Heaven is the debut studio album by Filipina singer Nina, released in the Philippines on August 20, 2002 by Warner Music. The album is heavily influenced by jazzy lounge pop-R&B and composed of songs that are reminiscent to the sound of international records at that time. Under the direction of Warner managing head Ricky R. Ilacad, foreign songwriters and arrangers from the United States and Korea including Shelly Peiken and Guy Roche were hired for the production of the album. Ilacad was so impressed when he personally reviewed Nina's demo disc, enabling one song, a cover of Steve Perry's hit, to make it to the final cut of the album's track list. The album also features a cover of a Ric Segreto song.
Upon release, the album received generally positive reviews. Most critics applauded her vocal ability and skills, as well as the composition of songs. It is credited for being one of the main reasons why the acoustic phenomenon is very much popular in the country. It won numerous awards from different major organizations and was also one of the best-selling OPM albums in 2003. The album has also brought back inclusions of whistle register to pop albums at that time. In addition, Nina was given favorable comparisons to Mariah Carey. Heaven was made available on digital download through iTunes and Amazon.com MP3 Download on January 23, 2007. As of October 2003, the album has reached double platinum status by the Philippine Association of the Record Industry (PARI), denoting over 60,000 copies sold in the Philippines.
Five singles were released from the album, all of which became commercially successful in the country. "Heaven", the first single, was released alongside the album. "2nd Floor" was later released as a promo single. Initially, both the album and the first single did not perform well on charts as expected. However, when the second single "Jealous" was released, it became a hit, enabling the album to increase in sales and place at the top of album charts. Following the success of the second single, two cover versions were released. "Foolish Heart", a song originally included on Nina's demo, began receiving numerous airplay and later, charted at number one in the country, staying at the position even longer than "Jealous". "Loving You" was released as the final single from the album. It reached the top 5 of the Singles Chart, proving that Nina has become a hit artist.
Tracklisting[]
- First Kiss
- Heaven
- 2nd Floor
- Jealous
- Loving You
- Foolish Heart
- Greatest Gift of All
- Kung Ibibigay Sa'yo
- Simula
- Talk to Me