Nina Live!
Encyclopedia
Nina Live! is a live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...

 and the third album by Filipino
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....

 singer Nina
Nina Girado
Marifil Niña Girado , better known by her stage name Nina, is a Filipino pop/R&B singer, occasional songwriter, record producer, TV and radio personality. She made her recording debut in 2002 after signing a recording contract with Warner Music Philippines...

, released in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

 on February 23, 2005 by Warner Music
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...

. The original release date for the album was scheduled on February 22, 2005, but it was moved a day later due to preparation. Nina has released two successful studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...

s that are both influenced by pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...

-R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...

, but behind all the commercial activities, she regularly performs on different bars and gigs. The label wanted to show this side of the singer the best way by releasing a live album. The album consists of love song
Love song
A love song is about falling in love and the feelings it brings. Anthologies of love songs often contain a mixture of both of these types of song. A bawdy song is both humorous and saucy, emphasizing the physical pleasure of love rather than the emotional joy...

s from the 1970s to the 1990s, all of which she has covered live. The live session was recorded on January 30, 2005 at PHI Resto & Bar in Metro Manila
Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila , the National Capital Region , or simply Metro Manila, is the metropolitan region encompassing the City of Manila and its surrounding areas in the Philippines...

.

Nina Live! marked the last project that Nina has worked with Warner executive Ricky Ilacad, since he later moved to MCA Records
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...

. The live video recording was directed by Marla Ancheta, whom she described as a young, fun person to work with. Nina and The Essence band only had a two-week rehearsal before the video shoot, since they were already familiar with the songs. During the project, she collaborated with her Warner labelmates Christian Bautista
Christian Bautista
Christian Joseph Morata Bautista , more popularly known by his screen name Christian Bautista, is a Filipino singer, actor, host, and model. He was a finalist of Star In A Million, a Philippine reality show aired on ABS-CBN channel, winning the 4th place in the competition in 2003...

, Thor and Trapp of Dice & K9. The songs that were chosen for the track list are the most-requested by fans and listeners. One song that was personally insisted by Nina made it to the final cut. On January 15, 2007, it was made available on digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...

 through iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....

 and Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...

 MP3 Download.

Upon release, the album received generally favorable reviews. While praising the vocal ability and range of Nina, most critics did not like the idea of doing covers, believing that she has enough talent to release originals. Surprisingly, the album was a huge commercial success. After a week of commercial release, the album immediately reached gold status by the Philippine Association of the Record Industry (PARI), and certified platinum after three weeks. It is considered to be the biggest-selling album by a female artist in the Philippines, certifying 10× Platinum (Diamond) by the PARI, a rare feat during the turn of the new millennium, where fewer people are purchasing compact discs and cassette tapes. It is the fourth biggest-selling album of an OPM artist, only behind Eraserheads' Cutterpillow
Cutterpillow
Cutterpillow is the third studio album by Filipino alternative rock group The Eraserheads. It was released in the Philippines on December 8, 1995 by Sony BMG Music. The album became a highlight in Pinoy music as it introduced classic songs such as "Huwag Mo Nang Itanong", "Overdrive", and the...

(10× Platinum) and Jose Mari Chan
José Mari Chan
Jose Mari Chan is a Chinese Filipino singer, songwriter and businessman in the sugar industry. He was born in Iloilo City on March 11, 1945. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1967...

's Christmas in Our Hearts
Christmas in Our Hearts
Christmas in Our Hearts is the seventh studio album and the first Christmas album by Filipino singer-songwriter and balladeer Jose Mari Chan. It was released in November 1990 by Universal Records. The album sold over 600,000 units in the Philippines in 2006, certifying Double Diamond by the...

and Constant Change
Constant Change
Constant Change is the sixth studio album by Filipino singer-songwriter Jose Mari Chan. It was released in the Philippines on December 31, 1989 by Universal Records. The album has produced "Beautiful Girl", "Please Be Careful with My Heart", "My Girl, My Woman, My Friend" and "I Have Fallen in Love "...

(both 20× Platinum).

Five successful commercial singles were released from the album. "I Don't Want to Be Your Friend
I Don't Want To Be Your Friend
"I Don't Want to Be Your Friend" is a pop/R&B song written and composed by Diane Warren. It was recorded by singer Cyndi Lauper for her 1989 album A Night To Remember. The song was meant to be the second commercial single released in the U.S...

" was released prior to the album, as part of Diane Warren
Diane Warren
Diane Eve Warren , is a US songwriter. Her songs have received six Academy Award nominations, five Golden Globe nominations, including one win and seven Grammy Award nominations, including one win. She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2001...

's love songs compilation
Diane Warren Presents Love Songs
Diane Warren Presents Love Songs is a compilation album of love songs written by American Grammy Award and Golden Globe-winning and Academy Award-nominated songwriter Diane Warren, released by herself in 2004 to 2006 in various countries...

