeble in music (They have tons of "scouts" lurking into almost every bar in town), knew this and already has ambitious plans on how to "Mainstream" it. :0)- and her recording company some say had done that already. No. :0)- first of all had a diffrent recording label which didn't even had plans on giving this kind of music to the public. At si :0)- naman palibasa yun ang tinutogtog for a living (So as Nina) accidently infused some of that style in the Pop album that her recording company laid out for her. Back to Nina. Well now that Warner has almost got all the recipe in making this type of music the new craze/uso (Not to mention a very profitable one if succesful). Got the best album/song writers, musicians and producer's. All they are looking for now was the voice behind the album. They got more then what they bargained for.
Her claim to fame isn't only her voice but the story behind
her discovery. The demo tape she submitted to Warner Music
Philippines sampled her rendition of Foolish Heart. It was at
that moment when hearing the tape, Warner Music executives
immediately realized her potential and signed her without even
actually seeing the woman behind the voice. The rest was, as
we know it, history.
(This insert came from "Nina: Music's Tidal wave" by Jonathan)
Chapter 5
The album
(The Dream)
Nina being music savy didn't let the producer's just push her into what they wanted the album and her to be. .She had a hand into the concept of the album, what tracks should go first, what the music should sound, how the sythizesers wouldn't quite fit in this kind of genere, and so on. She almost even went as far as adding one of her own songs (Why she didn't? Too risky daw kasi). All this in her first studio album. Woh. The introduction of "Soul's howling mouthpice" redified opm asthetic. No gloss. No synthesizers. To guitar players going for barque. She was pretentious. But her Pretentions made her aim higher than anyboby else.
You have to understand, that at this time of of her life she was diffrent. Different in a way that she had'nt made it yet and new that this kind of oppurtunity comes's only once in a lifetime. This kind of challenge is what she was trained (By her dad. Chapter 2) and built for. With all that that pressure being put on you at a tender age, a mere mortal would'nt last. But she was still poised. . She was always poised. The way she speaks, move, think... But beneath that poise exterior of her's was a woman who would do almost anything to live The Dream that millions of as aspire to be. She may look sweet (Almost pa "twee-tums") but inside she is the toughest person (Mapa man or woman) that you'll see, having all that expirences behind her (Chapter 2). She was up to the task. And all that part of her personality is what were going to here in the album. Sweet but tough. Poise but wild. Poppy but alternative (=Platinum).
Nina' vocal power's (I intended to use "Prowess" but Power's has a better ring to it.With Sirens being the mytholigical cretures of the Greeks, having a bithday on Nov.1 having a good knowledge in the Metal genre and all that).) are her strenghts. She can hit the hightest and the lowest of the notes with ease and is no studio singer which was the moniker that was first branded to her by her critics (All on that in Chapter 12). Nina, if your not familiar with her (and her music) may catch you off gaurd cause she tends to start off singing softly (Malamig) then when she get's to the climax of the songs belts. This was one of the concept of the album (It goes with the genre). To let her hit every kind of notes within her range (Which is very long). That's the secert of that album. Because no matter how much you listen to it stills sound different. Vocal Range was the key. That's why if you were to listen to the album and be asked by someone like "Ano ba talaga ang boses nang Nina na yan?" you will not be able to answers dahil ang dami nyang boses. [GF Notes: That goes the same with her face]
Chapter 6
Heaven
(First kiss/First videos)
Heaven
Album title, concert opener and first video too. If heard at first you'd think the song's international. You got to give the producers some of the credit for that. The song's about Nirvana. A state of bliss in which you'll find true happiness. And in the song, a certain someone opened her eyes to it.
"... second video that I saw. It was Heaven. The scene where Nina was standing in the middle of the mosh pit while the band was rocking the house and she was like just starering at them with a smile that almost got the vocalist freaked out blew me away! " Quote from chapter 1
Best line: "You rescued me and showed me the way"
First Kiss
The bassy background and Nina's very mature voice (Which I seldomly heard in her second album) blended very well. It is also one of Nina's best song in the album. Most of Nina's best song's are in this album anyways (Except "Through the fire"). Which is also why it was never released as a single. True music kasi for me should'nt be the ones the Music labels tell us to listen too. "Oo, yan ang kantang pa uusuhin natin. Sabihin mo sa mga tao na yan ang uso at dapat pakingan" sabi nang isang producer. We are the one's na dapat mag sabi kung maganda nga ang isang song na yan o hindi. Not the corporate people. This Song (And 2nd floor) sells itself.
