9 PM, October 31st will be our first opportunity to accept the invitation of Nadine Lustre and Careless Music to lay our heads on our digital pillow, and open our minds to this ‘dreamscape’ that Nadine has carefully created, cultivated, and curated. It’s the official launch of Nadine’s Wildest Dreams, a visual album that promises to be unlike anything we’ve ever seen in our local recording industry. No stone has been left unturned in gifting us with a showcase that’s more than just a musical journey. It’s an attestation to Nadine as a triple-threat – singing, dancing, and acting; in what has to considered her career’s opus magnum.
The teaser alone (posted by former boyfriend James Reid, who heads Careless), had both show biz commentators & her legion of fans searching for superlatives – as it previewed what we now know will be a 32-minute short film that intertwines the six new, self-penned Nadine tunes, with a storyline, dialogue, stunning visuals, and choreography. Directed by Dominic Bekaert for his Zoopraxi Studio, he also wrote the story, and the dialogue was written by Dominic and Quintin P. Cu-Unjieng, adapted to Tagalog by Sarge Lacuesta.
The concept of a visual album is not in itself new. The Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night could be seen as a precursor of the format; and Beyoncé’s Lemonade and Black Is King are more recent examples of the genre. With Nadine’s Wildest Dreams, the intent was to mix international production value, with Filipino culture and imagery: from the Albularyo, to Agimats, and a take on the Maria Makiling legend.
Had the chance to talk to the album’s Director, and Dominic (who directed James Reid in Fiend, which was MYX’s 2020 Best Urban Video of the Year) had this to relay, “Careless had originally contacted us for one or two Dreams music videos, but seeing the richness and message of self-empowerment that connects all the songs, we offered to do a visual album. The craziest thing is they loved the concept, and were down to do it. They gave us total creative freedom.”
“Each song/video presents a new stage in Nadine’s interior journey, helping her realize things about herself. We move from a dark and doubtful mood in the first video, towards a brighter sense of discovery and self-appreciation. Nadine has many talents, and we used them all throughout the shoot… we wanted to show the full scope of her capabilities. She would herself bring in ideas and variations that would add color and flavor to the scenes. Editing her performances was a real pleasure, because of all the options she gave us during the shoot.”
Shot in the midst of our pandemic months, the album is a mix of location and studio with sets shoots. Safety and health protocols were always a major concern, and was factored in for bringing this album to reality. Zoopraxi is all about multi-tasking, and working with a minimal number of crew, and Dominic laughed recalling how he took on the tasks of Director, Director of Photography, Editor, and handled some of the VFX.
Careless Music is the label that produced the music, which is by James Reid, Marcus Davis, Bret Jackson, and Isagani Palabyab. As mentioned, the lyrics were by Nadine, with the help of Bret Jackson, Massiah, James Reid and Marcus Davis.
Oh, and it’s no coincidence that the visual album ‘drops’ on the 31st, as it’s Nadine’s 27th Birthday. In a neat reversal, it’s her birthday; but she’s the one giving all of us a very special gift. Head to your favorite Careless and ABS-CBN YouTube platforms to celebrate Nadine’s Wildest Dreams.
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