Stay Alive (album)

Stay Alive
Studio album by Nina
Released	November 19, 2011 (2011-11-19) (Philippines)
Recorded	August 2010—August 2011
Genre	Pop, R&B, electropop, dance
Language	English, Tagalog
Label	Universal
Producer	Kathleen Dy-Go (executive)
Nina chronology
Diamond: Greatest Hits 2002-2010 (2010) Stay Alive (2011)
Singles from '
"Dance" Released: TBA

Stay Alive is the long-awaited sixth studio album by Filipino singer Nina, released in the Philippines on November 19, 2011^[1] by Universal Records.^[2] The album will be released internationally two months after its release in the Philippines.

Background and development

Nina performing at Ayala Center Cebu in 2011, where she promoted the release of her upcoming 2011 album.

Before production for the album began, Nina was in a long recording hiatus. The last album that she recorded, Nina Sings the Hits of Diane Warren, was released in 2008. Her 2009 album Renditions of the Soul is only a collection of her performances on the Wave 89.1 radio show of the same title, and her 2010 album is only a compilation of her greatest hits. On August 7, 2010, she performed on Pilipinas Win na Win as a guest together with Erik Santos. During the show, she revealed that she was working on a new album, and added that it will be released early in 2011 due to heavy preparation.^[3] In November 2010 after her Think Pink concert at Cebu City, she openly talked about the album she was working on, and stated that her new sound is going to be "sexy-soul," saying "It's going to be sexy-soul which is like singing from the soul but when you hear it, there's a degree of sexiness to it. That's me 'eh. I'm really a singer that sings from the soul, bonus na lang 'yung sexy na part [the sexy part is just a bonus]."^[4] She also shared ideas on the content of the album, and added that it will hopefully be released in mid-January.^[4] Before 2010 ended, her brother King revealed via Pinoy Exchange that Nina was planning to include Sabel's theme song "Hagkan" on the album as a bonus track. He also stated that Richard Poon wrote a song for the album entitled "I Don't Want to Fight".

However, the album was pushed back to a February release. It was mid-February and there was still no update on the album's release. In an interview for the February 2011 issue of Woman Today magazine, Nina stated that the album's release was, again, pushed back to June 2011 due to the fact that she and her new label wanted the album to be perfect.^[5] On February 22, 2011, she posted on Twitter a photo of her, recording a new song in the studio.^[6] On February 28, she posted another photo in the studio with the tweet "getting ready for recording. :)...SO much love<3."^[7] In an interview after her arrival from Pattaya International Music Festival in Thailand, she mentioned working on her first album under Universal, stating "Expect few pleasant surprises from this new album of mine. We’re working very hard to make this project truly groundbreaking."^[8] On April 15, 2011, she wrote a Pattaya Music Fest article on The Philippine Star where she also talked about the album, saying "Late last year, I moved to my new record label Universal Records and I consider it one of the biggest blessings in my career. In a few months, my latest album will be released, and it will showcase a new, yet familiar Nina, which I hope everyone will appreciate."^[9] In May, the label's head Kathleen Dy-Go stated that Nina has not yet finished recording the album, which may result the release date to be pushed back to July or August. On May 31, Nina confirmed that "Hagkan" will be included in the album.^[10] On July 15, she confirmed that the album will be released by the end of month, and that they were just finishing up three songs. She further stated that her commitment to the album is the reason behind her frequent absence in ASAP.^[2]

On August 5, 2011, Jay R tweeted that he was working on a collaboration song by Nina and Jimmy Muna.^[11] On August 16, Nina tweeted her first publicized picture from the album's photo shoot.^[12] In September 2011, she confirmed that the album will finally be released by the last week of the month, proudly expressing the time and effort she exerted for it. She also stated that she did not pressure herself during its production, saying that her main goal is to create a different kind of music for her fans and that she does not expect for it to be a huge hit.^[13] Despite announcements, the album was not released until November 2011.

Departure from Warner

"Actually, even though I was new to them, I didn't feel like a newcomer [...] They took care of me during the recording, and also during other shows by Universal."