Best line: I can picture it all Inside my head Just how it's going to feel....Now she wants to Make it real"
2nd Floor
This is what many fans consider the best Nina song ever (And perhaps the best song of all time). Even without a video, again this song sells it's self. Not releasing it as single is what I liked the most about the producers of the album. Even though they know it is the best song. But not having a video dosen't mean the song went unnoticed. Nomminated for one of the countries most prestigous award giving bodies. All that without a video. This song also mirrors Nina as an artist. If you think about it she is really rarely seen in front of the tube (TV) back then. Yeah she had videos too, pero hindi sya ganoon ka exposed ka gaya nag ibang artist. And by TV standards she deserves to be in the spotlight, having one of the most succesful debut album of a female singer off all time. But like the song, Nina was still an underground movement at that time and if you want to see her and listen to her song's you got to ethier watch her live or get a copy of her album. Which the fans did. And getting their money's worth all the time.
Best line: "On 2nd floor/ Yeah"
Jealous
No doubt the most popular Nina song to date (And maybe for the rest of her career). A very adult sound not meant to market the teens but because of it's poppy melody (Slight lang) even kids are mesmerize. It may not be her first video but it was the first real hit of hers that propelled her to the top. Then people start's to notice her (and her previous video Heaven). Actually it came to late. Her album was released on 2002 and Nina only got her's on 2003. Maybe they wanted to try this new kind of music out to the test first and making Nina perform it live to audiences to see if it'll clique. She made up for the late comming though, cause by the next year (2003) she was the hottest and in demand female act. With her songs skyrocketing to the top of every major musical countdown (Ma pa video man o single) beating even her international counterparts. Not to mention beating every single genere including Rap, Rock and the mighty Pop.
All this in a span of 1 year. Think about it. She never even had a name (In the media that is) a year ago. Except for a few of her already die hard fans that she took care off in the gigs she used to play in.
" Stayed in my room for the day, just cliking away the TV. Then BOOM! Saw my first Nina video. It was Jealous.... what got me was the rooftop scene...After she threw away her pictures of her and her ex she flashed an almost sadistic smile/smirkh on her face. " Quote from chapter 1.
Best line:" Made your stars and your sun collide"
Loving You
A good choice of song to cover (The other would be "Foolish Heart"). This song should have been left alone along with "First kiss" and "2nd floor" and not made a single. Like them it should be heard only when you bought the album or heard her live. But because of it's increasing public demand (It's actually requested a lot on radio even though it was never Realesed as a single yet.) they made a video. Which was very... well interesting (that means it wasn't boring like the other videos back then. This song is very versitile. Wherever you go you'll hear this song. In the clubs or smokey bars, in public transportation (Jeeps), in the malls, restaurants & fast food chains, on campuses and it still would be appropriate. Anyone can listen to it. Both kids and adults alike. And that's the concept of the whole album. But still the songs were meant for us (Sorry William) adults.
Best line: "Oh loving you Is just a bit to much"
Foolish Heart
The song that won the hearts (and ears) of the warner people. They liked it so much they insited on adding that cover of her's to the album. The only reason she sang that song on her demo tape in which she submmited cause she wanted a song the can display her wide array vocal range. Oh yeah, and the fact that her Idol Mariah also made a "The journey/Steve Perry" cover. "Better to sing a song her Idol covered than sing a Mariah song" she ses. Proof that she is'nt a just a imitation of Carey or any other artist for that matter. A monster hit and the only real happy go lucky tune in the album. People who bought the album because of the song din't know what their in for. Mistakenly thinking that the whole album would sound just like that. The same mistake I made when I heard her first Video on her second album "Make you mine" (chapter
. Anyway they weren't dissapointed cause this song alone is worth the money they paid for.