. It reached number one in the Philippines for eight weeks, and has been considered as a Nina Live! single. The first single from the live recording is "Love Moves in Mysterious Ways", originally recorded by Julia Fordham
Julia Fordham
Julia Fordham is a British singer-songwriter based in California. Her professional career started in the early 1980s, under the name "Jules Fordham", as a backing singer for Mari Wilson and Kim Wilde.-Career:...

. The song remains as one of the most successful singles of the 2000s, staying at number one for twelve consecutive weeks. It has, since, been linked to Nina, even though it was only a cover. "Through the Fire" was later released and it also topped Philippine charts. The song is popular for her vocal belts, reaching G♯5 in full chest voice. "Constantly" is the fourth single and it also performed well on charts. "I Love You Goodbye" was released as the final single from the album. Warner made an official music video for the song, instead of distributing the live performance on TV stations.

Background and development

Nina's first two studio releases are heavily influenced by the pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...

-R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...

 sound reminiscent to international music at that time. Both albums contain a few cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...

s, some of which were released as official singles and became commercially successful in the Philippines. Heaven
Heaven (Nina Girado album)
Heaven is the debut studio album by Filipino singer Nina, released in the Philippines on August 20, 2002 by Warner Music. The album is heavily influenced by jazzy lounge pop-R&B and composed of songs that are reminiscent to the sound of international records at that time. Under the direction of...

contains two revivals, namely "Foolish Heart" (originally by Steve Perry
Steve Perry (musician)
Stephen Ray "Steve" Perry is an American singer and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Journey from 1977–1987 and 1995–1998. Perry had a successful solo career throughout the late 1980s and early '90s.Perry's voice has garnered acclaim from musical peers and music...

) and "Loving You
Loving You (Nina Girado song)
"Loving You" is a song by Filipino singer Nina from her 2002 debut album Heaven. It was released as the album's fourth and final commercial single in the Philippines in October 2003 by Warner Music Philippines. The song was written by Gerry Paraiso, and produced by Ferdie Marquez. It is a...

" (originally by Ric Segreto
Ric Segreto
Ric Segreto born Richard Vincent Segreto Macaraeg, was a Filipino Italian-American recording artist, singer-songwriter, actor, teacher, journalist and historian who became popular in the Philippines.-Early life:...

)—both were released as single and became chart-toppers. "Foolish Heart" was initially recorded as a demo, but was later included in the album due to its evident potential. The song was a hit, becoming her second number one single, and one of the most played songs of 2003 in the country. "A Girl Can Dream" is also a cover, which appeared on her second album, Smile
Smile (Nina Girado album)
Smile is the second studio album by Filipino singer Nina, released in the Philippines on December 12, 2003 by Warner Music. The album was a follow-up to the tremendous success of her debut album. It resembles the same sound from its predecessor, but only bigger and bolder in terms of incorporating...

. It was also released as a single, and became a hit.
"I Don't Want to Be Your Friend
I Don't Want To Be Your Friend
"I Don't Want to Be Your Friend" is a pop/R&B song written and composed by Diane Warren. It was recorded by singer Cyndi Lauper for her 1989 album A Night To Remember. The song was meant to be the second commercial single released in the U.S...

" is another cover that Nina made a hit with. The song ruled Philippine charts for weeks, and has been linked to her, even though it was originally recorded by Cyndi Lauper
Cyndi Lauper
Cynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT rights activist. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the album She's So Unusual and became the first female singer to have four top-five singles released from one album...

. It was clearly obvious that fans and listeners loved it when she does covers. Behind all the commercial activities, Nina regularly performs in gigs at different bars such as Hard Rock Cafe
Hard Rock Cafe
Hard Rock Cafe is a chain of theme restaurants founded in 1971 by Americans Peter Morton & Isaac Tigrett. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and roll memorabilia, a tradition which expanded to others in the chain. In 2006, Hard Rock was sold to the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and...

, Bagaberde and 19 East. She sings her own versions of classic love song
Love song
A love song is about falling in love and the feelings it brings. Anthologies of love songs often contain a mixture of both of these types of song. A bawdy song is both humorous and saucy, emphasizing the physical pleasure of love rather than the emotional joy...

s from the '70s to the '90s. For that reason, Warner Music came up with the idea of putting her live performances in a CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...

. According to Nina, Warner told her "Why not put it in CD form or in a DVD, so that the people could take home [her] show." After countless live concert performances, she finally gave in to requests by her longtime fans to put out her first live album. The album was said to showcase her musical taste and versatility through a collection of the most requested love songs.

Recording and composition

The album was recorded live on January 30, 2005 at PHI Resto and Bar in Metrowalk
Metrowalk
Metrowalk is a small but major commercial hub in Pasig in the Philippines. It is located on a 5,000 square metre parcel of land at the junction of Ortigas and Meralco Avenues in the Ortigas Center central business district of the metro....

, Pasig City
Pasig City
The City of Pasig is one of the city municipalities of Metro Manila in the Philippines and was the former capital of the province of Rizal prior to the formation of this grouping of cities designated as the National Capital Region...

