Nandito Ako (album)

Nandito Ako (lit. I Am Here) is the fifth studio album by Mexican singer Thalía, released on 28 January 1997, by EMI Latin and OctoArts EMI. The album was released exclusively in the Philippines, where she gained a following after the success of the soap opera Marimar in the country.

The title track in the album was originally performed by Lea Salonga. Nandito Ako was a success in the Philippines and received three times platinum award there, making it one of the best-selling albums in the Philippines.

Ten years later, it was re-released in the Philippines with the inclusion of one of her signature songs "Marimar".

Background and composition
The album was sung half in English and half in Tagalog. Ricky R. Ilacad is its executive producer. Due to Thalía's success in the Philippines, this album was released in 1997 in that country and other Asian countries, under the label OctoArts EMI. This was the first time Thalía sang in English and Tagalog.

With this album, Thalía became the first and only Latin artist with an album recorded primarily in Tagalog. It also features five songs from Thalía's fourth studio album, En éxtasis (1995), four of which were translated from Spanish; "María la del Barrio" & "Juana" was translated into Tagalog, while "Quiero Hacerte El Amor" and "Gracias a Dios" were translated into English. "Amándote" retained its Spanish lyrics, but was remixed.

She also made her own covers of the songs "Tell Me" (originally performed by Joey Albert), "Hey, It's Me" (originally by Jamie Rivera), and "El Venao" (originally by Los Cantantes). Some of the tracks that were previously released in Latin America and re-recorded for this album still retain some of the Spanish lyrics and backing vocals (except for "El Venao"/"Chika Lang" which has a new instrumental and backing vocals in Tagalog).

The album, composed of ten tracks, includes her first single "Nandito Ako" which was recorded after her major concert in the Philippines.

Commercial reception
According to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the album was a "huge" hit in the Philippines. During its first-week, Nandito Ako sold 40,000 copies in the country, and was shortly certified three times Platinum, making it one of the best-selling albums in the Philippines.

Personnel

 * Producers: Oscar Lopez, Emilio Estefan Jr., Kike Santander and Juan Zambrano
 * Executive Producer: Ricky Ilacad
 * Musical Arrangers: Amaury Lopez, Robby Martinez, Didi Gutman, Kike Santander and Juan Zambrano
 * A & R Coordinator for EMI Mexico: Hector Martinez
 * A & R Coordinator for EMI Philippines: Bob Guzman
 * Cover Design: Willie Monzon and Allan Roldan