Greatest Gift of All
Featuring the vocal talents of my boy "Artstrong" this song palibasa hindi nilabas as a single is another good song contary to what the critics say na Filler lang daw to. Don't get me wrong, there are fillers in this album but those are the ones na pina ulit-ulit nila (Ie. Jealous, Heaven and foolish heart)
Best line: "And I wanna love you With all my heart and soul"
Kung Ibibigay Sayo
You can buy a casset tape of this album and still enjoy it. Unlike other albums which has only one or two songs na maganda, this one you can listen to till the end. No skipping and rewinding needed. The only pure tagalog song in the album and was only done so as to let us know she can do it. Giving us both side of the words music wise that is. A song that even our Lola's and Lolo's can understand because of the deep (Malalim) tagalog lyrics but still has a new, cool, RnB tune for us listen to (Hindi Baduy). Hard to imagine that at her first album she already has the calibere of the Kuh Ledesma's and the Ella mae Saison's of the industry.
Best line:"Nakilala ka ang pagsuyo mo'y naliba"
I din't want to write or comment about the revised edition cause for me their just fillers. Don't get me wrong, Nina did an excelent job singing for "Colgate" and "Nescafe" She actually made them cool. But still they were Fillers.
Note: The Best line thing, I picked it not because it is a good lyric but on who Nina sang it. She gave them emotions and a character. This album wouldn't have been succesfull had they chossen a different singer. Even if it was :0)-.
Conclusion
This album in my book is among the top ten debut album by a female off all-time. And had it been released during the time when there was no such thing as twenty-five peso pirated cds... Woh!... When was the last time heard of someone who had a breakout album like this one. Yes :0)- is the first one to open the doors for this kind of music to play by artist. Hence the new genere of RnB which almost wipe out all other genere (Athat time at least). But Nina Perfected it and album sales don't lie (That album sold more than 2 of :0)-'s combined). Unfortunately this might never happen again since Nina is the only one who can top her album. And Nina will never be the person that she is before, during and touring for the album. Why I said this? Just listen for you selves. The first and second album. You'll find that she lost her edge. That may be because the "Smile" album was almost a musical disater and if it weren't for Nina it might have. The album kasi for me is less edgier and to compare it to her first one, it has a long way to go. Nina on the other hand Had her claim to fame and.... (More on this in chapter
.
Chapter 8
Touring
(Wherever I May Roam)
Nina, if she only wanted to make money, or hide her weakness of performing live (if that's is the case) could have had stayed comfortably at home and simply let her videos do all the important promoting of her self and Music labe/Album. But were talking about Nina here. Different story.
The road was her pride and the stage was her world. For almost a year, under wandering stars she has grown. Where she laid her head was home. Rover, wonderer, nomand, vagabound, call her what you will. She was everywhere. In a time where we had an era of what I call "Spoon fed, kiddie pop, crossover hip-hop" she was a very welcome voice in that years bleak music scene. This is also when Nina was still at the peak of her powers. I saw her perform a couple of times, during the first leg of the tour (which lasted from Febuary to september) and saw a person who sang as if she wrote the song. Nevermind writing the song. She lived it. The songs was her's cause she gave them a character. "On 2nd floor, yeah" The first time I heard that from her live, I was like wohhh...... Saying/singing it (That line) with such fiery emotions. You can almost feel it in your bones. Me (and my former bandmates) sheivered when we heard that line (and the other songs too). That is what she offered and did for more 8 months of non stop touring. Which is one of the most succesful tours of that (or any) time. Not to mention the one of the longest and most tirering. But still she did it. Campuses, lounges, resorts, resturants, bars from all over the country! As long as there's a stage and a mike. Bar's I say? Angelica Dela Cruz, Freddie Aguilar and Judy Ann Santos are just a few names that I know owns their own bars. But Nina has her own too. "Bagaverde." Yes technicaly it's not hers but when it's time for her to perform....it becomes her's. Just ask the people who go there (almost religiously) only to watch her perform. Who put that bar on the map? Who made that place the No.1 hangout for both the teens and adutls of all ages? She dosen't have to buy it. She owns it (Every wenesdays at least!).