. Nina's labelmates Christian Bautista
Christian Bautista
Christian Joseph Morata Bautista , more popularly known by his screen name Christian Bautista, is a Filipino singer, actor, host, and model. He was a finalist of Star In A Million, a Philippine reality show aired on ABS-CBN channel, winning the 4th place in the competition in 2003...

, Thor and Trapp of Dice & K9 collaborated with her on the album. The live video recording was directed by Marla Ancheta. Warner invited several guests to act as audience on the concert, and the label's managing executive at that time, Ricky Ilacad, oriented them on what the film should look like. According to Nina, she did not really have a tough time preparing for the songs, since she sings them on her gigs. The only thing they needed to do was polish things up, and it took [like] two weeks. Nina expressed how happy she was with The Essence band in the following statement:

"Yung bandang tumugtog sa'kin on that night, sobra akong natutuwa sa kanila kasi they really prepared for the recording. Two weeks before, nag-pratice sila halos everyday for it, and it turned out well kasi ang ganda nung pagkakarecord... almost perfect. [The band [The Essence] that played for me on that night, I'm very happy with them, because they really prepared for the recording. Two weeks before, they practiced almost everyday for it, and it turned out well because it sounds beautifully recorded... almost perfect]."

In the process of song selection, the production team chose songs that Nina sings in her gigs, the most-requested by fans—including "Through the Fire", "(Love Moves in) Mysterious Ways
(Love Moves in) Mysterious Ways
" Mysterious Ways" is a single by British singer-songwriter Julia Fordham. It was released in 1992 from her 1991 album Swept. The song charted at number 19 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming her biggest single in the country.-Nina version:...

" and "At Your Best (You Are Love)". Nina personally insisted "Anything for You
Anything for You (Gloria Estefan song)
"Anything for You" is a popular song and ballad written by Gloria Estefan and sung by Estefan and Miami Sound Machine. The song appeared on their 1987 album, Let It Loose. "Anything for You" became a number-one song in the United States during the year 1988; it was the band's first...

" to be included on the track list. During the recording, she admitted that the most difficult song to sing was "Through the Fire", knowing that it requires high vocal registers. She called the video shoot "fun," considering that the director, Ancheta, is kind and still young. They just jammed to it. Nina Live! was not really recorded in a live concert format. It included retakes of a few scenes, where the singers made unintentional mistakes.
Nina Live! captures the Soul Siren magic, the young diva in her element, effortlessly dishing out torch favorites music-loving golden oldies will never forget, like Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan , frequently known as the Queen of Funk, is a 10-time Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter who gained fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career...

's "Through the Fire", Brenda Russell
Brenda Russell
Brenda Russell is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter and keyboardist. Known for her eclectic musical style, her recordings have encompassed several different genres, including pop, soul, dance, jazz and adult contemporary...

's "Piano in the Dark
Piano in the Dark
"Piano In The Dark" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Brenda Russell . It was the first single to be taken from Russell's 1988 album, Get Here.-Song Information:...

" and The Eagles' "I Can't Tell You Why
I Can't Tell You Why
"I Can't Tell You Why" is a song from the Eagles which appeared on their 1979 album The Long Run. The song was written by Timothy B. Schmit, Glenn Frey, and Don Henley, and was the first Eagles song to feature Schmit on lead vocals....

". Contemporary tracks like Aaliyah
Aaliyah
Aaliyah Dana Haughton , who performed under the mononym Aaliyah , was an American R&B recording artist, actress and model. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was raised in Detroit, Michigan. At the age of 10, she appeared on the television show Star Search and performed in concert alongside...

's "At Your Best (You Are Love)", Jennifer Love Hewitt
Jennifer Love Hewitt
Jennifer Love Hewitt is an American actress, producer, television director and former singer-songwriter. Hewitt began her acting career as a child by appearing in television commercials and the Disney Channel series Kids Incorporated...

's "Cool With You", Julia Fordham
Julia Fordham
Julia Fordham is a British singer-songwriter based in California. Her professional career started in the early 1980s, under the name "Jules Fordham", as a backing singer for Mari Wilson and Kim Wilde.-Career:...

's "(Love Moves in) Mysterious Ways" and Celine Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...

's "I Love You, Goodbye
I Love You, Goodbye (song)
"I Love You, Goodbye" is a song by Canadian singer Céline Dion from her 1992 self-titled English album. The song was written by prolific American songwriter Diane Warren...

" were chosen to fit the young and student fan base of Nina. The film and sound recording of the album was very raw, so that listeners will almost think they were there at PHI Resto & Bar themselves, gushing over her and cheering all the more when her surprise guests came out and joined her for a couple of very interesting duets. Nina collaborated with three of her in-demand Warner labelmates. The first one to sing with her was romantic balladeer Bautista on "Burn
Burn (Tina Arena song)
"Burn" was covered by American country singer Jo Dee Messina for her third studio album Burn. It was released as the second single in October 2000, and peaked at #2 on the US Country charts in February 2001.-Music video:...