—Nina, on how the Universal Records staff welcomed her.^[2]

Nina has been one of the highest-selling acts of Warner Music Philippines since she became part of the label in 2002, with her certified Diamond album Nina Live!. In 2010, she was rumored to have switched to Universal Records. In February 2010, she collaborated with Universal's R&B singer Jay R on the song "Muli" for his album Jay R Sings OPM Love Classics.^[14] In May of the same year, she appeared on Kris Aquino's compilation, Blessings of Love, performing Michael Jackson's "You Are Not Alone" for the album. The album was also released by Universal.^[15] On June 30, 2010, she performed the song "Bagong Pilipinas", together with other Universal artists, in the inauguration of Philippine President Benigno Aquino III.^[16] It was evident that she has transferred from Warner to Universal, but there was still no confirmation until 2010 ended. On April 15, 2011, she confirmed transferring to Universal, when she wrote an article in The Philippine Star stating "Late last year, I moved to my new record label Universal Records and I consider it one of the biggest blessings in my career."^[9] In May 2011, she covered another song for Kris Aquino's album My Heart's Journey. It was "I Want to Know What Love Is", originally recorded by Foreigner.^[17] On July 15, 2011, she stated in an interview that she properly asked for permission when she left Warner. She further mentioned how the label took good care of her career, and that their separation ended in good terms.^[2]

Composition

Nina expressed that the album's direction to a new sound reflects to her new improved self, saying "I have changed a lot. From the time I came out with the Heaven album [..] I gained a lot of the confidence that I have now when I started gaining awards but not too much that it went to my head. It's confidence in my singing and performing and letting people know that I'm a singer." She stated that the album will be a studio album with a few covers, and that its sound is going to be "sexy-soul," stating "I only have two cover songs in there and the rest are originals. It's going to be sexy-soul which is like singing from the soul but when you hear it, there's a degree of sexiness to it. That's me 'eh. I'm really a singer that sings from the soul, bonus na lang 'yung sexy na part [the sexy part is just a bonus]."^[4] And because in her early years, Nina was an unsure aspiring artist who almost let go of her dreams, she made certain to include in the project a song encouraging her listeners to pursue their goals despite adversities. She shared more information about the song in the following statement:

"I have a song there [in the album] that has a message about not giving up on your dreams. That's important for me because I, really, almost gave up [...] If this is what you always wanted to do, if this is your dream, don't lose hope. Go for it. Me, I almost gave up and if not for my faith and belief in God, I would have lost the hope that was left. So, just really keep on reaching for your dreams."^[4]

Promotion

Prior to the release of the album, a sample of the disco-influenced pop song by DJ Silverfilter entitled "Dance" was released on August 23, 2011 through Universal Records' official YouTube channel.^[18] Silverfilter revealed via Twitter that the voice behind the song is Nina's, and that it will be included in her album. He also stated that he was working on another material with Nina. The song was also released to radio, but was immediately pulled out of the airwaves due to the album release's cancellation. On October 6, 2011, a different sample version of "Dance", which does not feature Silverfilter, was posted by Universal.^[19] It was later revealed that Nina personally picked the song as the lead single for Stay Alive.^[20] On November 10, 2011, Universal Records' official YouTube channel posted a preview of the album which included some of the selected tracks.^[21]

Track listing

The album includes a bonus disc which contains minus one versions of all the tracks.^[1]

1. "Dance"
2. "Staying Alive" (featuring Jimmy Muna)
3. "However Much Love"
4. "Believe in the Dream"
5. "Laging Ikaw" (English: "Always You")
6. "Only with You"
7. "I Came to Dance"
8. "I Don't Want to Fight"
9. "Starlight"
10. "Missing You"
11. "You Should Know"
12. "Hagkan" (English: "Embrace")