From chapter 7... lost her edge.
A very edgy Nina is what we saw. Rarely smiling on stage. Some say that during the recording of the album she rarely smiled. She was serious but still poised (not tensed). Unlike the recording of the second album where she chiled down and enjoyed it. The same goes when she perfomed in her album launchings. If you haven't had the chance to watch her perform during those times (this goes out to the "New" Nina fans) just watch the recorded tape -That I'm sure our "Magigiting" na mga moderators have- of Nina's album launching on Bagaverde. The tracks would be Heaven, 2nd floor, Foolish Heart, Jealous, Through The Fire, Say You Love and more. See for you selves. Bilang na bilang ang pag flash ni Nina nang kanyang mga pearly whites. It's because of the intence emotion (And the lack of a decent 6 hour sleep) that she displayed while singing. But when she does smile... Heaven. Which is why the Warner guys wanted her to be at all times, hence naming the next album "Smile"
Chapter 9
Smile
(Rags to riches)
"Whew. It's over! I've made it." Nina must have said to her self when she was done with the Heaven tour/promotions. The tough times for her (and me) were over. She was a star now. Had a name. Had a moniker and really has nothing much more to prove. She showed as she can sing (sa studio man o live) and can sell albums. All that in the first year of her career. But she was wrong. There is still one more thing that an artist must prove. Making good on their second album.
You can't blame Nina for losing that killer instict of her's that she showed in her first album. Most artist do. That's why the second albums are even more tougher to make. But unlike other artist, Nina didn't quite felt the pressure that her contemporaries felt while doing it. That because it's the nature of Nina. And plus the fact that she had gone through enough rough times (chapter 2) that mades this seem's almost kids play! And there lies in the problem. She had too much fun making it. Letting the producers handle the most part in making the album. Nina should have been like "Ok na yan siguro. Maybe a litlle bass beat here and there, pero it's good na naman" at that time. She was floating! Like the sign that on her shirt in that "A girl can dream" video that ses Bliss. That's what she felt. Happy. Thus the name (And also the cover) of the album was Smile.
Make You Mine
This fast and energetic track is an excellent opener for the album. "Make you mine" really is just a pop song infused with jazzy RnB (and Nina). And like "Foolish Heart" you may be tricked in buying this thinking that the whole album would sound like this. That has a lot to do with it being the first single of "Smile" (and of the year). I remember watching it for the first time late at night (Din't sleep. When I knew that they already released that video on air, I stayed glued to the tube all day) my first impression was "Ahh... they seem to be showing a differnt, playful side of Nina" which was nice to see. The song was nice too. The song almost made pop music very likeable. The only thing is that they maybe covering up for the whole album by showing us one of it's best song.
A Girl Can Dream
Watching this second video of her (I hadn't bought the album yet) I all ready had that sinking feeling. That the whole concept of this album is about sunshine, happiness, bliss and all that kiddie stuff. Rnb stands for rhytm and blues. The Rhytm part of that song I heard (Bearly) but where was the blues part? Diba when you say blues, it means that "I had a bad day/I broke up with my boyfriend/I got fired/I don't realy feel like it kinda day" Well not neccesarily that, but yung voice should sound like you just had one of those days. Even if it is a love song or a song of hope [Ie.Kung Ibibigay Sayo/Jealous].
What If
Another good track on the album. A favorite of girls and unlike the "I Don't want to be your friend" (chapter 10) single where she almost dammed the guy, here she saying "I'm sorry, please forgive me". Singing without that same passion the she displayed on her previous song "Kung Ibibigay sayo" No, no, it's a good song [GF Notes: Till he get's a little misty when he hears it]. It's just that I can picture Nina smiling in the studio while recording it. Still a good song on my book.