". She admitted that they both did not have a rehearsal and Bautista looked tired, so they just did retakes to perfect the duet. R&B balladeer Thor followed, and he performed "The Closer I Get to You" with Nina. The two were described to have matched vocally, note for note. She also got to bust some hip-hop grooves, when she did an upbeat urban-styled version of "Coloured Kisses
Coloured Kisses (song)
"Coloured Kisses" was the third single from Martika's 1991 album Martika's Kitchen; the single failed to be a success. It didn't chart in the US, and achieved minor chart positions in other countries...

" together with Dice & K9's mad pup, Trapp. The duo took the song into a whole new different sound and arrangement. As an added bonus, the album also features Nina's biggest single of 2004—"I Don't Want to Be Your Friend" which was recorded in the studio and not part of the live concert. The track was specially written by international songwriter Diane Warren
Diane Warren
Diane Eve Warren , is a US songwriter. Her songs have received six Academy Award nominations, five Golden Globe nominations, including one win and seven Grammy Award nominations, including one win. She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2001...

. The album is notable for having a running time of more than 80 minutes on a single standard compact disc.

Critical reception

Aside from impressive huge sales and three number one singles in it, Nina Live! was also well-received by music critics, earning favorable reviews. Ginnie Faustino-Galgana of Titik Pilipino gave the album three and a half out of five stars, praising the Soul Siren's vocal ability and skills, and stated that "[Nina]'s vocal range
Vocal range
Vocal range is the measure of the breadth of pitches that a human voice can phonate. Although the study of vocal range has little practical application in terms of speech, it is a topic of study within linguistics, phonetics, and speech and language pathology, particularly in relation to the study...

 is decidedly wide. Her voice itself has proven itself youthful and adaptable to any beat [...] By virtue of the familiarity with the covered songs, as well as Nina's talent, it is no wonder that this album has been churning one hit after another [...] Overall, this album only proves that Nina can do wonderfully with covers." However, she thought that Nina can do better with originals, saying "I believe Nina has enough talent to establish herself with her own sound. If she can be in a tandem with a composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

 who can write songs for her, I'm sure Nina will do it justice and churn out hits." She ended her statement by saying that the live experience from the album is "quite memorable."

At the height of the album's success, it has been a huge influence and reference to a series of live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...

s that were later released by different artists. Such albums that followed Nina Live! were Freestyle
Freestyle (band)
-Current members:*Joshua Desiderio *Mike Luis *Rommel dela Cruz *Gerald Banzon *Tat Suzara -Former Members:*Christopher "Top" Suzara *Carlo Tapia *Obet Luzon...

's Live @ 19 East (2006), Sitti
Sitti Navarro
Sitti Katrina Navarro , also known as Sitti, is a Filipino bossa nova singer. After releasing her first album, Café Bossa, in 2006, other bossa nova acts in the Philippines followed. Navarro is also featured in the segment "A.S.A.P. Sessionistas" of the variety show ASAP...

's Sitti Live!
Sitti Live!
Sitti Live! is the first live album by Philippine bossa nova singer Sitti Navarro, released on September 15, 2006. The concert was recorded live at the Ortigas Park in Pasig City, Metro Manila.The album was released in a digipak.-Track listing:...

(2006), Christian Bautista's Just a Love Song... Christian Bautista Live! (2007), Rachelle Ann Go
Rachelle Ann Go
-External links:*...

's Rachelle Ann Rocks Live!
Rachelle Ann Rocks Live!
Rachelle Ann Rocks Live! is the first live cover album by Filipina singer Rachelle Ann Go. Recorded at Live at 19 East in 2008, the album marks Go's first attempt to do a live album featuring cover versions of song by Survivor, Bon Jovi, The Rembrandts, Bryan Adams, Ambrosia, and Aerosmith, among...

(2008) and Aiza Seguerra
Aiza Seguerra
Cariza Yamson Seguerra better known as Aiza Seguerra is a Filipino actress, singer-songwriter and guitarist. She traces her roots from Calauag, Quezon....

's Live! (2009).

Commercial performance

A week after its commercial release, Nina Live! went certified Gold, selling over 15,000 units in the Philippines. It turned Platinum in its third week of release, and double platinum in less than two months. Even before the second commercial single "Through the Fire" was released, the album was already triple platinum, eventually selling more than 90,000 units in the country. Before 2005 ended, the album was certified 6× Platinum by the Philippine Association of the Record Industry (PARI), with over 180,000 copies sold and becoming one of the fastest-selling Filipino albums in history. In August 2006, it reached 7× Platinum, with sales of 210,000 copies. In November 2007, the album sold over 240,000 units, and was awarded an 8× Platinum certification by the PARI in ASAP '08
ASAP (variety show)
ASAP Rocks is a musical variety show in the Philippines broadcast by ABS-CBN in the Philippines. The show is presented by its main hosts Zsa Zsa Padilla, Gary Valenciano and Martin Nievera. The show first premiered on February 5, 1995, and airs live Sundays...

on March 9, 2008. Early in 2009, it was reported to have sold more than 260,300 copies in the country.

