MANILA, Philippines – Nicole Laurel Asensio (photo) belongs to legendary musical families. Soprano Fides Cuyugan Asensio is her grandmother and singer/actor Cocoy Laurel is her uncle. Obviously, she inherited the musical genes with her love and passion for singing and songwriting.
Raised in a family of classical and Broadway singers, Nicole found herself the same genre but with a mixture of modern rock. After being part of the all-girl rock band General Luna, she is now a solo artist and performer, ready to show her pure talent with the release of her new solo album Schizoprano, under MCA Music.
Nicole says, “There’s a part of your life where you need to step out of your comfort zone and learn from other musicians. And when it comes to supportive musical friends, I am blessed. Musically, I feel more free to collaborate and venture off, sound-wise — so that’s a plus.”
Schizoprano came from the word schizophrenic plus soprano. “The term ‘schizoprano’ seemed to suit me and my voice just fine. I still sing classical when the occasion calls for it. I don’t think I can remove that from my system,” she says.
The music in her new album will give listeners a unique musical experience, as it combines classical and rock performance.
She says, “I feel thankful for this opportunity and the support from my collaborators, production and MCA. I look forward to the doors God will open with this new (project).”
The tracks from her Schizoprano album include her carrier single, Leader For A Day, with lyrics taken from replies Nicole’s Facebook status: WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU WERE LEADER FOR A DAY? Other tunes are collaborations such as the WilabaliW’s Ian Tayao on the love song All In All; rapper Mike Swift on Huwag Mo Na Ako Mahalin; and her Philpop song A Song On A Broken String. More songs are originally composed by Nicole and her friends.
The piano arrangement of another track, Walang Anuman, was created by an Italian composer and friend Diedonne Russo, who gave her a piano riff with a note: “This is my gift to you. Write something in your language.”
Nicole teamed up with JC Magsalin of Manila Philharmonic Orchestra to create an orchestral arrangement for the song and e-mailed to Diedonne Russo with a note, “This is my gift back to you.”
Schizoprano by Nicole is now out in CDs at Astroplus and Astrovision outlets and is available through digital downloads via Spinnr and iTunes. It can also be streamed at Spinnr, Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer, VEVO and Guvera.
For bookings and inquiries, call Sammy Samaniego of MCA Music Artist Management at 916-2504 local 107, 0917-8565174 and 0920-9682991 or e-mail sammy.samaniego@umusic.com or mcabookings@umusic.com. For updates on Nicole, log on to the following sites: www.facebook.com/mcamusic or www.twitter.com/mca_music or follow mca_music on Instagram.