Sayang Naman
Is it just me, or those she sound almost "Ana Fegi" like in this song? [GF Notes: He didn't even knew who Ana Fegi was before he was a Fan of Nina and the music genre]
Shoo-Bee-Doo
Now this is the blues sound/voice that I din't quite heard in "A Girl Can Dream." The rhytmic backround is great too! But no matter how smooth the rhytm (Or the blues sound) is, if the singer hasn't got talent (which is an in born trait) to sing the blues, it's worthless. Good song to cover too.
goodnite but not good bye
She might have only sang this song because it was on her track list that the producers laid out for her. And if weren't for her, this song would have been.... well just another song.
I'll always stay in love this way
This is a good song to start with. Nina just made it even better. Hands down the best song in the album (and some say of Nina's career). Many artist think that by making a revival of a good song would make them great too. So all they have to do is make cover albums of previously hit songs to make it big and get a platinum right? Your dead wrong. Many aspiring and even proven artist who made such albums and covered hit songs from the past hit rock bottom. That's not just because of the piracy issues (Nina got a platinum on both of her albums at the peak of those pirated monster). It's mostly because their sorta trying to steal the "Tagumpay" of the artists who worked hard and put all there love and efforts to the song that they wrote. Sa song na ito by Nina, that's a differnt thing cause she made an already good song a great one.
Still Gonna Be
The tune on this track is inspired by the 90's music. And Nina did a little imitation of her idol "Mariah Carey" not because of the obvious but because it was the musical concept of the song with Mariah being the voice of that era that is. Nina, if she wanted to do an all Maiah thing could have done it before but like she ses, "I have my on style" and of course we admire her for that.
Di ba
One of the more edgier songs in the album (along with "Ring me"). Smooth, hip and you'll want to hear it again and again (if you got a hang of it that is). But here comes the flaw of the song. You'll dislike it as fast as you liked it.
Can't say that I love you
Like the only tagalog song in her first album ("Kung Ibibigay sayo") this added only to prove that it can be done. That she can do it. There may be flaws in this song but still you gotta give credit to Nina. Not any body can write/composse a song and had she wrote it before she had been a star, she would have had come up with a hit. And if it is true that she wrote this at that time, she would have at least sung it more differently.
Ring me
The most underrated song here. Ring me has RnB written all over it (The lyrics too). My personal fave in Smile really is "I'll always stay in love this way" (The reason on that in chapter 10). But this is the song I listen to the most (On this album anyway). Yung "I'll always stay... " kasi is to emtional and sentimental for me. While "Ring me" on the other hand relaxes. I listen to it after a either after I come home after a hard days work, just finshed dinner and heading off to the terrace with a pack of Marlboro Light (Used to smoke the red ones but quiting all of my vices at the same time, was too much for me-chapter 1-) and in my room (still with my ciggarets) before I go to sleep. The "Rainning" background of it was perfect!At least the producers didn't do all wrong.
Smile
A happy-go-lucky song. Also a song that her first album doesen't have. Nice song though.
Note: She actualy had a crazy sked list during this tour too. The only diffrences is now she has the support of a lot of sponsors to promote it. Thus making this tour less harder than the Heaven tour that rely'd mostly on the power of word of mouth.
Conclusion
All in all a good album. Not a all-time great like her first one but still a very good album. And an ambitious one at that. You'll find out for your selves in the album that there's something different about Nina compared to how she was with "Heaven."The way she sings, the way she looks (taking bout the album cover of" Smile" and the picture of her in her first album where she looked...different). It's just not the same. The me against the world /music attitude is gone now. Unlike the first album which was pure insticnt, on this one she may have gone into auto-pilot while making it. The first album readified the music genre. This album could not make such claims. "Heaven" didn't even had half the promoting power this one had and by now she already has a new bigger fan base. It's not all bad. There are still great songs in it. Overall a good record. And Nina is who we really should give credit in turning this into a "Platinum." If any other artist had been the voice of this record, it would have been flop. Not because of piracy (Which Nina for the second time deafetd) or because of the not so great concept (Musically and lyricly) but becauseof the unique (Vocal gymnastics) style that Nina offered. And the scary thing is that she wasn't even at the top of her game at that point in time (during the making of that album).
