Dannyka Manangan

Lani Misalucha rebrands Nightingale, wants to collaborate with BINI

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Push Team

At 56, Lani Misalucha is not slowing down. She is starting over on her own terms.The veteran singer has officially dropped &quot;Asia&#x27;s&quot; from her longtime moniker, choosing to be known simply as The Nightingale. It may sound like she is leaving something behind, but for Lani, it is the opposite. It is about opening a door she has wanted to walk through for a long time.The rebrand was made official at an intimate gathering organized by Hartman Communications, held at the Tap Room of the Manila Hotel – a venue that holds personal significance for her. The event, hosted by a jewelry brand, also featured a remastered rendition of her classic &quot;Bukas Na Lang Kita Mamahalin,&quot; with the music video for the new version directed by Jason Magbanua.Lani traced the idea back to her early days performing in Las Vegas, explaining that the plan to simply go by &quot;Nightingale&quot; had always been there, but it just never quite took shape the way she had hoped.&quot;Unang-una, noon pa man, gusto na namin na &#x27;Nightingale&#x27; lang – especially nu&#x27;ng nag-start na ako sa Las Vegas. Although somehow, hindi ko ginagamit &#x27;yung Nightingale nu&#x27;ng nasa Vegas ako. Kasi &#x27;yung ginagamit nila sa&#x27;kin nu&#x27;n, ‘Siren of the Strip.’ So parang di nagamit &#x27;yung &#x27;The Nightingale&#x27; for a little bit,&quot; she said.When she began making more frequent trips back to the Philippines, the name &quot;Asia&#x27;s Nightingale&quot; was what stuck. She carried it because it made sense at the time. &quot;Hanggang sa eto na, bumalik-balik na ako sa Philippines nu&#x27;n. So, of course, doon ako nag-umpisang nakilala through the name &#x27;Asia&#x27;s Nightingale.&#x27; So, of course, we have to carry it,&quot; she said.But over time, she began to feel that the word &quot;Asia&quot; was actually limiting her rather than defining her. &quot;Pero &#x27;yung sinasabi nating i-drop &#x27;yung Asia, kasi nagiging parang regionalistic. Parang pag sinabi mong Asia, &#x27;Ah, Asian &#x27;yan,&#x27;&quot; she said.She explained that this kind of perception was something she had already lived through in Las Vegas, where she performed alongside the Society of Seven, a Hawaiian musical group. With an all-Asian-looking lineup on their posters, audiences would sometimes hesitate before buying tickets. &quot;Parang ganito lang. When we were starting to do the shows in Las Vegas, siyempre may poster kami. Lani Misalucha and the Society of Seven. Lahat kami Asian-looking eh. Tapos &#x27;yung poster pa namin ang itim namin. Tapos &#x27;yung mga tao, &#x27;pag pino-promote namin &#x27;yung show namin sa Bally&#x27;s Hotel then sa Flamingo, &#x27;yung mga locals, mga puti at mga tourists na nanggagaling sa ibang lugar, they would initially ask, &#x27;Is their show in English?&#x27;&quot; she recalled.She was clear that there is no bitterness behind the decision. &quot;Wala akong masamang reason sa pagtanggal. It&#x27;s just that para maging general or organic lang. Parang walang representation ng kung sino,&quot; she said.And eventually, her shows proved that the music spoke for itself. Word of mouth did what no label could. &quot;Pero ang pinakamaganda nu&#x27;n, somehow maganda na ang takbo ng show namin sa Las Vegas, &#x27;yung mga tao na ang nagpupunta because of word of mouth. Hindi na nila ina-acknowledge na &#x27;Ah mga Asians &#x27;yan. Ay Pilipino &#x27;yang singer,&#x27;&quot; she said.&quot;Walang ganun – especially nu&#x27;ng lumipat ako sa Hilton nu&#x27;n na solo ko na lang. Nadidinig ng mga prod people na, tapos na &#x27;yung show. Then they would go to the bathroom, then naririnig nila &#x27;Oh I think she&#x27;s Amerasian.&#x27; Pero hindi nila nababanggit na Pilipino. Doon &#x27;yung time na i-introduce mo na Pilipino ako. Kasi naging malaki na &#x27;yung show, naging popular na. Ang sarap ipagmalaki na &#x27;Oh, I&#x27;m a Filipino,&#x27;&quot; she added.On a lighter note, Lani also revealed before the event started that she has her eye on a collaboration with one of the country&#x27;s biggest acts right now. Among her picks: BINI.&quot;My gosh. Hello. Sila talaga ang known globally. After Coachella, my gosh. Unreachable na talaga sila. Kasi meron akong friend na gusto silang kuhanin. Talagang ahead of time, pero talagang hindi kinakaya ng schedule,&quot; she said, laughing.It is the kind of dream pairing that fans of both acts would line up for – a living OPM legend alongside the group that just brought Philippine pop to one of the biggest stages in the world.The Nightingale also expressed her desire to collaborate with Cup of Joe and Over October.<div> </div>—By Paolo Lim

Lani Misalucha drops Asia moniker for a worldwide identity and releases a remastered version of "Bukas Na Lang Kita Mamahalin.”

Lani Misalucha drops Asia moniker for a worldwide identity and releases a remastered version of "Bukas Na Lang Kita Mamahalin.”