Mari Thess
Natupad ang pangarap ng Filipino-American singer at TV personality na si Nicole Scherzinger na umawit ng Tagalog song sa pakikipag-collaborate niya sa Fil-Am musical director na si Troy Laureta para sa kantang “Pangako” na bahagi ng “KAIBIGAN: A Troy Laureta OPM Collective Vol. 1.”
“Singing in Tagalog has always been a dream for me and I think this song is special. I know that I was singing such an iconic song so I’m really grateful to be part of this amazing project,” ani Nicole, na inaming um-oo agad siya nang tanungin ni Troy kung payag ba siyang maging parte ng album.
“Honored” at “proud” siyang mapasali sa proyekto, pero ramdam din daw niya ang responsibilidad na bigyan ng hustisya ang kanta.
“I think a lot of people know me from Pussycat Dolls but they don’t know in my heart how I love to sing big ballads, it’s in our blood, right? We love big songs and he chose this special song. It’s a classic song, it’s got a lot of heart and a lot of passion,” dagdag niya.
Samantala, hindi naman daw nagdalawang-isip si Troy na piliin ang “Pangako”—na orihinal na komposisyon at unang inawit ni by Ogie Alcasid bago ni-record ng asawa niyang si Regine Velasquez—para kay Nicole dahil sa puso, spirit, at boses nito.
“’Pangako’ is so emotional and it needed someone who could emote that and really give it not just the notes, but the little things in the voice, the emotional parts of it. I wanted to give her in the Filipino fashion, that ‘Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina’ moment, or that ‘Memory,’ ‘I Will Always Love You’ moment,” paliwanag niya.
Pero kahit na napakaganda ng kalidad at napakalaking produksyon ang kolaborasyon ng dalawa, kabaligtaran naman ang sitwasyon noong ni-record nila ito sa kasagsagan ng pandemya. “We were in Troy’s bedroom, I think I was on a bed, singing the song. We kept it real, we made it work, Troy has this unbelievable, beautiful, huge, setup—he’s got like the biggest speakers, the biggest screen, and all this technology and there was me, on the bed singing,” pag-alala ni Nicole.
Ibinahagi naman ni Troy ang kahalagahan ng album sa kanya. “It’s more than just good music and your favorite artists, you know? It’s about representation and spreading awareness about our culture. I’m so proud to be Filipino.”
Bukod sa “Pangako” ni Nicole, kasama rin sa album ang “Harana,” “Kahit Isang Saglit” ni AILEE, “Bakit Pa Ba” ni Matt Bloyd, “Bakit Pa” ni Cheesa, “Kailangan Kita” ni Pia Toscano, “Usahay” ni Jake Zyrus, “Patuloy Ang Pangarap” ni Sheléa at “Hanggang Sa Dulo ng Walang Hanggan” ni Regine.
Pakinggan ang “KAIBIGAN: A Troy Laureta OPM Collective Vol. 1” sa digital music streaming platforms worldwide, at panoorin ang lyric videos nito sa Star Music’s YouTube channel.