Rag to riches or some may say
You gotta keep pushing for the fotune and fame
It's all a gamble when It's just a game
You treat it like a capital crime
Everybodies doing their time
Chapter 9
The concert
(A tribute to Mr. Girado)
With Nina done with gurrila concerts, (The ones that aren't fonded or backed up by names such as San Miguel, Motolite, Jamby Madrigal and such) it was time for her to stage her first, big and official one. Technicaly this wasn't her first. I saw almost the same (maybe even more) number of crowd in UPLB. And that also happened a lot during the Heaven tour. That just proves that Nina could do it without the powerful promoting machinenry of both the media and her sponsers. But with all the heavy competion on Valentine's day (from both local and foreign artist) this was another thing.
If you wanted to watch a good OPM concert on Febeuary 14, there were tons of choices you could choose from. Ogie was there, Reggine, Lani and almost anybody who had a name (and guts!) where there. Now if you have a more international taste in music, there was that 70's juggernaunt ABBA and a few more. Trust me, someting like that wouldn't happen again for another life time so you would choose to go to ABBA's to rather then it's international conterparts that went here then (Their the ones who sang "Dancing Queen" for heaven's sake!). But did all this stop the "Siren" from fullfiling the last part's of her (and her dad's) dreams?
The concert turned out to be great (I was there). The conept was unique and Nina didn't rely on big name guest to make it entertaining (the big names were busy that they anyways). Personaly I din't even bother to look at the credits. All I needed saw was Nina's name. That was enough for me to buy the tickets. Nina- who already at that age, a veteran when it comes to performing live- made a connection with the audience early out. She also had a hand on the concept and track list with the musical director trusting her that much. Doing a concert on Feb 14 wasn't the only thing Nina risked. The other one was to fulfill a promise to her dad. That would be singging the songs that her dad loved. She even sang it alongside with her brother. Had her dad live to see that would have been very proud of her [GF: Understatement]. In the NBA, something happened similar to this. When Micheal Jordan's dad passed away, despite being at the top of his game retired from basketball to fullfil the dream his father had for him. That would be being a baseball player. Did it even though if he was critized a lot for it. The gamble paid out for Nina though. Performed those song very well and entertained the audience well. Still you gotta give Nina credit for attempting something like that. Another entertaining part of the concert was the part were Ate Glow... you know, did her stuff and Nina trying her hand at stand up comedy. The song list were great too. But the climax of the concert was at the end. When she sang "Ill always stay in love this way." This was the first time the audience and us (the band) and we were mesmirize. I have to confess, me and the guys had a little to drink (I had already quit at that time but the guys won't go with me to her concert unless we do our ritual. And that you be getting drunk before going to a concert.) but they too shut-up'd when they heard this. It may not be her last song but I couldn't get that song out of my head for the longest time (Even while namamasada ako). Nina may have lost some of her edge (Chapter
but she didn't needed it cause the song was a ballad. And the only real ballad of hers that I liked.
Chapter 10
The Video
(There really not much to say but woh)
What are the odds for Nina to be choosen as Asia's representative for her compilation album? Give or take a 50,000 artist around Asia. Again, Nina just send a few demo's and was choosen to do something that would be a succes (The last time, it was "Heaven"). De ja vou. &n bsp;
At this point of her career there was really notting more to achive in the OPM industry. She has proven to the critics (and her self) that she can rule the music scence. Well she was wrong
Nina kinda did a Carol Banawa on us. Remember when we first saw her sexy video? Had they been a sexy actress that wouldn't have surprised as that much. But unlike those sexy video's by the Viva hot babes and the likes, her's had class. Besides, that not all that you'll notice. The first thing I noticed was that farmiliar game face of her. The same one she showed before she made it and during the Heaven tour. This is also the first "I hate you song" by Nina. Which is the second one I noticed. By now she also proved 3 more things to those hard to please music critics.
1. She could sing an hate song...with attitude!
2. She could play a musical instrument. Live.
3. She could do a video as sexy as that one.
Personaly I didn't want her to do those kind of video's. The ignorant viewers migth think that they are mearly applying the "Sex sells" concept in the video. Anyway, I still liked it and wished that she would never do a sexy video such as this one again. But in the end I'm just human and everytime I watch it I still go "Woh....."
