Marifil Niña Girado ,born November 1, 1980 in Pasay City
was raised in Quezon City with
three other siblings. Growing up, Nina, much like any aspiring singer, admired Mariah Carey, Brian McKnight, Whitney Houston and Gary V., Ella Mae Saison, and Regine Velasquez on the home front.
Nina stands barely over five feet but her vocal prowess can stand up to a tidal wave. As far as she can remember, Nina has always been in the solemn presence of music. Her
dad, Filbert, is a member of the Bayanihan Boy’s Choir and her mom, Maria Daulet, plays the piano. She was five,
singing in a corner when her dad gave her special notice. Intensive vocal training was the next chapter -- belting with her body submerged in a drum of water (hence, the tidal wave) and exercising those vocal chords early in the morning.Nina was 17 (since 1998) when she became one of the vocalists for the X’s, a show band working the club circuit. She honed her skills in clubs such as Strumm’s, Limits, Ratsky and Fashion Café, doing old rhythm and blues hits and Sergio Mendes numbers. Shortly after, she was hired by Big Thing, Randy Santiago’s band. This was followed by a stint in
Silk. And finally, She become one of the members the Essence.Although she was already a fulltime working professional, Nina continued her studies,
taking up and finishing accounting at Miriam College. At one time, she had thought of taking up law, but by the time she graduated, this had been replaced by another dream: to become a solo recording artist.She put together a three-song demo which included her cover of “Foolish Heart” and sent it to
Warner Music Philippines. The label recognized the potential. It wasn’t long before Marifil Niña Girado was transformed into Nina.