Notes

• Track 12 is a theme song from the TV series Sabel.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Ren (Nov. 17, 2011). "A new Nina – sexier, bolder, and more exciting!". philcharts.com. http://www.philcharts.com/2011/11/17/a-new-nina-sexier-bolder-and-more-exciting/. Retrieved 2011-11-19. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d} Melba R. Llanera (July 15, 2011). "Soul Siren Nina warns other singers of her former PA's modus operandi". pep.ph. http://www.pep.ph/news/30204/soul-siren-nina-warns-other-singers-of-her-former-pa39s-modus-operandi/1/1. Retrieved 2011-07-15. 
3. ^ "NINA IN PILIPINAS WIN NA WIN (ABS CBN 2) - AUGUST 7, 2010". NinaSoulSireigns official blog. August 7, 2010. http://ninasoulsireigns.blogspot.com/2010/08/nina-in-pilipinas-win-na-win-abs-cbn-2.html. Retrieved 2011-06-01. 
4. ^ ^{a b c d} Vanessa A. Balbuena (November 13, 2010). "Happy days are here again for Nina". The Philippine Star. http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=629679&publicationSubCategoryId=51. Retrieved 2011-06-01. 
5. ^ Woman Today (February 2011), upcoming album's release date
6. ^ soulsiren_nina (Feb 22, 2011). "recording a new song. ;)". Twitter. http://twitpic.com/42iz7j. Retrieved 2011-06-01. 
7. ^ soulsiren_nina (Feb 28, 2011). "getting ready for recording. :)...SO much love<3". Twitter. http://twitpic.com/44nc6b. Retrieved 2011-06-01. 
8. ^ "Nina shines at Pattaya Music Fest". Manila Bulletin. March 30, 2011. http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/312007/nina-shines-pattaya-music-fest. Retrieved 2011-06-01. 
9. ^ ^{a b} Nina (April 15, 2011). "Pattaya on my mind". The Philippine Star. http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?publicationSubCategoryId=70&articleId=676581. Retrieved 2011-06-01. 
10. ^ soulsiren_nina (May 31, 2011). "its gonna b included in my upcoming album Ü". Twitter. http://www.twitlonger.com/show/aq27ug. Retrieved 2011-06-01. 
11. ^ rnbjayr (August 5, 2011). "In the studio working on a song for Nina feat @imjmuna. It's gona be hot.". Twitter. http://twitter.com/#!/rnbjayr/status/99443643651342336. Retrieved 2011-08-06. 
12. ^ soulsiren_nina (August 16, 2011). "how do you guys like this?". Twitter. https://twitter.com/#!/soulsiren_nina/status/103344533428895744. Retrieved 2011-08-17. 
13. ^ Bernie Franco (September 23, 2011). "Nina says she misses performing on ASAP". push.com.ph. http://www.push.com.ph/features/3897/nina-says-she-misses-performing-on-asap/. Retrieved 2011-09-25. 
14. ^ Bong Godinez (April 16, 2010). "R&B Prince goes pop with Jay-R Sings OPM Love Classics". pep.ph. http://www.pep.ph/guide/music/5902/rampb-prince-goes-pop-with-jay-r-sings-opm-love-classics. Retrieved 2011-06-01. 
15. ^ Bong Godinez (May 25, 2010). "Kris Aquino shares Blessings of Love". pep.ph. http://www.pep.ph/guide/music/6131/kris-aquino-shares-blessings-of-love. Retrieved 2011-06-01. 
16. ^ JOJO P. PANALIGAN (June 19, 2010). "Gary V to sing with GMA artists at Aquino inauguration". Manila Bulletin. http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/262770/gary-v-sing-with-gma-artists-aquino-inauguration. Retrieved 2011-06-01. 
17. ^ Roldan Castro (April 13, 2011). "Kris Aquino explains why she sticks with "spoken word" concept for her fifth album". pep.ph. http://www.pep.ph/guide/music/7986//1/1. Retrieved 2011-06-01. 
18. ^ UniversalRecPH (Aug 23, 2011). "DANCE by silverfilter (Audio Sampler)". YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPESbts0iTg. Retrieved 2011-08-30. 
19. ^ UniversalRecPH (Oct 6, 2011). "Nina "Dance" Audio Clip". YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nsm1BnkGzsg. Retrieved 2011-11-12. 
20. ^ "NINA SIZZLES ANEW WITH HER NEW RELEASE "STAY ALIVE"!". odysseylive.net. Oct. 10, 2011. http://odysseylive.net/Odysseylive/blog/11882/. Retrieved 2011-11-12. 
21. ^ UniversalRecPH (Nov 10, 2011). "Nina "Stay Alive" Album Preview". YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bY-GKj9qLBk. Retrieved 2011-11-11.