Chapter 11
Nina...Live!
(Live...After death)
At the time when acoustic (and RnB) music was at it's deathrows, there came an album which highligts one of it's best momments. And thats when the Soul Siren graced it with her presence.
"You better lose yourself to the music the momment you own it you better never ever let it go
You only got one shot Do not miss your chance to show...This oppurtunity comes one in a lifetime"
Yeah, those line (Sung by Eminem) is probably the mind set of Nina during those times. And these were the times warner choose to put in her album. This may not be Nina's selling album (May not even surpassed her first 2) but this still is among the top 10 best OPM album of 2005. Why? Well anybody can buy it. No matter what genre or era of music that your into, no matter what age or gender you are, **&&, no matter who you are. Judging from the track list and that ASAP performance (I don't have a copy yet!) you'd still enjoy listening to it. Not because of it's songs (Nina's songs of choice are always the unique, unheard by non music lovers anyway) but the way she sings it. Ever notice that the voices of Michael Bubble, Josh Corban and Christian Bautista are kinda different from ordinary pop singers? Well that's the unique vocal gymnastics (Class) that Nina displayed through out the whole album. Nina refrain's from the generic style's of the loads of pop artist (IE. Sarah Geronimo\ Rachelle Ann Go) that are found everywhere now days. Thanks to thoses 15 minutes of fame that the TV sations are giving them (IE."Search for a star in a million"). I hate to admit it but I've actualy learnned to like those Pop stars (And so is my 8 year old sister who I'm taking to Dubai to watch them play live) so don't get me wrong. All I'm trying to imply is that the their style of belting too much is not really gonna help them in the long run. And I got Lea Salonga to back me up on that. I saw her on Insider commenting on this. That the Sarah Geronimo's of OPM shouldn't be belting too much. Nina refrains from this not because she couldn't but because of the type of music that she's in. And also maybe the fact that she is trying to save that vocal chords hers. Which already gone through a lot and the reason why she lost that "High ka Diva" thing (lost it due to heavy touring). Anyway Nina is out of her hibernation and is ready to to do the tours again with the release of her latest album. This is really the way to go and belive it or not I had something like this in mind before too. Because I wanted to see the Nina that I saw on Bagaverde. The one that could explode (with emotion that is) at anytime and letting it all hang out because that was just pure insticnt man!
Chapter 12
Potential
(The next RnB/Acoustic/Pop/Rock princess?)
Nina having done almost evrerything to the her music genre (Both RnB and acoustic). What's next?
Unlike the perception of others, Nina is not RnB or acoustic.She sings it. But that's not all she sings. I heard her sang a snippets of a Heavy Metal song once.And if had watched an episode of ASAP last year where she had a duet with Randy Santiago, she sung one of the most popular Metal song's of all time (It was "Jump" by "Van Halen") and did justice to it too. Maybe she's a rock fan and the reason she is friends with "Kamakazi." Not just because they have the same music label. (She said so her self on Myx live that she doesn't dispise that music). I heard cover songs from almost every era too. May it be pop, jazz, old school RnB & hip hop...almost all the genere. The only thing I think I haven't heard from her yet was a country song! Being buddies with no non sense musicians like Paloa Santos, Noy Volante, Jimmy Bondoc and yes Kamikaze will only do nothing but help Nina get to the next level. Superstardome. Here are the 7reasons why she's gonna dominate the OPM scence.
1. Her knowledge in music spans almost 6 decades.
2. She is a very versitile artist who can sing all kinds of song and not limited by her genre
3 She can write/compose a song for herself. [Bearly!]
4. She can play a musical instrument...live
5. She's great with the audience.
6. Already had the expirence of singging to a crowd of a 100,000 people (At the F4 concert remember)!
7. She can hit the lowest and the highest of notes with both precision and power.
Now it's only up to Nina.
End notes
Whew!!! I never, ever written this amount of words at such limited time. You'll find out that the latter part of it is weak
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