NINA PROVES WORTHY OF ‘DIAMOND’ SOUL SIREN TITLE

March 6, 2010; Saturday at the Music Museum, 8pm --- After tonight things will never be the same again for Nina & her fans. Tonight, Nina just proved that she is indeed the country’s diamond soul siren by showing how confident she is now on stage while chronicling her days from a fledgling singer to a hit maker & ultimately being accorded a diamond record award for her phenomenal live album.

Nina performed to two consecutive nights of a sold-out concert produced by ASAP Live! at the Music Museum. During the show you would only hear giggles of excitement & thunderous claps as Nina performs her repertoire. At the end of the show she would earn a standing ovation after a powerful rendition of Beyonce’s “Listen” which was only an additional track for tonight’s set.

This is not the first time that I’ve been to Nina’s concert. Being one of her avid followers I have been to every major concert she had. This time I personally felt her maturity as a performer. Her confidence was oozing & her rapport with the audience is something that she played along with her own taste of wit & charm. Only a few singers create rapport with the audience & Nina’s an ace on it now. Something she hasn’t been doing before.

Before & after introducing each song she’s going to perform she would play along with the audience by telling them stories behind the song. From time to time she would joke before & after each performance much to the audience’s chagrin. She then holds the audience captive after providing antics on her performance.

The show was well-rehearsed. It was polished & carefully thought of even with the song play list. Organizers of the show made sure that there will be no dull moments during the entire concert. Production flow was smooth as Nina transitioned from one number to another.

The soul siren’s opening of Shirley Bassey’s “Diamonds Are Forever” was elegant as she appeared on stage dressed in a flourishing white gown accessorized with little diamonds. With the opening song one would think it was a serious show, something for a mature audience but she unexpectedly segued to a Britney Spears’ medley & giggle over the songs she’s performing. The audience now started to become comfortable with her.

Next numbers would then showcase Nina’s dynamic vocal range. She was well applauded after performing Mariah Carey’s “Butterfly”. Her rendition of Lani Misalucha’s “Bukas Na Lang Kita Mamahalin” was haunting. Her “I Believe I Can Fly” left the audience captivated as she reached the highest note of the song. She would also have fun singing while dancing with Katy Perry’s hit songs. She was such a delight to watch on stage with her being so pretty & elegant that night. Her costumes were more than beautiful befitting a pretty petite singer like her.


The numbers that we would be enjoying the most will be her performances of her own hit songs. “Jealous” never sounded better than tonight & it’s as if it was just yesterday when she released the song. The Dianne Warren medley was heartbreaking. You can feel every emotion as Nina puts melody to each love song Warren wrote from “I’ll Never Get Over You”, “Love Will Lead You Back”, “Unbreak My Heart” & her very own “I Don’t Wanna Be Your Friend”.

“Why Can’t It Be” will force tears from your eyes while “Weekend In New England” would keep you reminiscing. She would all perform these songs while sitting down then comfortably belt out notes something that is a signature move of hers.

She had two special guests that night. Journey’s lead vocalist Arnel Pineda would bring out the rock star in us as everyone nearly jumped while he performs Bon Jovi’s hit songs. Her duet with Nina of “These Dreams” was a very fresh take on the song. Their great vocals really combined smoothly.



Big band crooner Richard Poon is a regular in Nina’s shows. Their take on “Burn” a cut from Nina’s live album was refreshing to the ears as Richard added a touch of big band to the song.

“Love Moves” is Nina’s hit that made her a household name. The night definitely wouldn’t be complete without her performance of this trademark song. It was very nice to hear the audience sing along with Nina as she sang.

When the piano intro for “Someday” was played everyone shrieked & sang along as well. Everyone had their cam corders flashed on as she readies herself for one of the audience’s favorite hits “Through The Fire”. This is the part where she delighted everyone with her amazing & powerful vocals & belting capability while performing the song very intimately while sitting & reaching out to the audience.

Before the night ended she would then treat us to a Beyonce medley of pop-dance songs. It was remarkable & you’ll wish the night would never end thus everyone would shout more after the last song on her play list & being a generous performer she would then come out again tirelessly sharing her amazing talent to us. After the last number the audience would give out their loudest claps & shouts of pride to the country’s diamond soul siren.

Tonight Nina surpassed what was expected of her. This concert of hers is something that would earn her a spot among the country’s amazingly talented concert acts. Truly she proved worthy of having diamond a mandatory prefix to her soul siren title. She is as elegant & brilliant plus astonishingly amazing, courageous & brave on stage which is all parallel to a diamond’s attribute.

Her performance tonight is also something that aspiring singers should watch & emulate & for her contemporaries & detractors to think about because she definitely proved everyone wrong when her recognition was questioned. Tonight has been the answer to their questions. They should have watched to convince themselves that Nina indeed is the diamond soul siren.



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Special thanks to: Lans, Dra. Win & Rons for the lovely & mesmerizing pics