After four years since its release, the album still managed to sell an additional 40,000 units, which equaled to double platinum (with PARI's April 2009 criterion). The 8× Platinum it has received in 2008 and the 2× Platinum it received with PARI's new guidelines were, then, added. On October 11, 2009, Nina Live! was awarded a Diamond (10× Platinum) certification on ASAP '09 for selling more than 280,000 units in the Philippines, making Nina the first female OPM artist to achieve the feat. She is also the third OPM artist to receive a Diamond award, behind Jose Mari Chan
José Mari Chan
Jose Mari Chan is a Chinese Filipino singer, songwriter and businessman in the sugar industry. He was born in Iloilo City on March 11, 1945. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1967...

 and the Eraserheads.

To date, the album has sold more than 300,000 units, and still makes appearances on various album sales charts. It is currently the fourth biggest-selling album in OPM history, as well as the biggest-selling live OPM album.

Diamond award controversy

As soon as Nina received the first ever Diamond award for an OPM female artist by the Philippine Association of the Record Industry (PARI) in October 2009, false reports on the album's sales surfaced the news. The album was reported to have sold only 220,000 units, when according to PARI, it has already moved over 240,000 units in November 2007. This was given proof by the 8× Platinum award the album received at that time. News articles stated that PARI lowered their guidelines to 20,000 units per platinum due to piracy and illegal downloads. After hearing the statement, Sarah Geronimo
Sarah Gerónimo
Sarah Asher Tua Geronimo is a Filipino recording artist, actress and dancer. Geronimo started her career appearing in children's variety shows such as Pen-pen de Sarapen, Ang TV and NEXT...

's fans protested Nina getting the award ahead of Geronimo, since Popstar: A Dream Come True
Popstar: A Dream Come True
Popstar: A Dream Come True is the debut album by Filipino singer Sarah Geronimo, released on September 11, 2003, in the Philippines by VIVA Records. It was produced by Vincent del Rosario. After winning the grand champion title on Star for a Night, she signed a recording contract with the label and...

has sold over 210,000 copies in the country. Other artists including Regine Velasquez
Regine Velasquez
Regina Encarnacion Ansong Velasquez , better known as Asia's Songbird, Regine Velasquez, is a Filipino singer, actress, record producer and TV host...

 and Aiza Seguerra
Aiza Seguerra
Cariza Yamson Seguerra better known as Aiza Seguerra is a Filipino actress, singer-songwriter and guitarist. She traces her roots from Calauag, Quezon....

 were said to have deserved the award first. Nina said that there was no feud between her and Geronimo. She expressed herself in the following statement:

"Actually, I don't really know issues about that [the Diamond award], but since they asked, I can't say anything. For me, if they really reached Diamond status, they should be awarded, like me, I was awarded when I reached Diamond. There's no problem, if Diamond, it's Diamond [...] I'm not offended, like what I said if she's really a Diamond awardee, why would I be mad? [...] It's a very good feeling, for every artist, for every singer, that's a fulfillment even if it's not Diamond, even if it's Gold, Platinum, it's a fulfillment for a singer."

Singles

Prior to the release of the album, "I Don't Want to Be Your Friend
I Don't Want To Be Your Friend
"I Don't Want to Be Your Friend" is a pop/R&B song written and composed by Diane Warren. It was recorded by singer Cyndi Lauper for her 1989 album A Night To Remember. The song was meant to be the second commercial single released in the U.S...

" was released in fourth quarter of 2004, originally, as single for Diane Warren Presents Love Songs
Diane Warren Presents Love Songs
Diane Warren Presents Love Songs is a compilation album of love songs written by American Grammy Award and Golden Globe-winning and Academy Award-nominated songwriter Diane Warren, released by herself in 2004 to 2006 in various countries...

. The song was originally recorded by Cyndi Lauper
Cyndi Lauper
Cynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT rights activist. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the album She's So Unusual and became the first female singer to have four top-five singles released from one album...

, and Nina's version charted at number one in the Philippines for eight weeks. Since then, it was considered as a Nina Live! hit single. The music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...

 gave way on her transformation from a pop cutie to a sexy siren. The first official single, "Love Moves in Mysterious Ways", was solicited to radio in February 2005 and became a monster hit by the summer of that year. Though the song was originally released by Julia Fordham
Julia Fordham
Julia Fordham is a British singer-songwriter based in California. Her professional career started in the early 1980s, under the name "Jules Fordham", as a backing singer for Mari Wilson and Kim Wilde.-Career:...

