HE place is filled with music lovers wanting to witness how a bankable recording artist does her craft on stage. At a dusky little venue comes out a voice that satisfies the cravings of the ear. It's waiting. But no image is yet seen on stage. After a while a petite lady reveals who behind that soothing, mesmerizing voice is.

HER SONGS AND HER BEGINNINGS

THE ensuing lines of At Your Best , an Aaliyah original rendered by the performer prove a gifted persona in the Philippines ' Soul Siren Nina , or Marifil Niña Girado in real life.

At the age of five her father started training her voice. “Sa balde naman ako nilulublob ng tatay ko kasi wala namang dagat sa amin,” she recalls after being asked of her voice training referring to how Regine Velasquez honed hers.

Her beginning was like those experienced by today's singing champions as she herself had gone through queues of various singing competitions that included Tanghalan ng Kampeon . “Madami akong nasalihang contest at natalo na rin ako nang madaming beses,” she smiles in recollection.

But just like the songs she used to sing as a kid, Nina awaits nothing but beautiful gifts of Tomorrow , as she has started everything right to fulfill her dream. Such is the theme of an OPM classic Magsimula Ka , which she also used to belt out.

True enough, those childhood songs brought their lyrics into a remarkable picture of reality and they served metaphorical to what she has so far achieved.

FAVORITE ARTIST

SPOTTING Nina in a passionate rendition of her next song, Oleta Adams ' Get Here endears everyone to her voice. No one bothers to take notice of time, as her moment with the song is everything the audience desires to witness.

How Nina got where she is right now is a fixture in her fondest memories. “Nagbigay ako ng demo CD sa Warner Music Philippines with three songs. I sang Breathe Again , Foolish Heart and Against All Odds . I was surprised that even without seeing me, Tito Ricky ( Ilacad of Warner Music) wanted to sign me up. Ganun pala n'ya ako kagusto. After they heard the CD, they immediately called me up for recording.”

Warner Music Philippines , the same group that believed in the talents of Christian Bautista and Kitchie Nadal , produced Heaven , the album that gave Nina an initial tasted of success with the hit song Jealous , which enjoyed a massive radio airplay and was named OPM Song of the Year by various FM radio stations. The album reached a double platinum mark even in the verge of piracy. It spawned Smile , her follow-up album that received a platinum record award. She has continuously become a certified hit artist as she made popular fresh rendition of the classics Loving You and Foolish Heart . Another hit, I Don't Want To Be Your Friend written by international songwriter Diane Warren , added feather into her hat. The song has made her closer to the hearts of the listeners.

Nina doesn't only get the nods of the masses but the most respected and most credible music award-giving bodies never fail to recognize her artistry. She was recipient of the 2004 Philippine Business Excellence Award as the No. 1 Female R&B Singer in the Philippines given by the Award and Recognition Association of the Philippines . Other coveted plums include: Awit Awards for Favorite New Female Artist and Best Female Performer in Hotel, Music Lounges and Bars in 2004, and 2003 MTV Pilipinas Favorite New Artist.

“Fulfillment sa ‘kin ang pagkakaroon ng solo album and to be able to shared it with my listeners is another fulfillment. When my albums reaped awards, isa pang trophy yun, despite the pirated scene,” Nina says on her achievements.

MUSIC ICON

SHE soulfully shares the melodies of Lauren Christy 's classic Steep and the audience yells for more. There is no sign of willed performance. It is only Nina singing songs from the heart. She grooves a little with Sunlight originally sung Kevyn Lettau and hits the high notes of Mariah Carey 's Against All Odds , leaving the listeners in instant adulation for a genuinely superb flair. Her voice never tires as she exudes the qualities of a true artist in her own version of Tina Arena 's Burn . A number of songs, almost all of them actually compel an enduring lung power, yet Nina can't afford to offer less in magic of her soothing voice that is either capable of reaching an unusual range.

As everyone expects, she fails no one in anticipation of her rendition of Julia Fordham 's Love Moves in Mysterious Ways , the song in her quadruple platinum album, Nina Live!, that has become everybody's love theme. It seems over for the night as Nina is set to leave the post where she just left the mark of a certified music icon. But we are all craving for more, at least one last song, the one we have always wanted to hear from her live. Nina gives in and concludes her show. She brings out the passion, the artistry. And the distinct mark of excellence she alone can show off, in her Chaka Khan 's Through The Fire performance. She belts it out and stretches her vocals ceaselessly, reaching the pitch beyond what the original version requires.

Nina continues to establish an astounding impact in the music industry, as her album Nina Live! released in CDs and DVDs remains to be the best-selling album to date. And things are not enough a major concert at the Araneta Coliseum this October is set to make Nina an addition to the country's concert royalties.(Articles lifted from S Magazine)
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