After 20 years, Nina proves she can still ignite the stage

MANILA, Philippines, May 11 ------ Amazing is how Asia’s Diamond Soul Siren Nina has enviably managed to stay for two decades in the music business, doing sold-out concerts here and abroad, performing on TV, and having hordes of fans through the years, adored and supported by her loyal followers even without an original hit to her name.

A landmark moment in Original Pilipino Music (OPM) history took center stage as Nina commemorated the 20th anniversary of her era-defining album, “Nina Live!,” with a concert event, “Nina XX” last May 9. Her highly successful anniversary concert “XX,” the Roman numeral that stands for 20, was proof of Nina’s longevity in the music business. The Newport Performing Arts Theater (NPAT) was filled to the brim. Nearly a month before the concert, tickets were sold out.

The team behind the much-awaited show, Echo Jham Entertainment Productions (Mhae Arenas) in collaboration with Synth X (Roland Lee), earlier planned to have a second media conference to promote “XX,” after the first one held in February, but there was no need for that. “Nina XX” delivered an iconic repertoire with renewed artistry and emotional depth that stood as both a tribute and a reinvention, honoring a legacy while embracing the future of live performance.

Asia’s Diamond Soul Siren, an R&B pillar, revisited the commercial success of the “Nina Live” album that redefined the OPM landscape, elevating live cover performances into a cultural phenomenon and embedding itself into the everyday soundtrack of Filipino life, from radio airwaves to karaoke sessions nationwide.

Musical director for “Nina XX” was Soc Mina, who has worked with Nina for two decades, and ensured a rich and masterfully orchestrated soundscape. Visionary Calvin Murphy Neria brought the production to life as the concert director, who crafted an immersive and emotionally resonant live experience. He made sure the songs were well drawn out and delivered throughout the more than two-hour concert.

Nina apparently gets her energy from her audience when she’s onstage. “When I enter the stage, the screams of the audience, even if I’m sick, nawawala na ‘yun. You really want to perform for them,” she earlier said. “They came to the concert for you. So, you really have to give it your best.” Nina overcame her shyness by surrounding herself with people who gave her strength and confidence. She started as a live band singer and joined MYMP (Make Your Mama Proud), The Big Thing, Silk, and Essence. Even as she already ventured into the entertainment industry and joined different bands, Nina managed to finish her college degree — accountancy at Miriam College.

“Being a soloist doesn’t mean I would be alone,” said Nina. “Sa totoo lang, hindi naman ako naging mag-isa. May mga boses na sumabay, mga landas na nagtagpo at may mga storyang nabuo. On and on, I found other artists, other dreamers like me, with whom I have shared chapters of my memorable journey in this industry.” “May mga naka-duet ako, may mga performances na naging extra special dahil may kasama ako,” Nina added. In every collab, this is all about all of us, the music we share, the stories we tell together. Sa mundo ng OPM (Original Pilipino Music), walang nag-iisa. Lahat tayo magkakasama sa isang kuwento.”

She opened the “Nina XX” concert with There You’ll Be, country singer Faith Hill’s early hit that was immediately well-received by her audience, then segued to familiar tunes — Colored Kisses, Sweet Thing, I Don’t Want To Wait, Steep, Sunlight and Piano in the Dark. Most of the songs Nina covered in her 20 years of the “Nina Live” album. But she relived crooner Barry Manilow’s songs, which she recorded earlier in an album, “Very Manilow” — Somewhere Down the Road, Even Now, One of These Days, Weekend in New England, and Somewhere in the Night. Nina commemorated bittersweet moments and love-filled memories in the set list that she delivered. “It seemed like only yesterday when I entered the music business,” Nina told her packed audience.

Today, a more confident Nina is obviously ready to face the crowd anytime. “I still get shy at times, especially when I’m not onstage or I’m not in front of the camera, I’m not boisterous. I’m still a very calm performer.” After a decade of being married to her businessman-husband, Coy Enriquez, Nina still admirably gets to shuttle between her career and married life. The couple has a daughter, Ysabelle Louise, who turned 10 last December. “My family life is really different from my career,” Nina insisted. “My family is very real, very raw. I love being with my family. But I love being onstage, as well. Magkaiba siya. My career is where the live scene is. But when I get home, they don’t treat me as the performer. My husband and daughter treat me as the wife, the mom.”

She gets to separate the personal from the professional. “I get to change my roles,” insisted Nina. “Talagang magkaiba. When I go home, I am no longer Nina, the performer. I change to my real-life role. That adjusts automatically.” Thankfully, she has avoided the toxic environment outside her private life. “I have kept my relationship very private,” Nina said. “I don’t want to make it public, although I don’t really deny it when I’m interviewed on talk shows. I can’t deny that their faces are shown. I don’t want to keep it a secret.”

Joining Nina onstage as her guests were Thor, with whom she rendered The Closer I Get To You and Burn. Kris Lawrence, who did a duet of Have You Ever and How Can We Be Lovers with her. With South Border soloist Jay Durias on the keyboards, they delivered Love of My Life and Jay’s new arrangement of Saving Forever for You. She was also joined by dancers when she gracefully moved onstage while delivering Second Floor, Heaven, and Make You Mine. She belted out the hits of Diane Warren — I’ll Never Get Over You, Love Will Lead You Back, Unbreak My Heart, and I Don’t Wanna Be Your Friend. She also gave the audience a new interpretation of Die On This Hill, the recent breakout hit of UK singer-songwriter Sienna Spiro.

Then, Nina went into high gear with vocally challenging pieces — Jealous, I Love You Goodbye, Someday, and ending with Through the Fire. While she exited the stage, apparently prematurely, her audience wouldn’t budge from their seats without hearing Love Moves in Mysterious Ways, Nina’s biggest hit from Julia Fordham. “After 20 years, alam niyo talaga kung ano ang kulang,” she smilingly told her audience when she returned onstage with tears in her eyes. “Through every season, every memory, and every chapter, love moves.”

Source: philstar.com