, Nina was linked to it as many thought she was its original singer. It was the biggest OPM single of 2000's era, topping Philippine music charts for twelve consecutive weeks. It was also the most-played and most-requested song on Philippine radio stations of 2005. The song is a big factor on the album's overflowing success. When Fordham was asked if she ever heard of Nina's rendition, she replied "I know Nina did a beautiful job [with the song]. She's really quite good." The second single "Through the Fire", a Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan , frequently known as the Queen of Funk, is a 10-time Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter who gained fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career...

 original, was released in May 2005 and became her other monster hit. Nina's version is popular for her vocal belting from the song's bridge, all the way to its end. The last belt of the song, a sustained G♯5, is considered to be Nina's highest recorded register in chest voice. "Constantly" was the third single, released in the second half of 2005. The song showed her smooth mellow sound. Although it did not rule the charts, it is included in Nina's string of hits. The last commercial single was a Celine Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...

 hit, "I Love You Goodbye", released in the last quarter of 2005. The song was very dramatic, it captured the brokenhearted side of the singer. The music video of the single that was distributed to music channels is not live. Warner made an official version, instead of using the live performance. The song features only Nina (on vocals) and Chris Buenviaje on acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...

.

In January 2006, "Burn
Burn (Tina Arena song)
"Burn" was covered by American country singer Jo Dee Messina for her third studio album Burn. It was released as the second single in October 2000, and peaked at #2 on the US Country charts in February 2001.-Music video:...

", a duet with romantic balladeer Christian Bautista
Christian Bautista
Christian Joseph Morata Bautista , more popularly known by his screen name Christian Bautista, is a Filipino singer, actor, host, and model. He was a finalist of Star In A Million, a Philippine reality show aired on ABS-CBN channel, winning the 4th place in the competition in 2003...

, was released as a radio-only single. Without any official release, the song entered the Philippine music charts.

Promotion

Nina Live! became the most successful album, not only by Nina, but by an OPM artist in the 2000s. The album was launched on March 27, 2005 at The Podium
The Podium
The Podium is an upscale shopping mall located along ADB Avenue in the Ortigas Center, a major business and commercial district in Pasig City, Philippines...

 in Ortigas Center
Ortigas Center
Ortigas Center is Metro Manila's second most important Philippine financial district-cum-central business district after the Makati Financial and Central Business District in Makati City. With an area of at least 100 hectares, the district is located at the boundaries of Pasig City, Mandaluyong...

, Pasig City
Pasig City
The City of Pasig is one of the city municipalities of Metro Manila in the Philippines and was the former capital of the province of Rizal prior to the formation of this grouping of cities designated as the National Capital Region...

, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

. The lead single, "Love Moves in Mysterious Ways", immediately began receiving heavy airplay, enabling it to top the Philippine Singles Chart. In May 2005, the album was already certified 3× Platinum by the Philippine Association of the Record Industry (PARI). On May 27 and 28 of the same year, she performed live in a two-night concert at the Music Museum, entitled Nina Just Wanna Have Fun. It was her first ever major concert that featured dance numbers and extraordinary costumes. On October 1, 2005, she had her biggest solo concert to date, entitled Nina Live!, at the Araneta Coliseum
Araneta Coliseum
The Smart Araneta Coliseum, known as The Big Dome is an indoor multi-purpose sports arena located in the Cubao area of Quezon City, Philippines...

—where she sang Nina Live! hits such as "Love Moves in Mysterious Ways", "Through the Fire" and even a medley of Diane Warren
Diane Warren
Diane Eve Warren , is a US songwriter. Her songs have received six Academy Award nominations, five Golden Globe nominations, including one win and seven Grammy Award nominations, including one win. She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2001...

 songs. On October 15, she did another Nina Live! concert, and it was held at San Pablo City
San Pablo City
The City of San Pablo , a first class city in the province of Laguna, Philippines, is one of the country's oldest cities. The City of San Pablo lies in the southern portion of Laguna province...

.

Aside from performing the album's tracks on her major concerts, gigs and TV guestings. She has performed them many times on ASAP
ASAP (variety show)
ASAP Rocks is a musical variety show in the Philippines broadcast by ABS-CBN in the Philippines. The show is presented by its main hosts Zsa Zsa Padilla, Gary Valenciano and Martin Nievera. The show first premiered on February 5, 1995, and airs live Sundays...

.

Video release

Before 2005 ended, Warner Music Philippines released a DVD for Nina Live!. It was the first ever complete live DVD that was released in the Philippines. It contains the whole live session and several bonus features—including Nina's biography, discography, photo gallery, an interview with her, videoke mode, behind the scenes of the album's recording sessions and the official music video for "I Don't Want to Be Your Friend
I Don't Want To Be Your Friend
"I Don't Want to Be Your Friend" is a pop/R&B song written and composed by Diane Warren. It was recorded by singer Cyndi Lauper for her 1989 album A Night To Remember. The song was meant to be the second commercial single released in the U.S...

".

Awards and accolades

Aside from favorable response from critics, Nina Live! earned numerous nominations in major awarding events. In 2005, "I Don't Want to Be Your Friend
I Don't Want To Be Your Friend
"I Don't Want to Be Your Friend" is a pop/R&B song written and composed by Diane Warren. It was recorded by singer Cyndi Lauper for her 1989 album A Night To Remember. The song was meant to be the second commercial single released in the U.S...

