"Nandito Akó" ( Tagalog for "''I am here''") is a song by Filipina singer

Lea Salonga Maria Lea Carmen Imutan Salonga (; born February 22, 1971), known professionally as Lea Salonga, is a Filipino singer, actress, and columnist. Nicknamed "Pride of the Philippines," she is best known for her roles in musical theatre, for supplyin ...

. It was released in July 1988, alongside Salonga's second studio album, ''

Lea Lea or LEA may refer to: Places Australia * Lea River, Tasmania, Australia * Lake Lea, Tasmania, from which the Lea River flows * RAAF Base Learmonth, IATA airport code "LEA" England * Lea, Cheshire, a civil parish * Lea, Derbyshire, a set ...

.'' The song was also recorded by

Ogie Alcasid Herminio Jose Lualhati "Ogie" Alcasid Jr. (; born August 27, 1967) is a Filipino singer-songwriter, television presenter, comedian, parodist, and actor. He is currently the President of OPM (Organisasyon ng Pilipinong Mang-Aawit). Early care ...

in 1989, Mexican diva

Thalía Ariadna Thalía Sodi Miranda (; born 26 August 1971), known mononymously as Thalía, is a Mexican singer and actress. Referred to as the " Queen of Latin Pop", she is considered one of the most successful and influential Mexican artists. Havin ...

in 1997, Jeffrey Hidalgo in 2000,

Sharon Cuneta Sharon Gamboa Cuneta-Pangilinan ( , ; born January 6, 1966) is a Filipino actress, singer, television host, and socialite. Regarded as one of the most successful and highest-earning individuals in the Philippine entertainment industry, she has ...

along with Alcasid in 2006,

David Archuleta David James Archuleta (born December 28, 1990) is an American pop singer. At ten years old, he won the children's division of the Utah Talent Competition, leading to other television singing appearances. When he was twelve years old, he becam ...

in 2012,

Noel Cabangon Noel Gadiano Cabangon (born December 25, 1963) is a Filipino folk singer and composer, known for composing socially-relevant songs. In 1987, he formed the group ''Buklod'' together with Rene Boncocan and Rom Dongeto. Early life Noel Gadiano Cab ...

in 2014, and

Regine Velasquez-Alcasid Regina Encarnacion Ansong Velasquez ( ; born April 22, 1970) is a Filipina singer, actress, and record producer. She is considered one of the most influential figures in Philippine popular culture and is known for her vocal range and belting ...

and

Pussycat Dolls Pussycat or Pussy Cat may refer to: * Cat, a domestic feline Music Bands * Pussycat (band), a Dutch country and pop group * The Pussycats, a 1960s Norwegian rock band * The Pussycats, a group signed to Kama Sutra Records Albums * ''Pussy Cats'', ...

lead singer

Nicole Scherzinger Nicole Scherzinger (; born Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Valiente, June 29, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and television personality. She is best known as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, one of the best-selling g ...

in 2021.

Thalía version

"" was recorded by Mexican singer/actress

, and released in early 1997. Thalia was very popular in the Philippines at the time after starring in the hit series '' Marimar'', which was broadcast there in 1996. Like the original, the song is sung in Tagalog and was released as the lead single from her Philippine album, .

Commercial performance

Thalia's version subsequently became a huge hit in the Philippines, along with her previous album ''

En éxtasis ''En éxtasis'' (English: ''In ecstasy'') is the fourth studio album by Mexican singer Thalía, released on 12 September 1995, by EMI Latin. The album became a huge success in Latin America and other countries. This is the first album Thalía reco ...

'', and it sold over 40,000, after 10 months of its release.

In popular culture

Film

A movie with the same title starring

Kris Aquino Kristina Bernadette Cojuangco Aquino (born February 14, 1971), professionally known as Kris Aquino (), is a Filipino television host, actress, producer, socialite and businesswoman. Dubbed as Philippine's "Queen of All Media", Aquino has hos ...

and

Phillip Salvador Phillip Mikael "Ipe" Reyes Salvador (born Felipe Reyes Salvador; August 22, 1953) is a three-time FAMAS award-winning Filipino film and television actor. Acting career Salvador made his film debut in 1971 with ''Adios Mi Amor''. He toiled in m ...

, directed by

Jose "Kaka" Balagtas Jose "Kaka" Balagtas is a film director, writer, actor, producer and politician in the Philippines. He previously served as Vice Mayor of San Antonio, Nueva Ecija. Balagtas is the director of films such as ''Patron'' (1988) with Dante Varona, ''Tu ...

opened in theaters on 12 May 1994.

Television

In 2011,

recorded a version of the song for the Filipino mini series of the same name, '' Nandito Ako'', where it served as the show's theme song. The programme was the second ''mini-serye'' by TV5, and like the first one, ''

Sa Ngalan ng Ina ''Sa Ngalan ng Ina'' (English: ''In the Name of the Mother'') is a Philippine drama, Filipino drama series by TV5 (Philippines), TV5. This is the first offering of TV5 Mini Serye which aired only for a month. It aired on October 3 after Wil Time B ...

'' (lit. ''In the Name of the Mother''), it was also set to air for only a month.Nandito Ako ng TV5, trending ang magandang kuwento worldwide
retrieved via tv5.com.ph 28 Feb 2012 The song was later included on Archuleta's fourth studio album titled '' Forevermore'', a

covers album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records coll ...

of Filipino songs.

References

{{authority control 1988 songs Philippine pop songs Lea Salonga songs 1997 singles Thalía songs David Archuleta songs Tagalog-language songs pt:Nandito Ako (canção)