Nicole Asensio song finds its way into a Nepalese web drama soundtrack
By Rick Olivares
During Nicole Asensio’s recent Quarantuned show on Zoom – where she and a host of musicians performed live in a fundraiser for fellow musikeros who have been affected by the pandemic – she performed the song “I Might Love You.”
That original composition, written and recorded during the Enhanced Community Quarantine, was used in the Nepalese web drama series, Just Another Love Story.
Just Another Love Story is about a love triangle between two women, Amara and Maya played by Karki and Shristi Shrestha, and a man, Aashu played by Samyek Man Singh. The web series began airing on YouTube in September 2019 with four episodes uploaded and four in production.
Karki and Asensio randomly met in Singapore a few years ago and struck up a friendship. The Nepalese actress messaged Asensio through Instagram asking if she could contribute a song for Just Another Love Story.
“I think her series is based on all different kinds of love stories,” described Asensio. “Honestly, when I wrote the song, I didn’t know what the episode was going to be about. I had started writing it months before but never finished it. When Priyanka asked for a jazzy sounding love song, I thought it might be a good fit and it was a good reason to finish the song.”
The solitude of the lockdown afforded Asensio the time to sit down and reflect on the “I Might Love You” and was recorded during the lockdown. “What are the odds a YouTube web drama would use a song of mine?” marveled the songbird.
Quarantuned, the show, was shown last July 7, Asensio’s birthday. “Celebrating my birthday through song and a performance and by helping others is the best gift that I could receive,” enthused Asensio, who is the daughter of singer-actress Iwi Laurel, and was once the lead singer of the band General Luna.
The show was a series of nearly 20 songs all shot remotely from the performers’ different homes.
“I decided to do the Quarantuned benefit online for three reasons,” explained the singer. “One of the hard hit industries is the live event industry. Many musicians and production workers are in need of support. I first reached out to the Asosasyon ng Musikong Pilipino to provide assistance to their members. The Artists Welfare Project Inc. (AWPI) was also a beneficiary of the show.”
“The second reason is --- I simply missed performing with my friends. The musicians I hang out with are like family to me. I also hadn’t seen my mom in months and I wanted to feel her nearby. I am grateful that she agreed to sing with me for one song.”
Lastly, as it was Nicole’s birthday, she didn’t want to break tradition and need to perform.
“I suppose you can say, we did this to keep our minds away from negative thoughts (given the situation of the world in this pandemic),” she bared. “It’s very easy to go down the rabbit hole of fear when dealing with uncertainty and threats to our health and security. To stay mentally afloat is one of the many challenges we must face in this difficult time.”
Asensio also bared that she is working on a collaboration with Parokya ni Edgar lead singer Chito Miranda and it planning Quarantuned Part 2.
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