" was nominated for Favorite Female Video
MTV Pilipinas for Favorite Female Video
The following is a list of MTV Pilipinas winners for Favorite Female Video....

 on the MTV Pilipinas Music Awards
MTV Pilipinas Music Awards
MTV Pilipinas Music Awards is the Philippines' biggest annual music video awards event.-Award categories:*Video of the Year*Favorite Male Video*Favorite Female Video*Favorite New Artist in a Video*Favorite Group Video*Favorite Pop Video...

, but lost to Rachelle Ann Go
Rachelle Ann Go
-External links:*...

's cover of "Love of My Life". Nina was nominated for Female R&B Artist of the Year on the first ever Philippine Hip-Hop Music Awards, but lost to Kyla
Kyla
Melanie Hernandez Calumpad Alvarez , better known by her stage name Kyla, is an R&B singer, songwriter, producer, TV host, and occasional actress from the Philippines....

. Before the year ended, she was given the Best Female Acoustic Artist award by the National Consumers Quality Awards. Nina Live! earned four nominations on the 2006 Awit Awards
Awit Awards
The Awit Awards is the longest-running award-giving body of the Philippines that gives recognition to Filipino musical talents, performing artists and producers it was Philippines equivalent to Grammy Awards, organized by the Philippine Association Of The Record Industry .-Objectives and Winner...

, two of which were under the same category—Best Performance by a Duet for "The Closer I Get to You" featuring Thor and "Burn
Burn (Tina Arena song)
"Burn" was covered by American country singer Jo Dee Messina for her third studio album Burn. It was released as the second single in October 2000, and peaked at #2 on the US Country charts in February 2001.-Music video:...

" featuring Christian Bautista
Christian Bautista
Christian Joseph Morata Bautista , more popularly known by his screen name Christian Bautista, is a Filipino singer, actor, host, and model. He was a finalist of Star In A Million, a Philippine reality show aired on ABS-CBN channel, winning the 4th place in the competition in 2003...

. Nina won two awards, including Best Selling Album of the Year for Nina Live! and Best Performance by a Duet for "The Closer I Get to You", but lost the Best Performance by a Female Recording Artist award to Barbie Almalbis
Barbie Almalbis
* Dahilan* Give Yourself Away* Overdrive * Damsel* Sorry Song* Parading* Little Miss Spider* High * Summer Day* Pag-alis* For The World...

. On the MYX Music Awards 2006
Myx Music Awards 2006
The 1st Myx Music Awards was held on June 6, 2006 at Onstage Greenbelt, Makati City.-Favorite Music Video:* "The Day You Said Goodnight" by Hale* "Mang Jose" by Parokya Ni Edgar* "You'll Be Safe Here" by Rivermaya* "Gemini" by Spongecola...

, she received another four nominations—her most number of nominations on the award so far, where she won Favorite Collaboration for "Burn" with Bautista. However, she lost the Favorite Remake award to Mark Bautista
Mark Bautista
Mark Bautista is a Filipino singer, actor and commercial model. Born into a large, impoverished family in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines. Bautista received his career break when he was a Grand finalist on Philippine reality TV talent search Star for a Night and eventually placed second behind...

's "I Need You
I Need You (LeAnn Rimes song)
"I Need You" is a song performed by American country pop artist, LeAnn Rimes. It was released on July 18, 2000 as a single from Jesus: Music From & Inspired by the Epic Mini Series. It spent 25 weeks on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Chart and peaked at #11...

", the Favorite Female Artist award to Go, and the Favorite Artist award to Cueshe
Cueshé
Cueshé is a Filipino pop rock band from Cebu, Philippines, currently based in Manila.-Background:In March 2005, the group decided to move to the Philippine capital of Manila...

. On the 2006 Aliw Awards
Aliw Awards
Aliw Awards by the Aliw Awards Foundation, Inc. was established by the renowned Philippine journalist Alice H. Reyes, to recognize achievements in the live entertainment industry in the Philippines...

, she was nominated for two categories—Best Female Major Concert and Best Female Performance in a Concert for Nina Live! The Concert—which she both lost. In the same year, she earned her second OPM Female Artist of the Year award by the RX 93.1.

Nina Live! is the only album that received the most recognitions (6 awards) on the ASAP Platinum Circle
ASAP (variety show)
ASAP Rocks is a musical variety show in the Philippines broadcast by ABS-CBN in the Philippines. The show is presented by its main hosts Zsa Zsa Padilla, Gary Valenciano and Martin Nievera. The show first premiered on February 5, 1995, and airs live Sundays...

. It had additional single platinum in every year from 2005—2008. In 2009, Nina received the Elite Platinum Circle Award for being the first female OPM artist to achieve a Diamond (10× Platinum) certification by the Philippine Association of the Record Industry (PARI).

List of awards and nominations
Year Award Category Result
2005 MTV Pilipinas Music Awards
MTV Pilipinas Music Awards
MTV Pilipinas Music Awards is the Philippines' biggest annual music video awards event.-Award categories:*Video of the Year*Favorite Male Video*Favorite Female Video*Favorite New Artist in a Video*Favorite Group Video*Favorite Pop Video...

