Nicole Asensio’s ‘Schizoprano’: A Fusion of Classical and Rock n’ Roll

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Kicking off Wish 107.5’s Roadshow tours this year is a top-notch jamming session with former General Luna vocalist Nicole Asensio, a rising Filipino artist who, despite her musical pedigree, insists on making her own way into the local music scene.

Nicole is the daughter of singer Iwi Laurel, the granddaughter of famed soprano Fides Cuyugan-Asensio. Her uncle is renowned theater artist Cocoy Laurel and first cousin of TV personality and actress Denise Laurel.

Despite this bloodline, Nicole was able to tread a musical journey of her own. She has fronted the bands Crowjane and General Luna but is now ready to introduce her own brand of music that fuses her classical roots and rock n’ roll in an album cleverly titled – Schizoprano.

“The word schizoprano is a combination of two words: schizo, from the word schizophrenic, and soprano. The term started out as a joke among veteran opera singer friends [who were] voice students of my paternal grandmother…because she is known to be a purist in classical vocal styling, those who dabble in other genres jokingly referred to themselves as “schizoprano,” she shared in an interview.

“Being that I am part of the bloodline of both Asensio and Laurel, sides of classical and Broadway singers, but happened to find myself singing rock and other genres. The term “schizoprano” seemed to suit me and my voice just fine. I still sing classical when the occasion calls for it. I don’t think I can remove that from my system,” she added.

During her guesting, she rendered WISHclsusive performances of her tracks, “Leader for a Day” and “Sewn to Skin.” She also showed off her powerful vocals as she covered the popular Bonnie Raitt hit, “I Can’t Make You Love Me.”

Asked about her WISHperience, the 27-year-old artist remarked, “This is awesome! We wish we could do this every day. Thank you Wish for making my wish come true.”

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