PRIOR TO becoming one of the country’s most bankable leading actress, Nadine Lustre was just a simple girl. She was born in Quezon City and is the eldest of four siblings.
She finished her schooling at the Diliman Preparatory School in Quezon City. She then studied Communication Arts, majoring in Film at the Colegio de San Lorenzo.
What is more amazing is that she managed to do these while juggling television series, movies, endorsements and other passion projects. To know more about this powerhouse of a woman, read on!
Music Career: Life as a Pop Girl under Viva
Nadine before her rise to fame was actually a pop idol. She was a member of an all-girl group called Pop Girls. She was then the lead vocalist of that group and the only pure blooded Filipina member. Other members include Shy Carlos, Rosalie Van Ginkel, Lailah Baustria and Mariam Baustria.
They released their self-titled first album under Viva Records in 2013.
She left the group to pursue her solo career. Her self-titled EP was released in 2014 which contained the hit songs Paligoy-ligoy, Para-paraan, Hanap-hanap, No Erase and Bahala Na. Some of the songs in her album was with the collaboration with James Reid.
JaDine and Rise to Stardom
Although she already had her music career going on for her, Nadine also ventured into acting. She appeared in the television remake of the iconic 1984 film “Bagets”, playing the character Georgina Evangelista. It was her film “Ang Diary ng Panget” in 2014 which catapulted her to stardom. She played the lead female character Eya Rodriguez and was paired with James Reid.
Then JaDine loveteam had conquered the Philippine television. They again stared in the high rating primetime romantic comedy drama “On The Wings Of Love” directed by Antoinette Jadaone in 2015. This project marked Nadine’s first female lead role (as Leah Olivar) in a television series under an exclusive contract with ABSCBN.
Transition from Teen to Award-Winning Actress
After her first lead role in the movie “Ang Diary ng Panget”, she went on to do several movies. “Talk Back And You’re Dead” was premiered in 2014, opposite with James Reid and Joseph Marco. Her other projects include “Beauty and the Bestie”, “Para Sa Hopeless Romantic”, “This Time” and “Never Not Love You”, all of which he were paired with James Reid. Her film “Ulan”, directed by Irene Villamor was the first project she made with another actor as a leading man. Carlo Aquino, who played the role Peter, was paired with Nadine in this romantic drama.
Her last film was the dance musical “Indak” directed by Paul Alexei Basinillo, which premiered in 2019. The film included other stars such as Sam Concepcion, Yayo Aguila, Mayton Eugenio and Julian Trono. Nadine also contributed to the OST of the film, singing the songs “Sumayaw sa Indak”, “Triangulo” and “Swerte sa Palad Mo”.
The films she did had highlighted her acting range. Her performance was first recognized by the 65Th FAMAS Awards when she was nominated for Best Actress in the film “Para Sa Hopeless Romantic”. She then won numerous awards from the film “Never Not Love You” – these awards ranging from Best Actress, Movie Actress of The Year and Best Performance. She also won the Best Actress in a Leading Role award from the Asian Academy Creative Awards for her role in the movie “Ulan”.
Directing Stints
Nadine also tried her hand in directing. She was a co-director in James Reid’s music video called “The Life”, together with film director Petersen Vargas. This same video won the Music Video of The Year at the Myx Music Awards in 2017.
She again directed another music video two years later, in 2019 for the video “Summer”, a duet with James Reid. She co-directed the video with Chino Villagracia.
Nadine Projects
Nadine released her signature perfume “Luster” in 2018, which she personally conceptualized and produced. This project started when her mother told her that she knows a chemist who makes perfume. The bottle, which looked like a love potion was designed by Soleil Ignacio. According to Nadine, this project showcased her creativity and character.
In the same year, she released her make-up collection “Lustrous”, collaborating with BYS, an Australian brand, making her the first Filipina to successfully collaborated with the brand. The line includes” contour and highlighting kit, lip and cheek tints, eye shadow palletes, eyeliners and mascaras.
In early 2020, she released the statement that she has left Viva Artist agency. Statement from her lawyers indicate that she is managing her own affairs, bookings and inquiries.
She is set to release her visual album with the new record “Wildest Dreams”. The scheduled release date is on October 31, while the song was released earlier, on October 16.