Favorite Female Video
MTV Pilipinas for Favorite Female Video
The following is a list of MTV Pilipinas winners for Favorite Female Video....

 ("I Don't Want to Be Your Friend
I Don't Want To Be Your Friend
"I Don't Want to Be Your Friend" is a pop/R&B song written and composed by Diane Warren. It was recorded by singer Cyndi Lauper for her 1989 album A Night To Remember. The song was meant to be the second commercial single released in the U.S...

")
National Consumers Quality Awards Best Female Acoustic Artist
Philippine Hip-Hop Music Awards Female R&B Artist of the Year
2006 Aliw Awards
Aliw Awards
Aliw Awards by the Aliw Awards Foundation, Inc. was established by the renowned Philippine journalist Alice H. Reyes, to recognize achievements in the live entertainment industry in the Philippines...

Best Female Major Concert (Nina Live! The Concert)
Best Female Performance in a Concert
Awit Awards
Awit Awards
The Awit Awards is the longest-running award-giving body of the Philippines that gives recognition to Filipino musical talents, performing artists and producers it was Philippines equivalent to Grammy Awards, organized by the Philippine Association Of The Record Industry .-Objectives and Winner...

Best Performance by a Female Recording Artist
Best Performance by a Duet ("The Closer I Get to You")
Best Performance by a Duet ("Burn
Burn (Tina Arena song)
"Burn" was covered by American country singer Jo Dee Messina for her third studio album Burn. It was released as the second single in October 2000, and peaked at #2 on the US Country charts in February 2001.-Music video:...

")
Best Selling Album of the Year (Nina Live!)
MYX Music Awards
Myx Music Awards 2006
The 1st Myx Music Awards was held on June 6, 2006 at Onstage Greenbelt, Makati City.-Favorite Music Video:* "The Day You Said Goodnight" by Hale* "Mang Jose" by Parokya Ni Edgar* "You'll Be Safe Here" by Rivermaya* "Gemini" by Spongecola...

Favorite Artist
Favorite Female Artist
Favorite Collaboration ("Burn")
Favorite Remake ("Love Moves in Mysterious Ways")
RX 93.1 OPM Female Artist of the Year

Track listing

All tracks were produced by Neil Gregorio.

Album credits

Credits were taken from Titik Pilipino.
Production
  • Marla Ancheta – director
  • Rey Cortez – album cover layout
  • Chris Genuino – album cover layout
  • Neil C. Gregorio – A&R, album producer, mastering and sequencing
  • Ricky R. Ilacad – A&R, executive producer
  • Mark Laccay – live recording
  • Anne Poblador – styling
  • Daniel Tan – photography
  • Dante Taňedo – mixing
  • Frey Zambrano – production coordinator
  • Ramil Aznar - Editor


Personnel
  • Dexter Ayala – bass guitar, back-up vocals
  • Christian Bautista
    Christian Bautista
    Christian Joseph Morata Bautista , more popularly known by his screen name Christian Bautista, is a Filipino singer, actor, host, and model. He was a finalist of Star In A Million, a Philippine reality show aired on ABS-CBN channel, winning the 4th place in the competition in 2003...

     – lead vocals
  • Chris Buenviaje – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, back-up vocals
  • Leo Espocia – drums, back-up vocals
  • Nina Girado
    Nina Girado
    Marifil Niña Girado , better known by her stage name Nina, is a Filipino pop/R&B singer, occasional songwriter, record producer, TV and radio personality. She made her recording debut in 2002 after signing a recording contract with Warner Music Philippines...

     – lead vocals
  • Rico Sobrevinas – saxophone, back-up vocals
  • Thor – lead vocals
  • Trapp (of Dice & K9) – lead vocals
  • Derek Tupas – keyboards, back-up vocals

Recording locations
  • PHI Resto & Bar (Metrowalk
    Metrowalk
    Metrowalk is a small but major commercial hub in Pasig in the Philippines. It is located on a 5,000 square metre parcel of land at the junction of Ortigas and Meralco Avenues in the Ortigas Center central business district of the metro....

    , Pasig City
    Pasig City
    The City of Pasig is one of the city municipalities of Metro Manila in the Philippines and was the former capital of the province of Rizal prior to the formation of this grouping of cities designated as the National Capital Region...

    , Philippines
    Philippines
    The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

    ) – live recording
  • Warner Chili Red Studio – mastering and sequencing

Certifications

Country Provider Certification Sales
Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

PARI
PHIL Music
The Philippine Association of the Record Industry or PARI is the Philippine equivalent to the American RIAA.The Philippine Association of the Record Industry , a non-profit, non-stock, purely private industry organization, was organized in 1972.-Objectives:* To promote and develop a legitimate and...

10× Platinum (Diamond) 300,000+

Release history

Country Edition Release Date Label Catalogue
Philippines Standard (CD + bonus track) Warner Music
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...

504677855-2
South Korea 643443640268
United States Standard (digital download + bonus track) WEA
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK